Best Man and Groomsmen Proposal Gifts and Ideas

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Once you’ve started planning your wedding and decided on your best man and groomsmen - it’s time to propose! Groomsmen proposal gifts are not a requirement, but lots of couples like to ask their bridal party in a fun way. There’s lots of groomsmen proposal ideas for gifts, gift boxes and cards as a way to ask your friends.

Best Man or Groomsmen Proposal Ideas

When you’re deciding what to give, the sky’s the limit. You can pick out some traditional, keepsake gifts, like flasks or watches. Or you can choose practical gifts that you know your friends will like.

If your groomsman or best man has a favorite sport, you could buy them gear or accessories. Another great option is gift cards. That way, each person can spend it the way they like.

Ideas For Groomsmen Proposal Gifts:

Flask
Wallet
Watch
Cufflinks
Swiss Army knife
Toiletry bag
Grooming set
Cocktail set
Shot glasses
Bar tools
Poker set
Cigars
BBQ set
Gift cards
Golf accessories
Fishing gear

Unique Groomsmen Proposal Gifts

Choosing Your Groomsmen

If you’ve just gotten engaged, you’re taking a big step. Take your time and enjoy being engaged before you make any big decisions. Most importantly, don’t try to choose your bridal party before you’ve done some basic wedding planning.

If you haven’t looked into venues or caterers yet, you’re going to be surprised by the prices. As well, the last few years have caused many wedding vendors to become overbooked. You might have trouble finding a venue that fits your budget, and has a date available.

Many couples change their minds about the type of wedding they want to have after they’ve started planning. Lots of people decide to have smaller weddings, with smaller bridal parties. Some people decide not to have a bridal party at all.

If you’ve already asked people to be in your wedding party, it’s very difficult to un-ask them. At least not without damaging the friendship.

Take your time choosing your groomsmen and your best man. Don’t do it until you’ve set your wedding plan and discussed it with your spouse to be.

Funny Groomsmen Proposal Gifts

Decide on the Size of the Bridal Party

Once you’ve decided to have a wedding party, you need to figure out how many people you’ll ask. Make sure to agree ahead of time on the size of the bridal party.

Traditionally, a bridal party has an even number of groomsmen and bridesmaids. Modern brides and grooms aren’t so picky about having an even number on each side. If you don’t have the same number of close friends, it’s not important to match the sides perfectly.

If you’re having an uneven number, try not to make the difference too extreme. For example, if you have 10 best friends and your bride only has one, it might make her feel awkward on your wedding day.

Decide how big your bridal party will be before you decide who to ask.

How to Ask Groomsmen to be in Your Wedding Party

Once you’ve decided who to ask, you’re ready to propose! For the simplest groomsman proposal, you can ask them in person. If you’re on a tight budget, it’s ok to just say the words. Tell your friends how important they are to you and ask them to be your groomsmen.

If you’d like to make it more of a celebration, you can plan a night out. Bring proposal gifts, boxes or cards to hand out to your friends when you pop the question.

How Much Should You Spend On a Groomsman or Best Man Proposal?

Before you decide how much to spend, consider your overall budget. Keep in mind that you’ll need to buy your bridal party thank you gifts later on. Couples give out thank you gifts at the rehearsal dinner, on the night before the wedding.

The proposal gift is optional, but the thank you gift is not. If you’ve got a small budget, you can give a thoughtful card or a small gift. If your budget is bigger, you can put together a proposal box with a card and some surprise gifts inside. Most couples spend $50 or less on each gift.

Simple Groomsmen Proposal Gifts

If you’re on a smaller budget, you can propose to your best man and groomsmen with a simple and inexpensive gift.

Traditional Groomsmen Duties

Before you ask your friends to join your wedding party, think about what you’ll expect them to do. Most grooms want their groomsmen to rent suits, attend the wedding events and take part in the wedding day.

Sometimes you’ll want them to do more, or less, depending on the type of wedding you’re planning. If you’re having a traditional wedding, with a full service venue and caterer, the groomsmen duties are:

Moral support for the groom.
Rent a suit or tux and attend the fittings.
Attend any co-ed or couples wedding shower.
Attend the bachelor party.
Take part in the wedding rehearsal.
Attend the rehearsal dinner.
Usher guests to their seats on the wedding day.
Escort the bridesmaids.
Stand with the groom for the ceremony.
Join the wedding party photos.
Start the dancing, along with the bridal party.
Help with gifts after the wedding.

Traditional Best Man Duties

As well as all the groomsmen duties, the best man will usually take the lead in organizing pre wedding events, like the bachelor party. The best man will also:

Help plan a co-ed or couples wedding shower.
Organize the bachelor party.
Make a toast at the wedding.

Best Man or Groomsmen Duties For a DIY Wedding

Lots of couples are finding it hard to book a traditional wedding that they can afford. One way to keep the wedding on budget is by doing some DIY. If you’ll need help with wedding chores, you can ask your best man and groomsmen to help out. As long as you ask them ahead of time, most people are happy to help.

In fact, I don’t know one single person who would be upset about helping the bride and groom on their wedding day. The only time I’ve seen anyone annoyed is when they weren’t asked in advance. If people know what you’ll need, they can come prepared.

If you’re planning a DIY wedding, you might ask your best man or your groomsmen to take on extra duties:

Pick up food, decorations or people.
Set up decor, tables and chairs.
Help with clean up afterwards.

Personalized Groomsmen Proposal Boxes

If you’ve chosen gifts or gift cards for your wedding party, you can order personalized boxes to put them in.

Custom Groomsman Proposal Boxes

If you want to keep things simple, you can find lots of ready made boxes for a groomsman proposal. You can find them pre-filled with traditional gifts. Or you can choose from a selection of items.

If you shop on Etsy, most of the sellers will even personalize the gift for you. You can have them printed with your groomsman names or monograms.