Save Money at Your Wedding by Restoring Your Shoes

I'm the best man for my buddy's upcoming wedding, and it's time to rent a tux. Since it's already expensive to rent one of these penguin suits for a day, a good way to save some dough is to skip the shoe rental. Avoiding the cost is awesome, but above all else, I'd like to avoid the funkyness of renting out some other schmuck's shoes. Then again, I'm that guy who brings his own pair of bowling shoes to Saturday night cosmic bowling. The Problem with Using Your Own Shoes Opting out of the shoe rental means you'd better have a good pair of shoes at home. In my case, I have a great pair of black patent leather shoes from Kenneth Cole, but they've taken a beating over the years. I don't want to look like a dope in front of the alter, and neither should you. Here are a few tips from groomstand.com to bring your creased and worn shoes back to tip top shape. Black Leather Shoes The most simple and obvious advice would be to polish your shoes. Our Personalized Leather Shoeshine Kit will last a lifetime, and makes for a great zen calming activity when working with most black leathers. If it's a bad scuff and the polish won't take, rub a raw potato over the mark and then apply a regular coat of polish. But if it's patent leather we're dealing with... that's a whole different story. Patent Leather Shoes Patent leather is leather coated with polyurethane. It's shinny and it feels like plastic, which means you have to treat it like plastic. Some Options for Scuffed Shoes Windex and a paper towel should do the trick on light scuffs. If the scuff is deep, you can either buy some Kiwi patent leather restoring-liquid or bug one of your lady friends for some clear nail polish. If this doesn't do the trick, you're going to be on the road to renting some shoes because the next option is glue and tape. Tips for Creases in Yours Shoe You can prevent creasing in the leather by rubbing down your shoes with olive oil, petroleum jelly, or some people even use milk. If they're already cracked, there is no way to fully-restore your shoes, but if you try these methods and store your shoes in a warm place well in-advance of the wedding, you'll greatly improve the condition of your shoes. Remember, if you're looking for some other cost-cutting ideas for your wedding, GroomStand.com is having a 10% off site wide sale. Find some groomsmen gifts or gifts for and everyone else in your party. As always, give it that special extra touch with a free personalization.

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Save It For Later

No, we're not talking about that gum you keep behind your ear, that's just disgusting. How about saving some money now on your groomsmen gifts so you'll have something left to play with when you're married. With so many options to choose from you might as well go for the best quality around and get a gift that's inexpensive, functional and cool. Heck, go ahead and add personalization for that extra special touch. What more could you want or need from a groomsmen gift? Our special offers consist of gifts for groomsmen under $20, between $20 and $50, and between $50 and $80 as well as wedding gifts under $20. Browse the selection and see if something catches your eye. Can't find anything, call our customer service department at 1-866-527-1362, option 2 (M-F 9am-5pm PST) and they'll help you find the right gift.

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Robert Redford is July's Marrying Man of the Month

It's official! Longstanding bachelor Robert Redford is July's Marrying Man of the Month. Redford and longtime partner Sibylle Szaggars have tied the knot in Szaggars' hometown of Hamburg. The reception was held in a luxury hotel in front of a small gathering of the pair's closest friends and relatives. Szaggars is an abstract artist whose paintings have been on display all over the world including notable exhibits in Britain, Germany, and the U.S. Robert Redford made a name for himself in Hollywood early on with leading roles in films like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting. As he developed as an actor, Redford showed himself to be a skilled director and producer. His was eventually awarded an Oscar for his direction of Ordinary People. But the real reason we like Robert is his lifelong devotion to political and humanitarian work. Not only does Redford's Sundance Film Festival give a voice to independent filmmakers around the world, his work protecting the environment and his philanthropic endeavors help empower the disenfranchised. At the 74th annual Academy Awards, Redford received a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of these accomplishments. Szaggars is 51 years old, twenty years' Redford's junior. Szaggars moved to Sundance, Utah in the 1990s - the same location where Redford's Sundance Institute is based. The two met at the 1996 Sundance Festival, and had been dating for 13 years prior to their marriage in Germany this past weekend. Groomstand.com wishes Robert and Sibylle only the best in their future as husband and wife. Don't forget to visit Groomstand the next time you're shopping for groomsmen gifts.

