The Plunge Blog

A reader writes:

"I have 7 Groomsmen.

I was thinking of buying a bottle of Mccallan 15 Year Scotch($65) and engraving my name, my fiance's name, and our wedding date on it? Any thoughts?"

We're reasonably confident that every wedding publication in history would love your idea. They would say, YES, go for it, engrave it, that's' what makes the gift special.

Our take?

You're on to something with the Scotch. That's a generous purchase, and you clearly know your stuff. Your friends will like the bottle. Your friends will be appreciative. Your friends will think it's classy. But. Here's the rub:

Your friends might never drink it.

Think about it. If you give them a bottle with a fancy engraving, it's most likely to rot--perhaps forever--as a sloshy decoration. It's funny how holding out for a "special occasion" means that, essentially, no occasion is ever special enough.

Instead of engraving your names, why not just put the money toward even nicer Scotch? Put differently: what would you rather have?

Now, to clarify, we're not making a blanket statement that all engraving is evil. If you're getting the dudes something that they'll use again and again and again--like, fine, we hate to admit it, a flask--then engraving is the way to go. But if your engraving is actually preventing them from enjoying the gift, thumb your nose at decorum and skip it.

If you're nervous about an un-engraved bottle being too casual, when you give it to them, just tell them that you had thought about engraving, but blame it on us. We're happy being the scapegoat.

Good luck.

Click here for more on groomsmen gifts.