What do guys want for wedding favors? It's a question that weighs heavy on the mind for those perfectionist planners among us — whether or not you're rocking the girly factor by handing out mini glass slippers on satin pillows, or going for a little more red carpet and a little less lace.
So we figured it was high time to knock out this question ... settle it for the ages. How? Coercion, of course (a language guys intuitively understand). We locked 8 9 a lot of guys in a room together and refused to let them come out until they'd answered the question definitively. Or ran out of beer.
In a way, the results were predictable. 48.42% of our subjects (despite having attended multiple weddings) offered earnest responses but sadly, weren't able to suss out the subtle difference between a wedding favor and a bridal party gift ($20-30, approximately). 15.24% veered toward the strongly socially unacceptable in their suggestions. 39.24% loved the idea of getting something useless from Sharper Image or Gamestop, whether or not said tchotchke came in the form of a wedding favor.
Information you can take to the bank? Only you can say. At least we know now what the men are really thinking, even if that thought bubble simply reads, "HUH?"
When Men Really Want ... for Favors
THE INFORMATIVE
Heliel: That's easy. Beer.
Scott: Booze.
Steve: Can you go wrong with alcohol? ... well, I guess you could if there were minors there ... but then again, it might be fun.
Juan: If you can eat it or drink it, I'm usually cool with it.
Kyle: I like candles. Only because it's the only thing I can ever remember getting at a wedding.
Mark (slaps the table): Okay. I wanted to have s'mores for my wedding, but the wife ixnayed that idea.
But imagine — graham cookie, marshmallow, Hershey's mini chocolate, and another graham cookie on top, all dropped in a 'fishnet' [translation: tulle] sack and tied to a little stick"¦ Have a candle/hibachi centerpiece, and voila! S'MORES! (Gazes at ceiling blissfully.)
Gerald: I don't like the idea of any fishnet sack that's tied to a stick.
THE SOCIALLY QUESTIONABLE
Steve: Hmm, still thinking here. Anything sports-related. Sports stuff is great for guys ... and butchy girls, or so I hear. Naked body parts ... done tastefully, of course. Elegant heiny candy. Miniature handcuffs. Special dice that swear like a sailor when you roll them. Things that vibrate are probably more for the women.
(room falls silent.)
Oh, and for younger guys, video games are always good ...
THE TERMINALLY CONFUSED
Daniel (hesitantly): A billfold-type wallet?
Darren: Barring bite-sized body parts, I would have to say the optimum "man-gift" for a wedding favor would involve a gadget of some sort. You could do something inexpensive like a keychain/flashlight. Or an inexpensive leatherman tool.
Big bang, memento-wise. A guy will likely use this kind of doodad again and maybe store it in his pocket.
Marc: For me, the best favors were when I went to a wedding and they had disposable cameras at every place setting. (Brides: maybe make the instructions on those tent cards very large and clear: CAMERAS ARE FOR PHOTOGRAPHING THIS WEDDING.)
Brian: As far as gifts go, I've always liked anything that lights up. Like, Brookstone has these cool "wobble clocks" that a friend gave out to the groomsmen. It's an egg-shaped digital clock that has a timer, alarm, shows the ambient temp, etcetera. The cool thing about it is you just wave your finger over the top, and it lights up.
Your Turn
Maybe you're just naturally one of those people who can wander the desert and stumble into a wellspring. And maybe you've collected a cool idea or two for a guy-friendly little memento. Don't be shy ... share the wealth.
I thought hard about this one. First, rather than getting the same favor for every person, I am having willow baskets filled with all different favors. Guests choose two favors.
For men, I included:
1) mini Cross pens
2) funky bottle cap refrigerator magnets
3) climbing carabiners that can be used as keychains
4) Shave bars
5) quirky luggage tags
6) gender-neutral cell-phone, ipod, and blackberry handles
Okay but are there anymore ideas that you can give me? Because I would like to show these guys that I appreciate them for being apart of my wedding.
