Tom Abernathy

About Tom

Tom has stood in a handful of wedding parties and run two of them as best man, which means two bachelor parties planned, two ring-holding assignments survived, and two rehearsal-dinner gift handouts personally executed. He has also received the full genre — including the flask that made three.

He started writing about this because the groom is usually the least experienced gift buyer at the wedding and is making its largest bulk purchase, with the internet handing him a list of flasks and no answer to "how much, and when".

Off-duty he is the friend who volunteers to write the toast, keeps a running note of what actually got used after the wedding, and will argue that the best groomsmen gift is the one nobody has to find a shelf for.

How Tom works

• Party math first

  Nothing here is judged as a single unit. A gift is a decision multiplied by the size of the party, so budget is always discussed as a total, not a sticker.

• Timing is part of the gift

  The ask, the rehearsal dinner and the getting-ready suite are three different moments with three different gifts. Every guide says which one it is for.

• No invented tests or numbers

  We explain how to choose. We never claim to have tested a product we have not, and we publish no price, rating or lead time we cannot source — check the listing before you order.

Articles by Tom

• Groomsmen Gifts: What to Give, What to Spend, and When August 19, 2026

Contact

Spotted an error, or have a question or suggestion about a guide? Write to hello@groomsmen-gifts.com or use the contact page.