Editor’s Choice Award: Groovy Groomsmen Gifts Offers a Curated Collection of Cool Gifts to Remember the Special Day

The Short Version: Men aren’t exactly known as expert wedding planners, but one aspect they enjoy is buying gifts for their groomsmen. Groovy Groomsmen Gifts curates a wide selection of personalized products for the occasion, including knives, socks, flasks, and cigar cases. Grooms can also create a box of unique gifts or have a caricature-style bobblehead doll designed for their favorite guys. For its commitment to helping grooms find the perfect mementos for their special days, Groovy Groomsmen Gifts has earned our Editor’s Choice Award.

Once men get down on one knee to pop the question, they tend to play a supporting role leading up to the big day. Brides and their mothers traditionally take the lead, picking out venues, color schemes, dinner menus, and floral arrangements.

Men may not have an opinion on whether the table linens should be sky blue or seafoam teal, but most want to do whatever it takes to make the bride happy.

Brides will devote countless hours to find the perfect dress and the best version of a favorite song to accompany their walk down the aisle. They will search for the best hairdressers, nail techs, and caterers, and may even decide what everyone — including the groom — will wear.

Groovy Groomsmen Gifts has a wide selection of high-quality gifts that will fit any groom’s style.

But there’s one thing that’s solely on the groom’s to-do list, and that’s picking out thoughtful gifts for his friends who will support him as groomsmen. Chris Bajda, the Owner and Founder of Groovy Groomsmen Gifts, an online curator of personalized gifts, said it’s often a last-minute decision.

“I’m one of those procrastinating guys, and it feels great to help out other guys who are similar to me,” he said. “When we get to save the day and get the gifts to them on time, we get huge thank-yous, and our team is always thrilled.”

Brides and grooms may work together to plan a dream honeymoon or decide between vanilla and chocolate cake, but often women tend to be more organized about wedding planning.

That’s why plenty of men head to Groovy Groomsmen Gifts because they can quickly and easily find a vast selection of fun, personalized products to show appreciation for the men who helped them get there.

Chris launched the site back in 2013 when a few of his friends started getting married. He was a part of their weddings and received gifts for his role as a groomsman.

But when Chris was getting married and searching for the perfect gifts, he couldn’t find a site that sold the kinds of products he wanted to give his groomsmen. So he decided to build Groovy Groomsmen Gifts.

Now, tens of thousands of customers later, he has learned that grooms spend an average of $37 per groomsman, and wedding parties average close to seven groomsmen.

After Chris graduated from the University of Vermont with a business degree and a concentration in information systems, he shifted his focus from his corporate job to creating a website. It started as a drop-shipping business, which resold products from other companies. He curated products from Etsy and other sites, but soon he realized that their selection was limited.

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Chris said the best decision of his life was when he decided to leave his job in New York City as a global marketing director and focus full time on the site.

Today, six people work at Groovy Groomsmen Gifts. The company takes pride in not only doing a good job but also making it fun. Some employees focus on customer service — plenty of reviews mention Tyler by name — and others help innovate and create new products.

They also like to bust each other’s chops.

“We like to goof around and be silly with each other,” he said. “We don’t take this stuff too seriously, but we have people who are good at what they do.”

The site offers plenty of fun gifts for guys, and almost all of them come with an interesting name. Many customers are interested in an embroidered Muscle Duffle bag or a Twist and Shoot flask. Grooms can encourage their groomsmen mates to “Stack Benjamins” with a personalized billfold, or get ready for hardcore chilling with a Combat Cooler.

“About two or three years ago, we started making our own products. I was seeing a need, and a lot of guys were looking for a one-stop shop for gifts that made it easier for them,” Chris said.

Customers can also create one-of-a-kind box sets for their groomsmen with their name, nickname, or initials engraved on it. Grooms can fill them with a variety of goodies, including a knife, cufflinks, sunglasses, shot glasses, or even a bottle of their favorite liquor with a personalized label.

Groovy Groomsmen Gifts offers many personalized options that will stand the test of time.

Or order a caricature of your friends, possibly wearing a superhero cape or holding up a pint of beer. One groom ordered a drawing of all his groomsmen dressed up as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Chris said.

“Relationships guys have with their friends are silly and funny, so we offer a lot of gifts where they can hand them over and get a good laugh out of it,” he said.

For the sporty types, the site offers personalized footballs, laser-engraved bats, golf towels, poker card holders, and even traditional tavern signs that can include the names of groomsmen and their role in the wedding.

Chris and his team have seen so much success with Groovy Groomsmen Gifts that he decided to launch a site for bridesmaids called Bridesmaid Gifts Boutique. That’s where brides can find personalized robes, tumblers, jewelry, bags, special label wine, and many other items geared to brides.

The team also branched out to launch Forever Wedding Favors, which complements the wedding planning process. Customers can find personalized candles, bottle openers, wine stoppers, sunglasses, mints, and other gifts.

Plus, the team has been working hard on Groovy Guy Gifts. The site has gift options for any guy, including bags, drinkware, and laser-engraved products. The items are perfect for birthdays and the site offers plenty of Father’s Day gift ideas.

Of course, most of the reviews for Groovy Groomsmen Gifts come from guys between the ages of 25 and 35 who just got married. Chris said he was pretty excited when he saw a last-minute order from a customer by the name of Michael Phelps. As it turns out, it was the same Michael Phelps who swam his way to a record number of Olympic gold medals.

“He did what a lot of guys do and waited to the last minute,” he said. “It’s our job to save the day to get the stuff to them before their wedding. You may be shocked at how many guys do that. Well, maybe you won’t be that shocked.”

A week or two later, Chris discovered a great review by a “Michael P.” on WeddingWire. The team gave some high fives all around and then continued helping other grooms make their days extra memorable.