Putting together gift boxes for our friends to ask them to be part of our wedding was one of the most exciting parts of wedding planning for me. We wanted our wedding party gifts to be special because, well, we were giving them to some of the most important people in our lives! Giving gifts is my love language, so I may have been a little over the top with this project. Bridesmaid proposals are the easy part, but it can be really hard to come up with groomsmen proposal ideas!
I started pinning inspiration for these gift boxes in August 2020, the week after we got engaged. We had already picked our wedding date; it was only 10 months away, so I needed to get the boxes done as soon as possible! The most time consuming part of building the gift boxes was personalizing each one. I’m so glad I did though! There’s something about personalization that makes a gift feel more special.
When I was brainstorming what to put inside the boxes, I first made a list of some of our favorite brands and products. I also started to think about what our wedding party would be wearing on our big day. My goal was to include 3-5 items that were wedding-related, purposeful, and high-quality. I also wanted the gifts to be things the guys would use long after our wedding was over. A lot of people spend as little as possible on their wedding party proposal gifts, which is totally fine, but we wanted to spend a little more. The total cost for each box was around $85 ($15 box + $20 yeti + $15 for 3 moonshine minis + $14 socks + $14 tie clips + $1 crinkle paper filler + $4 card). Also, yes, I made Nick a box when I made everyone else’s because I thought he deserved a little surprise gift too!
THE PERSONALIZED WOOD GIFT BOX
The first decision I had to make was whether to use paper gift bags or some kind of box to hold the gifts. I decided to use wooden boxes that would double as storage or home decor afterward. I really wanted an unfinished wood look to go along with the theme of our wedding. That sounds easy enough, right? It turns out, finding the perfect box was actually the hardest part of the whole project. It took hours of searching to find an unfinished wood box that would fit the little gifts inside. I wanted to use high quality boxes, but I also didn’t want to spend a ton of money on each one! Eventually, I found the perfect one. I ordered a dozen or so Darice Natural Wood Unfinished Hinged Boxes from Amazon for about $15 each. The boxes were 12 inches long x 9.125 inches wide x 3.25 inches deep.
When the boxes arrived, I removed the hinges and gently sanded the inside and outside of each box. Then, with a gold paint marker and some painter’s tape, I painted each guy’s name in the lower right corner of the lid. I sealed the entire box with a spray clear matte lacquer to make sure the lettering didn’t chip off. We ordered some higher quality hinges from Amazon to replace the cheap ones that came on the boxes and Nick helped me put them on. When they were put back together, I filled each box with white crinkle paper filler. Then it was time for the fun part – adding the gifts!
GROOMSMAN GEAR
Groomsman Gear was the real star of our groomsmen proposal boxes. I don’t even have words to describe how much I fell in love with Groomsman Gear in the beginning stages of wedding planning. They quickly became one of my favorite companies! Nick and I decided that we did not want to use a rental company for the guys outfits and accessories; this left me with the difficult task of piecing together the perfect outfits, including tie clips, socks, suspenders and ties, for six guys (and our dads). Enter Groomsman Gear, the one-stop shop for guys wedding accessories! They offer a huge variety of gifts, apparel, and accessories that can be mixed and matched AND personalized. The best part is the price – everything on their site is so affordable! It was such a weight off my shoulders when I found Groomsman Gear. Choosing our guys’ dress socks, suspenders, and tie clip ended up being one of the least stressful parts of wedding planning. The best part was that I ordered all of the guy’s accessories from one convenient place. I opted for the customized packaging to add a special touch!
Our wedding had a natural/neutral theme with light grey suits. To compliment the suits (and white dress shirts underneath), I picked out the following items from Groomsman Gear:
GROOMSMAN GEAR Black Tie Clip – Chrome Finish
These tie clips have a beautiful black chrome-like finish that isn’t too shiny. The tie clips didn’t take away from the rest of the outfit, but the black color made a subtle statement against the guys’ tan ties and light grey suits. They really pulled everyone’s outfit together! Nick really wanted to have a tie clip as part of his outfit, and the black one from Groomsman Gear ended up being perfect.
GROOMSMAN GEAR Black Striped Socks
We chose black and grey striped socks for the guys to wear on our wedding day. We included them in their groomsmen proposal boxes (and crossed our fingers that nobody lost them before the wedding). These socks are SO incredibly soft! Nick still wears them all the time, not just when he dresses up. They’re his new favorite! Socks are an easily forgettable detail, but they’re a great opportunity to add a pop of color or pattern.
GROOMSMAN GEAR Light Tan Khaki Suspenders
These suspenders tied in our natural/beige wedding theme perfectly. I was initially unsure about pairing khaki suspenders with a light grey suit, but it ended up looking amazing! I saved the suspenders to give the guys as a wedding day gift because they didn’t fit in the boxes (and I was worried some of the guys would lose them before the wedding). The guys all really loved them and everyone commented on how comfortable they were.
