What to get a groomsman?!

The day is getting closer and closer, and we really only have a few last minute things to do: make final payments to vendors, finalize meal choices and seating charts, etc.
One of the seemingly small tasks that falls under my area of supervision is the purchase of groomsmen gifts.
As with everything else wedding related, there is a general protocol for this aspect of the wedding planning. Generally, the groom buys his groomsmen a gift that is the same and has their name engraved on it. For example, a popular gift is a silver flask that is engraved with the recipient's name, or a beer stein with, you guessed it, an engraving. There are other options like these, and all are, at least to me, fairly mundane. I mean, flasks are nice, but if you're not an alcoholic, when the hell are you going to use one? Cuff links are swell, but, again, pretty useless in everyday life.
I think each groomsman should receive a gift that is special to them; a unique present that fits their personality and interests.If one guy is a huge baseball fan and the other loves video games, do I get them both an engraved pocket knife that neither the real estate agent nor the engineer will ever use?
I decided to personalize each guy's gift, and not bY etching his initials onto something. I looked at what each person means to me and what we've shared together in our lives. My groomsmen come from different parts of my life and I want their gifts to reflect that. I also want these guys to be able to use the items I give them in their lives, and not just set it on a shelf somewhere to be forgotten.
I won't disclose the gifts I got for my groomsmen here, because they may be tempted to read this blog, but suffice it to say I think each of them will enjoy their gifts just about everyday. I just hope they don't lose them, because I didn't get them engraved...

COUNTDOWN TO D-DAY: 16 DAYS AND COUNTING

Seating charts: the fifth circle of hell

The guest list is set. We've received all of the RSVPs. We know who is coming and who is not and what they want to eat. There's just one thing left to do: the seating chart.
There are several schools of thought on how to arrange people at the reception tables. One of the most popular strategies is to sit the groom's family together; the bride's family together; mutual friends together and so on and so forth until you have 12 nice little pods of homogeneous dining.
Another popular course of action is to create a potpourri of table mates, with a representative from each clique at each table, a sort of United Nations of invited guests.
In my research, these are the two most popular and accepted ways to create a seating chart. Well, I have a wild idea: how about we just let people sit wherever the hell they want. Give them a place card and say "Go nuts!" That way, nobody can be upset about where they are sitting, because, Ta Da, they picked their seat. If grumpy old Uncle Phineas is pissed because he had to sit next to chipper, sunny Cousin Melvin, then maybe he should have gotten to the reception on time.
The most compelling reason to do have a free-for-all chair-grabbing melee is that it alleviates my future bride, and more importantly me, from the responsibility of completing the Herculean task of assigning 130 seats and not making anybody hate us for the rest of our lives.
All the books say to make it easier, we should create a preliminary chart, then present it to each of our parents for their approval. This creates a whole new set of problems. Each of our parents has a different opinion of their family members, as well as the other side's family. Which parent (read: Mom) do we give the chart to first? If the mother of the bride has an issue with one of our decisions, and the mother of the groom has a different issue, how do we reconcile them? To me, it seems an insurmountable endeavor. There is just not any way it's going to be possible to please everyone.
I have a simple solution: we will make the seating chart and not show it to anybody until they get to the reception, parents included. It's our wedding, we're making the decisions and everybody is going to have to deal with it. Unfortunately this isn't just my wedding. I'm sharing it with somebody who cares a little more about it that I do. So, naturally, we will show the chart to our parents and try to make it work.
I'm beginning to see that wedding planning is kind of like boot camp for people who are engaged: the purpose of it is to push you to your limits and prove that you can do anything if you've picked the right person.

A man's look at Holy Matrimony

I'm Vince Sullivan, a 25-year-old guy from Delco who works as an editor at the NEWS of Delaware County. And I'm getting married.
This isn't a new development, but my journalism training prevents me from doing anything ahead of time. My big day is a short 30 days away, as I'll be tying the knot on July 24, 2010.
The reason I'm telling you all of this is because I've been pretty frustrated over the course of my engagement, which began in September 2008. You see, every advice column, How To book and checklist that I've read is made by women and for women. Now it's time for those of us with Y chromosomes to have a voice in the mayhem that is nuptial bliss. For too long, those of the fairer sex have had a stranglehold on matrimonial etiquette and decision-making practices. I will try and speak up for those oppressed by the musings of bridal magazine editors and Anne Landers-esque advisers.
That is not to say that this journal is for the eyes of men only. Readers of all ages, genders and levels of happiness are welcome to view and respond to my observations and opinions.
I implore all who so desire to submit their questions regarding weddings, planning, courtship, relationships, love and whatever else comes to mind in the realm of marriage. Send them to me at sullivan315@gmail.com and I will answer them on this very page. I will give answers that make sense to me, and compare them to the usual sources of information that many folks turn to as their impending nuptials draw near. I hope you'll like what you read.

Countown to D-Day: 30 days.