Best Man Gift Ideas: 20 Ways to Thank Your Groomsman-in-Chief

The best man role comes with a lot of unofficial job duties, holding the rings, wrangling the groomsmen, giving a speech that has to be funny but not too funny, and somehow keeping the groom calm. A thank-you gift is the least he deserves, but most best man gift ideas lists default to the same three things: a flask, a knife, or cufflinks.

Here's a wider range of ideas, plus the one gift format that's becoming the go-to move for grooms who want to do something no one else has thought of: a group video message gift.

Classic Best Man Gifts (Still Good Choices)

• An engraved flask with the wedding date or a shared inside joke
• A quality leather wallet or card holder he'll actually carry
• Custom cufflinks tied to a shared interest, not just generic monograms
• A pocket knife or multi-tool engraved with his initials
• A bottle of something he actually drinks, not just whatever was on sale

Experience-Based Best Man Gifts

• Tickets to a game or event you can go to together after the wedding chaos settles
• A golf outing or fishing trip booked for a few weeks post-wedding, something to look forward to
• A subscription to something he's into, a hot sauce club, a whiskey-of-the-month box, a gaming pass
• A weekend trip if your budget and friendship group can swing it

Sentimental Best Man Gifts

• A framed photo from a formative moment in your friendship, not a staged one
• A handwritten letter he can read before the ceremony
• A custom piece of art or print referencing something specific to your history together
• A recreated old photo, professionally reshot, if you go back decades

The Gift Idea Nobody Else Is Giving: A Group Video Message

Here's the thing about the classic best man gifts: they're all from you. A group video message gift flips that. Instead of one more gift from the groom, you invite everyone who's been part of his life, college roommates, his dad, coworkers, even the friend who moved across the country, to record a short video message. Every clip gets compiled into one reel he watches all at once.

It works especially well for a best man gift because the best man is usually the one person with access to every corner of the groom's life, the guys from home, the guys from work, the family. Pulling that group together into one gift is a natural extension of everything else he's already coordinating for the wedding.

With Folksee, it takes about five minutes to set up: create a link, pick a few prompts, a favorite memory, some marriage advice, a roast he'll have to sit through, and send it to the group. Everyone records from their own phone, no app needed, and Folksee compiles it into one shareable reel you can play at the bachelor party, the rehearsal dinner, or hand off right before the ceremony.

How to Pick the Right One

If he's sentimental, lean into the shared-history gifts. If he's more of a jokester, the group video gift doubles as a built-in roast session, everyone gets a turn. Either way, the fact that you thought past the flask says more than the flask ever could.