GROOMSMAN GEAR USA American Flag Socks
Nick picked out these fun socks as an additional gift to give his friends as a thank you for being in the wedding. These were also a wedding day-of gift for the guys. The print is so fun, and the guys loved getting a fun pair of dress socks to add to their collection.
One of my favorite things about Groomsman Gear is that they offer product personalization. Personalization is such a small detail, but we all know that receiving a personalized gift makes it feel so much more meaningful! I took advantage of this awesome service Groomsman Gear offers and got the packaging personalized for the items I put inside our groomsmen proposal boxes! The gift boxes (and our wedding, for that matter) would not have turned out so great without the help of Groomsman Gear!
If you’re getting married and want your guys to have matching suspenders, tie clips, and dress socks, you can get all three and have the packaging personalized for around $50 with Groomsman Gear!
OLE SMOKY DISTILLERY MOONSHINE MINIS
Wisconsin and moonshine go hand in hand. I wanted to incorporate alcohol in the boxes in some way (because, well, we like to party). I didn’t just want to get the basic travel sized alcohols that everyone else uses in their gift boxes – I wanted something unique! Ole Smoky is a Tennessee-based distillery specializing in moonshine and whiskey. Their “Moonshine Minis” 6-packs caught my eye. Each shot-sized serving of moonshine comes in the cutest mini mason jar with a lid. The shots say “c’mon shoot some ‘shine and keep the jar”. Don’t mind if I do! Ole Smoky has so many different moonshine flavors available (and they regularly come out with new ones) like Butter Pecan, Mountain Java, White Lightnin’, Sour Peach, Pumpkin Pie, and Sour Razzin’ Berry to name a few.
The three flavors we chose to put in each groomsmen proposal box were Apple Pie, Blackberry, and Hunch Punch. They were an absolute hit – the guys loved their moonshine shots and they made for a fun time!
CUSTOM YETI COLSTERS
Nick and I really wanted to give everyone in our wedding party at least one higher-end gift that they would use long after our big day was over. One area we splurged on (and we don’t regret it) was ordering custom Yeti colsters and travel mugs for our wedding party and parents. I chose white colsters and cups and had our wedding logo engraved on each one. Under that, I had each person’s name and role in the wedding engraved in a simple block font. I love that these are a lifelong gift, and the design is simple enough that everyone would use them for years to come. Yeti has long been one of mine and Nick’s favorite brands, so we couldn’t think of a more perfect “big gift” for our proposal boxes. One year later, our family and friends still use these regularly!
To finish off the gift boxes, I used about 76 inches of ¾ inch wide Cotton Beige Herringbone Flat Ribbon (from Amazon) to wrap around each box. Before I tied the bows, I slipped a handmade paper tag on each ribbon. I cut the tags out of white cardstock using the Silhouette Cameo and stamped it with our custom Modern Maker wedding logo stamp.
One of my favorite products I got for our wedding planning process was a custom wood rubber stamp by Modern Maker. The stamp is our wedding logo that Nick and I designed together! I have seriously used this stamp so many times on so many wedding projects. Of course, I had to use it for our wedding party proposals too! I also added a tiny greenery pick to each bow that I made with a single eucalyptus leaf, a little plastic leaf pick spray painted gold, and a white fake flower stem.
CARDS FROM LUCKY NOTES PAPER CO.
Finally, I slid a filled out card from Lucky Notes Paper Co. under each ribbon. The cards by Lucky Notes Paper Co. are absolute perfection – they are so fun and high quality. There is a card for every part of planning a wedding, from wedding party proposals to day-of parent cards. The cards we chose for our groomsmen proposals said, “This was all her idea…” on the outside, and on the inside they said, “Will you be my groomsman/best man?” Nick picked out these cards because they are funny and not too sappy, and also because the gift boxes were all my idea, haha. Lucky Notes Paper Co. also offers a ton of envelope color choices. I went with a matte black envelope for the guys and wrote names on them with a gold marker. The card is arguably the most important part of wedding party proposal gifts because that’s what officially pops the questions to your friends!
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Planning our wedding was overwhelming to say the least, but looking back, there are very few things I would change about the experience. Our wedding ended up being more perfect than I ever could have imagined, and it was worth every ounce of energy I poured into it! Our groomsmen all loved their gift boxes and still use the items inside to this day. If you’re planning a wedding or even just looking for suspenders, dress socks, or tie clips, be sure to check out my new favorite place to shop for men’s accessories – Groomsman Gear! Whether you include these items in your proposal gift or have the guys purchase everything themselves, Groomsman Gear will majorly simplify your wedding planning.
