The thing about weddings is that they are above all else the domain of the bride, and that’s cool. After all, it’s her day, as she occasionally lets slip when she says “mine” instead of our when you are discussing it. Do us guys really care? For the most part, no.  We want our other halves to be happy to have what they desire and experience that truly special day that they deserve. So, being the good future husbands that we are, we’re happy to hand over control of most things to them.

However, there are just a few little things it’s good for us guys to have some have some input in. In particular, the gifts you will be giving to your groomsmen, the fathers and any other males involved in the wedding. Otherwise, you could end up giving the most important bros in your life something twee, or even uninspired. That is why is essential that you take inspiration from the guide below to find some manceptable (acceptable to men), gifts to give as a thank you for being involved in your big day. Read on to find out more.

Experience days

Something that can be a welcome gift for the men in your life as a thank you for all their help with your wedding is to buy them an experience day voucher. These can be purchased for all sorts of activities. Something that is really useful as you can tailor it to the recipient’s interests, making sure you have something that you are proud to give, and they are definitely happy to receive.

For example, you may choose a wine tasting day for your father and the father of the bride, a cheese making experience for the foodies in the family, a survival weekend for the more adventurous, or a driving day for the petrol heads. When picking the latter do remember that there are many different types of driving experience available from Nascar, motorbikes, to off roading, rallies and driving military vehicles such as tanks.

Remember too, that an experience day is a great way to get all the boys together again after the hustle and bustle of the wedding for a bit of guy only time. Just don’t forget to book yourself a place on the experience as well!

Initialed wallet

Another manceptable gift that you can give to the guys involved in your wedding that won’t make you cringe is a decent leather wallet that is personalized with their initials. As with anything that is as simple as this, quality needs to be your first consideration. So always go for handmade leather wallets in colors that you know the recipient will use.

It can also be really helpful to find a company that both supplies the wallets and does the personalization work. You may think you can do it yourself with a hammer and a press alphabet, but let me just tell you now that you can’t. It’s really difficult, and you will only end up ruining a perfectly good wallet, or two, or five. Trust me, I know. So it’s always better to get the professional involved with things like this.

Remember too to present them in nice gift boxes, and include a handwritten card with each one. In which you can write a short message of gratitude to make it truly personal to the person that is receiving it.

Nicely packaged home brew

If your male companions are really into their beer, then it may be appropriate to give them an alcoholic gift, if they are of age of course. One way of doing this and making it really personal is to brew your own beer at home. Then bottle it up with your own name and label as a gift. You can call it simply Wedding Brew with your names and date, or you can call it something funny like So Long Single Life Suds! Although the name you come up with will probably be better.

If this is something, you haven’t had a go at before try a simple but tasty homebrew recipe like this one from www.popularmechanics.com.

Just remember that you will need to invest in the kit as well including some plastic food grade bucket or a carboy, that large glass jar you see in hardware stores. As well as a siphon hose and a bubbler. You are also going to need some glass bottles that will need to be sterilized before adding your home beer once it’s ready. As this will help it to keep longer without going bad.

Remember to that homebrew can take up to a month to ferment, so it’s best to get it done a few months before the wedding, and get it bottled up. Then that’s another job out of the way, leaving you to concentrate on other important things like writing your speech.

Personalized drinking accessories

Still, on the alcohol theme, other acceptable choices for wedding gifts can be personalized drinking accessories. These act as both practical items that can be used on the day, as well as keepsakes to remind the recipient of their contribution.

There is a wide range of items to choose from including beer glasses, shot glasses, hip flasks, tankards, and even liquor decanters. All of which can be personalized through engraving. You can look for a site online that provides these items and personalizes them for you, or you can buy them separately and take them to an engraver for you message to be added afterward. Just remember to leave enough time, two weeks or so should be sufficient, for the engraver to complete them before the big day.

Hunting knife

A hunting knife may seem like an odd gift to provide for your groomsman, but they are actually increasing in popularity. Especially, as they fit in with the more rustic themed weddings that are becoming fashionable.

It’s best to get one with handles made of bone, metal, or plastic because then they can be engraved with the name of the person you are giving it to. Wood handled knives can also work, as the name or message can be burnt into it with a pyrography tool.

Of course, you do need to make sure that you are giving them to the adults only, and that means finding something else for the kids. But they really do make an unusual gift that your groomsmen, or even the Father of the Bride (FOB) and the Father of the Groom (Fog) FOT are unlikely to have received before.

Wet shave or beard care kits

With beards being as popular as ever; a great choice for a wedding party gift is a beard grooming kit. These often include beard shampoo and balm to make facial hair silky soft As well as accessories like beard combs.

However, if your wedding party are more the clean shaven type, then you can get them a nice wet shave kit instead. This should include a decent metal razor, or even a cut throat if you fancy? Along with some shaving foam soap, a mirror and some gel or balm to calm the skin once the shave is over.

It may be that you would prefer to put your own together, filling a gift box or basket with the items. Although If you want a less stressful option, you can buy them ready made up. You can even give these gifts out before the big day so the groomsmen can use them to look their best throughout the wedding.

Monogrammed phone dock

For the gadget loving groomsman, FOB, and FOG, why not try a useful but still classy gift such as monogrammed iPhone dock? You can get them made from bamboo or even stitched leather, and they are sure to be received with gusto by anyone that is always attached to the latest technological breakthrough.

Wedding survival kits

Lastly, another great wedding party gift that you can give to the guys before the day is a wedding survival kit. You can make these up yourself using a bag or a box and put in it whatever you like. As well as what you think they will need to survive the day, both during and after your wedding.

Common things include some whiskey and cola for Dutch courage, especially relevant to the best man if he has to give a speech. A cigar to celebrate with after the ceremony and some fragrance just in anyone gets a bit sweaty from all that dancing! You can also include a can of Redbull, as well to help the guys survive into the wee small hours, no matter how tired they are from the events of the day.

By following these ideas and adapting them to your wedding party, you can truly achieve some gifts that are acceptable, and they definitely won’t embarrass you when you have to give them out.  They should also be appreciated by grateful recipients on the day, or for years after.

Beef Jerky Gift Boxes

Jerky is lean trimmed meat that has been cut into strips and dried (dehydrated) to prevent spoilage. Normally, this drying includes the addition of salt to prevent bacteria growth before the meat has finished the dehydrating process. Jerky gift boxes are a great way to show your new Mr. how much you love him.