A real guide, not just a sales pitch.
The short answer: The best groomsmen gifts are worn on the wedding day, kept afterward, and cost roughly what a round of drinks costs. A matching monogrammed pocket square, hand-finished in Los Angeles, embroidered with each man's own initials, $34–$67 each or $87 for a gift set of three ($29 per square), what more could you want!
We make pocket squares for a living, so let me be upfront: this is a maker's guide, not a neutral list of everything on the market. But grooms ask me the same questions every week: what do I give them, how much do I spend, when do I hand it over — and the answers don't change much whether or not the gift ends up being one of mine.
The problem with the usual gifts
Flasks. Bottle openers. Matching socks. A knife with his name etched on it. Grooms buy these because they're easy to buy in a set of six, and most of them are in a drawer — or a donation box — by the following Christmas. It's not that the thought isn't there. It's that the gift was chosen for the buying, not for the man.
A good groomsmen gift has to pass three tests:
He wears or uses it on the day. If it's not part of the wedding, it's an errand you gave him, not a memory.
He keeps it after. Weddings are expensive for groomsmen too — the suit hire, the hotel, the travel. A gift that lasts is the thank-you done properly.
It's his, specifically. A name or initials turn a nice object into his object. That's the whole difference between a gift and a favor.
Why the pocket square passes all three
On the day, it sits in his breast pocket, in every photograph. Afterward, it's the easiest thing in the world to keep wearing — any suit, any formal occasion, for years. And with his initials embroidered on it, nobody else's looks quite like his, even when the whole party matches.
There's a practical side, too. Groomsmen live in different cities and wear different sizes. A pocket square is one size — 11" × 11" — needs no measuring, no exchanges, and travels home in a jacket pocket.
How grooms usually do it
Pick one fabric for the party. Linen is the classic choice and the one I'd start with; cotton keeps a big party's budget calm; silk is dressier. Same fabric, same monogram style for everyone — that's what makes the photographs look deliberate.
Give each man his own initials. There are 5 monogram styles, from a clean block to an interlocking script, and 14 thread colors. Match the thread to the wedding colors, or let the initials be subtle in white or navy. Matching fabric, personal embroidery: the group reads as a group, and each man still gets a gift that is his.
Step the best man up. He has done more — the speech, the rings, the hundred small jobs. Grooms often give the groomsmen linen or cotton and the best man silk, or give him the gift set of three so he's set for the next few formal occasions too. It's a quiet distinction, and he will notice it.
If you'd rather think in sets: the Duo set of two is $58, and the gift set of three is $87. For a single classic square per man, start with the Classic Linen at $39. And if you want the wedding date itself carried on the square, the Custom Silk Pocket Square | Initials & Date at $56 embroiders his initials and the date together.
Budgets, without the sales talk
Wedding budgets for groomsmen gifts tend to land in one of three places:
Around $35–$45 per man: cotton or the Classic Linen. Right for larger parties, and nobody will feel short-changed — these are the same squares, made the same way.
Around $50–$60 per man: silk, or linen with the Initials & Date embroidery. Right for a smaller party, or a best man.
The sets: $58 for two, $87 for three. If you're buying for exactly two or three men — say, a best man and a father — the maths is better than singles, at $29 per square in the set of three.
What I'd skip: spending the whole budget on packaging, novelty items he'll never open, or anything that needs batteries, sizing, or an instruction booklet. Spend it on the object itself.
What to skip, honestly
Anything engraved with "Groomsman" and the date in large letters. He can't wear that again, and a gift he can't reuse is a souvenir.
Identical gifts for everyone with no personal element. If his name isn't on it in some way, it's a uniform, not a thank-you.
Last-minute bulk buys. You can tell, he can tell.
When to order, and when to hand it over
These squares are made to order and hand-finished — that's the point of them — so build in time. Order when you've confirmed your party and your colors, not in the final fortnight. As long as you give us a 10 buisness days, we can typically make your order happen.
For the giving itself: the rehearsal dinner and the wedding morning are the two moments that work. The wedding morning has the edge — he opens the box while he's getting ready and wears it within the hour. Every O'Harrow order arrives in a free gift box, so there's no wrapping to arrange on the busiest weekend of your life.
The facts, in one place
O'Harrow Clothiers makes custom monogrammed pocket squares, hand-finished in Los Angeles, USA. Squares are $34–$67 (gift set of three $87; Duo set of two $58), 11" × 11", in linen, cotton and silk. There are 5 monogram styles and 14 thread colors. A free gift box comes with every order.
Your groomsmen will forget a lot about your wedding in twenty years. They won't forget standing next to you. Give them something that was actually there.
O’Harrow Custom Pocket Squares