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Ring in the New Year: Groomsmen Gifts for a Night to Remember

...Or Try To Where will you be when the glittery ball drops? New Year's Eve: a night to get tanked with your buddies or pop popcorn, watch Dick Clark and cuddle with your betrothed. The latter might not seem the most exciting, but you'll score...major points. Whatever your New Year's style, stay safe. If you and your buddies plan to paint the town drunk you'll need a few noisemakers (like your buddies aren't noisy enough), confetti, and groomsmen gifts full of your favorite libation. Just don't forget the designated driver - please! Best New Year's Movie for New Year's Couch Cuddling: When Harry Met Sally Best New Year's Movie to get Ready for a Wild New Year's: 200 Cigarettes Engraved Glassware and Barware for a Swanky Soiree Don't schedule your bachelor party for New Year's Eve. It's seriously tempting to celebrate your last night as a single man on the biggest party night of the year - but don't. You'll miss the New Year's Eve kiss and your fiance will bring it up on New Year's 2010.. 2011... 2012... Twenty years from now, you'll regret it. New Year's Coed bachelor/bachelorette parties - fantastic idea. Except she might end up kissing a barrel-chested male stripper when the clock strikes midnight. Not so awesome. Do have a kick-butt New Year's Eve bash and save the bachelor party for later. Don't let the bright lights, pounding music, and the promise of a balloon drop draw you in to a night club on New Year's. Been there - done that. Night club balloon drops have a hefty price tag (usually about $100 a head) and the ride home with a slurring friend - terrifying. Gather your band of brothers for a bash at your place. Check out our selection of engraved glassware and barware. And you can't have a proper New Year's Eve bash without shot glasses. Drinking straight out of the bottle is so frat boy. And no, New Year's Eve does not excuse any unseemly behavior. If you're throwing the party, keep in mind that you're the shot slinger. Be prepared: print out our previous GroomStand blog on shot recipes and shooters. It has all the shot recipes you need to pull off the perfect party. As the old song goes: Should old acquaintances be forgotten and never brought to mind? Never! Get those old acquaintances personalized groomsmen gifts from GroomStand.com.

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Redneck Wedding For Real

All of you wedding planners should be happy to hear about this, Country Music Television is planning to air "My Redneck Wedding" early next year. They will be including the wedding of Gail Brittingham, who will marry fiancee John Myers at Bargain Bill's Flea Market in Laurel Saturday. Quite the charming event. The groom and groomsmen will be wearing John Deere t-shirts and jeans, while newspapers will be laid down for table clothes and basset hounds will serve as ring and flower bearers. In an attempt to balance out the redneck-osity of the wedding a mechanical bull was added as a reception feature. Things were looking bleak (if you couldn't tell) when Myers lost his job as a plumber and there wasn't going to be money for their wedding, but luckily the show came through for some publicity and a radio station show later they had received all the donations they needed to cover wedding photos, cake, and entertainment along with a growing list of other necessities. Just goes to show that if you're ever having financial troubles with your big day there's always the media and business to generate some cash flow and gifts.

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Putt It There Sport

There's something about golf that just feels classy. Perhaps it's the wide expanse of wasted, but well manicured land. The thrill of driving the ball down the course, judging the wind perfectly and leaving your ball in the middle of the fairway. Or maybe it's the fact that you get to drive a little cart around. I don't know, it just has that feeling and that is one thing that every gentleman should agree on. Your groomsmen gifts should try and keep that in mind. Personalized and useful the most refined bit of the game can be given to them as a beautiful wood case with a brass handle. That's right the Executive Putter Set captures all of that class in golfing and puts it on the go. Be careful when you get them this though, you're gonna have to be getting in your own putt time to keep up with their skills on the green. If your groomsmen and you spend a lot of time on the big courses though they might like a Leather Golf Bag Accessory Caddy to throw on their bags. It's got tees, ball markers, and a stainless steel flask. With both of those together you wont be slicing anything but your scores.

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Priceless Wedding Moment

Stop your shopping and read this jaw-dropping story. Talk about sweet revenge. After you read this, tell us what you'd do in a situation like this. Priceless Wedding Moment This one will make you wish you got disposal cameras for gifts. You got to love this guy... This is a true story about a recent wedding that took place at Clemson University. It was in the local newspaper and even Jay Leno mentioned it. It was a huge wedding with about 300 guests. After the wedding, at the reception, the groom got up on stage with a microphone to talk to the crowd. He said he wanted to thank everyone for coming, many from long distances, to support them at their wedding. He especially wanted to thank the bride's and his family and to thank his new father-in-law for providing such a lavish reception. As a token of his deep appreciation he said he wanted to give everyone a special gift just from him. So taped to the bottom of everyone's chair, including the wedding party was an envelope. He said this was his gift to everyone, and asked them to open their envelope. Inside each manila envelope was an 8x10 glossy of his bride having sex with the best man. The groom had gotten suspicious of them weeks earlier and had hired a private detective to tail them. After just standing there, just watching the guests' reactions for a couple of minutes, he turned to the best man and said, "F--- you!" Then he turned to his bride and said, "F--- you!" Then he turned to the dumbfounded crowd and said, "I'm outta here." He had the marriage annulled first thing in the morning. While most people would have canceled the wedding immediately after finding out about the affair, this guy goes through with the charade, bachelor party, groomsmen gifts, ceremony and all, as if nothing were wrong. His revenge--making the bride's parents pay over $32,000 for a 300 guest wedding and reception, and best of all, trashing the bride's and best man's reputations in front of 300 friends and family members. This guy has balls the size of church bells. Technorati Tags: grooms, wedding stories

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Present Yo Self

Welcome to https://branddepot.com/collections/groomstand! The wedding gift shopping experience that brings you great products, great prices, updates from the wedding world, and a few laughs to brighten your day. Lucky for you today's one of those laugh days and we've got a two-course video of funky chicken that'll fill you with laughter (and maybe some ideas for your own wedding). Enough dancing around it though, here's the wedding footage: Tags: groomstand, groom, gifts, groomsmen, first dance, laugh,

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Pop! Fssst! FOUR!