What if the guys that I am trying to buy gifts for don’t play golf?
Hi! We are having a spring wedding with an outdoor/country style reception. Think picnic, and I love the idea of s’mores for favors. I have clear favor boxes and I’m thinking of putting all s’mores ingredients in the box with brown paper filler then tie it all up with raffia. I think this is a GREAT idea for an informal outdoor loving couple!:D
Guys like something they can USE. There is nothing wrong with this, any many things right. Please be thoughtful and try not to control your men by the presents you buy them… :-w
Wedding favors are difficult. They’re necessarily cheap, and not much good can come of something purposely cheap. Especially when it needs to be useful to a man.
My advice is: don’t even try. You won’t be able to hit a man’s pleasure center for less then $5.
However, that attitude would make for a useless post, so below I’ve given it my best shot.
These are some wedding favors:
A multitool is a fantastic idea. They’re made at several price points. There is always a place for another multitool. In this sense, they are like clutches for women. Men will deposit multitools in several places to make sure one is always nearby.
Flashlights are excellent too, but only if they’re extremely high-tech. Not the plastic cheapies. A good bet is something with LEDs, maybe something heavy carved from aluminum. Nice camping headlamps aren’t classy but very appreciated.
Sears has a ton of small cheap tools that could serve as favors. Keychain screwdrivers, for example.
Microfiber car towels come in lots of flashy colors and are very affordable. They can be tied up in creative ways. You can find them in car care sections of Target or WalMart. But my advice is to only browse there, and buy cheaper online. Microfiber sponges also would work.
Men are always losing the plastic tips to their collared shirts. At 50 cents apiece on Ebay, you can buy nice brass “collar stays” and give out two pairs apiece. Upon seeing these, most men will let out expressions of appreciation and pleasant surprise. But only give out brass. Plastic ones are cheap-looking.
If you know a friend behind the cosmetics counter, try and score a large quantity of Clinique men’s shaving products. Or any other brand of high-quality men’s shaving stuff. People have the impression that men will scoff at frilly shaving cosmetics. But the truth is, like anything else, men will adopt anything that works well. So being turned on to new shaving cosmetics is something we enjoy.
The only pen cheap & masculine enough to hand out as a wedding favor is the Parker Jotter click ballpoint, in stainless steel. These are about $5 at a Walgreens or CVS. They look like old doctor’s pens. Many men have fond memories of fathers & grandfathers using a steel Parker Jotter. The style hasn’t changed in 60 years and is a classic.
Below are my ideas for bridal party gifts:
One bottle of something very expensive is appropriate. A single malt Scotch or other rareified whiskey is something some men will keep around (possibly on display) for years. Other men will drink it with their friends at first chance. In any case, you’re giving the guy a good time with close friends. He will drink this with only the best buddies, and with a certain reverence.
Many tools now come in presentation-level quality. If the guy is handy, a single well-engineered tool (or set) is a powerful gift that really hits the pleasure centers of some men. One high-quality socket wrench from Facom or Snap-On will do the trick. Facom is the Prada of tools. Sears Craftsman has a line of premium tools, some in cherry wood gift boxes. Anything titanium is exquisite.
More expensive pens are both phallic and traditional. Avoid the fruity, spindly business pens at Office Depot. Search for the Retro 51 Tornado in brown or blue titanium. The Fountain Pen Hospital is a great Net resource for pens. Shoot for something masculine and heavy.
My partner and I are getting married next year, and he doesn’t seem too interested on this topic. However I’ve seen a wedding were the groom liked golf and they incorporated this into the theme. For their gifts to guests they gave golf balls with their wedding date and initials on them, the bride had made small boxes for them to sit inside (matching colours too)….satifies the guys taste I guess?
You know - I now a lot of guys that would agree - but I still won’t be giving out anything that vibrates or that resembles body parts