Buying for a boyfriend is harder than it sounds. It needs to be thoughtful without being overwhelming, and ideally something he will use rather than put in a drawer. Personalised boyfriend cufflinks sit in that sweet spot: they are practical for anyone who owns a shirt with double cuffs, and the design can be as romantic or as low-key as your relationship.
Better than socks, and he will know why
The trouble with most gifts for him is that they could have come from anyone. A pair of cufflinks carrying a picture from your first trip away together, or the name of the pub where you had your first date, could only have come from you. He will spot it every time he fastens them before a wedding, a work do or a night out, and the people sitting next to him will probably ask about them too.
There is also the small matter of effort. Choosing the photo, cropping it and checking it on the preview takes a little thought, and that thought is exactly what he will notice. It tells him you remember the details: the pub, the song, the terrible hotel on your first weekend away. Plenty of gifts cost more; very few say as clearly that you were paying attention.
Photos of you both that work, and ones that do not
The best photos for small square cufflinks have two faces close together and a simple background. Selfies are actually ideal because they are already tightly framed. A few that tend to print well:
- Your first selfie together, even if the lighting was terrible at the time
- The two of you squinting into the sun on holiday
- A photo booth strip, cropped to one frame
- Matching fancy dress from a party
Photos that struggle are the ones taken from a distance, group pictures where you are two of twelve, and dark shots from gigs or clubs. If you love one of those anyway, crop right in and lighten it a little in your phone's editor before uploading. Always upload the original file from your camera roll rather than a version saved from social media, which is usually compressed. For boyfriend cufflinks the goal is two faces he can recognise from arm's length, so if a picture only looks good full-screen, it may not be the one.
Timing it: anniversaries, Valentine's Day and new jobs
A first anniversary is the classic moment, but boyfriend cufflinks also make sense when he lands a new job and suddenly needs to dress smartly, or when you have both been invited to a wedding and you know he owns exactly one suit. Valentine's Day and his birthday work, of course. So does Christmas, particularly if he is meeting your family that year and you want him looking the part.
Keeping it subtle if he is not the sentimental type
Not every boyfriend wants your faces on his wrists in front of his colleagues. If he is on the reserved side, go for something only the two of you would recognise:
- The map coordinates of the place you met, typed in a neat font
- A tiny drawing of the cat, the car or his favourite takeaway
- The date you first met, written in numbers only
- A word from a running joke that will mean nothing to anyone else
These look like tidy, modern cufflinks to the outside world, but they carry a private message. That balance is often what makes personalised boyfriend cufflinks feel grown up rather than soppy.
Ordering a single pair for him
Upload your image and the live preview shows it on both cufflinks. Drag it to centre your faces, zoom in until the framing feels right, then add to basket and pay through the secure checkout. One pair is £40 including shipping. If you and friends want to go in together on gifts for several people, order 5 or more pairs and each pair is £15, plus £5 shipping per order, and you can mix different designs in one basket. We print from your full-resolution original in Cornwall and send each pair gift boxed.