A wise man once said, "You don't want just any bottle opener out on the course." Truer words have never been spoken. Granted, you can buy cans of beer at the snack shack. And, of course, plastic bottles are readily available from the great looking cart girl, but what if you want to bring your own six-pack of Moretti or Corona? You can't open the bottle of your favorite brewskies with a divot fixer...well, you CAN, technically, but why frustrate yourself? This awesome little personalized golf ball bottle opener not only epitomizes your favorite sport, but it's durable, heavy, classy and personal. If your groomsmen love to hit the links, they'll love showing their foursome buddies how to pop the top with class, dignity and as an added bonus, the actual silver plated ball is nice and shiny, so if your competition is trouncing you in the skins game, simply point the shiny ball at the sun and blind him in the middle of his downswing. There are no limits to the spirit of competition I always say. For a groomsmen gift that truly has multiple uses, you can't go wrong with this little beauty.Technorati Tags: barware, golf gifts, groomsmen gifts, personalized gifts, bottle opener

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Polka Face

That's poker face with a new england accent, funny how that works. Winter is here though and so are the holidays, which means family and friends are gathering to spend time together and exchange gifts. Now, even with the holiday time, you might not always be able to hang out with the guys, but here's one way to try and get away for a break and some beer, "it's groomsmen bonding time!" The lady might not buy that though so you'll probably be better off with something like "groomsmen wedding planning". Whatever the case, once you're out there's one thing you should be ready for: Poker night. Sitting around with your buddies and soon to be groomsmen and throwing some cards and chips around is some fun and relaxing competition. A few brews and/or drinks to go with the game and you'll really feel yourself unwind and have some fun. It'll be even more fun when you've got an amazing poker set to play with too. Or all of you. Your groomsman gift will be easy to find and decide on with such a wide selection of poker sets available. With the sets ranging from surfside bar to sportsman and tiki set to biker design and every other sport and pub style available you'll have a fun time selecting sets to match your individual groomsmen, not to mention the free personalization they'll get with it. Poker nights will be an entirely new kind of night when you all get to decide what the poker theme will be. Yet, somehow we're sure it'll still include some beer and other drink!

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Playing Baseball At The Office

It's baseball season, guys, and if you're getting married in the spring then you might want to consider adding some baseball and apple pie on the groomsmen gifts list. I have very rarely come across a guy who doesn't have a team that he grew up rooting for when he was a kid. He's likely still following that team today. He probably still checks the box scores in the morning sports page and curses the closer that gave up that ninth inning home-run last night while conjuring up images of sitting on that first base line as a ten year-old while wearing his mitt. Who doesn't have that memory of ball park dogs and cotton candy forever ingrained in the far recesses of their brain? In little league, high school and college if they went that far, your groomsmen probably know the sound of a metal bat, but nothing compares to that sweet crack of lumber that only the big leaguers use. Baseball season and wedding season seem to coincide every year, so why not marry the two with your groomsmen gifts? Marriage isn't just for him and her, after all. Technorati Tags: baseball, groomsmen gifts, personalized gifts

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Piece of Cake: After the Groomsmen Gifts, It's all about the Wedding Dessert

It is a special day, full of family, friends, and other related guests, so here's an idea: don't be white trash. Even if you're not white, having a hostess wedding cake or a crispy cream donut cake makes you trash. They aren't cost-effective alternatives to an expensive wedding cake and they most definitely are not a tasty and convenient dish. If the cake budget is low though there is a way to go about things, purchase a smaller decorative cake for the cutting and pictures and then get flat cakes to serve to the guests. The presentation of the cake obviously affects the price, but a couple of layers, a nice frost job, and some delicate sugar flowers (or whatever spun-sugar creation will fit your wedding) will come in respectfully lower than if you were to take all of that and make a cake large enough for everyone. The flat cakes will come in way way lower and your guests will all get their fill of some delicious wedding cake. Of course if it's still too much money and white trash is the way to go then so be it. The good part about that is if you plan on postponing the wedding indefinitely you won't have to worry, the cake has a shelf life of 600 years. We know your first priority is buying groomsmen gifts, but don't forget to save a little room in the budget for a classy cake.

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