I’m not really sure if this belongs in IMHO or MPSIMS, but here goes …
My uncle is getting married the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I have no idea what to get him for a gift. It’s the second marriage for both him and his wife-to-be (both of their spouses died a few years ago) so they probably have an entire household set up already.
I’ve been thinking about this for weeks and I haven’t come up with anything. Does anyone have any suggestions?
My wife and I thought we had all the things we would need for a household, since we lived with eachother for a while and before that had our own apts for years. We got a George Forman grill for a gift and loved it!
Another nice thing that was given to us was the reception in the evening, one of the guests had photos developed already from the wedding a few hours later and we all passed them around. That was a nice though.
A nice bottle of wine in a fancy basket thing is nice. Maybe Icewine if you can find it.
Is there a resort of sometype near where they live? Maybe get a certificate for a fancy jacuzzi suite for a night or two as a gift for a weekend out or something.
Just a few ideas.
I just got married in September so, I have recent experience with this one. If you aren’t too worried about getting a very personal gift (this is their second wedding so, I wouldn’t think you should be) gift certificates, gift cards, etc. are great. If you want to get something a little more specific to them, check where they’ve registered. And if you’re just looking for an original gift, check out something from The Museum Store.
There you go. That’s my two cents worth.
I like the idea of gift certificates at local restaurants (and you don’t mention if there’s small children involved, if there is, include a “coupon” for babysitting), bottle of wine is always nice.
My best wedding gifts were for my brother - I was broke, they were yuppies (so, for example, the china they registered for was like $100 per place setting). I did a recipe box of “family” recipes, and a book of stories about my brother growing up. For your uncle, you might offer to do a scrap book of their wedding, a nice picture frame for an 8X10 of their wedding (picture frames in general are good, too).
My standard gift for people I don’t know well who already have a household set up is a gourmet gift basket that I make up myself: a bottle of wine (or sparkling cider), fancy pasta and sauce, cookies, coffees, jams, mustards – whatever looks interesting from the shelves of the local gourmet deli/tourist joint. It’s all consumable, so they don’t have to worry about dragging out that godawful crap you gave them whenever you come over.
When pressed for time, I get a generous gift certificate to a nice restaurant near where they live. (We did this once for a friend’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, and it turned out that the restaurant was where they had their first date. Neat!)
In other words, food works!
Add my vote for picture frame. That is, if you want something they will keep, use, perhaps nicer than they might readily buy themselves, and occasionally remember you gave them.
I’m with Tommy the Cat on Gift cards/certificates. Having just been married in August the gift cards were very nice because we could use them together to pick out a larger priced item. Of course cash is attractive in its own right.
I will vote at this time against Crystal… If they don’t register for crystal bowls don’t give them one!!! We didn’t and we got three…
I use one for chips or pretzels on our NFL Ticket weekend parties. I don’t think it has registered on any of the guys yet(which I would expect) so right now it a private joke for my wife and I.(and the Teeming Millions now too)
Cash.
Don’t think it’s personal? Well, why are they called personal checks, huh?
And it’s no less tacky than this whole “registering” nonsense. You’re going to TELL ME what to guy you? Fuck that noise. I’ll give you some cash, buy what you want…
Yer pal,
Satan
*TIME ELAPSED SINCE I QUIT SMOKING:
Six months, three weeks, five days, 2 hours, 15 minutes and 33 seconds.
8363 cigarettes not smoked, saving $1,045.47.
Extra time with Drain Bead: 4 weeks, 1 day, 55 minutes.
David B used me as a cite!*
I second or third the idea of a nice gift basket.
Perhaps a nice plant, or a gift certificate to a nursery? Everyone can use plants.
Another vote for a gourmet gift basket. It shows that you put some thought into your gift, but it won’t clutter up their home, if they already have everything that they need.
I recently went to a wedding of friends of mine that had lived together for five years before getting married. I got them each a gift certificate from Borders. Next THREE times I hung out with them, they told me how much they enjoyed it. They got to go together, but each get exactly the books/cds THEY enjoyed.
Perhaps this is the spirit of marriage. Seperate but equal. 
The gift baskets and other gift certificates sound nice, too. I’ve also been known to splurge on a really nice bottle of champagne with a special label citing the date, occasion, etc. on it.
Please, only if you know they have a green thumb! I got three or four plants for my birthday a few years ago, and I felt so bad because I knew that the well-meaning givers had laid down a death sentence for those lovely plants by giving them to me. I can’t even remember to water them, much less place them in the correct mix of shade/sun, fertilize/feed them and whatever else.
Mind you, I like plants, I just can’t have them in my house (and I think fake plants are tacky).
This caveat aside, plants are a nice idea.
I dunno about plants… you get plants when someone dies. I would feel weird getting one for a wedding gift.
Now cash, well, cash is something everyone can feel good about. Gift certificates are cool… music stores, restaurants, even Wal-Mart.
Two nice, thick, fluffy, expensive towels are nice for a new couple too.
Thanks so much to everyone who replied. One thing I forgot to mention is that unfortunately, I won’t be able to go to the wedding – it’s out of state and my finals start soon after that weekend. I’m going to have to send the gift to them.
That being said, I got some great ideas from all of you.
bernse: My mom decided last month that she was going to get them a George Forman grill, but she’s happy to know that someone else thought it was a good idea.
Tommy the Cat: I’ve never heard of the Museum Store, so I’ll have to check that one out.
wring: No small children involved (they’re both grandparents), but I like the restaurant gift certificate idea.
Scarlett67: The gift basket sounds good.
Dinsdale: I’ve seen some nice picture frames in a few different stores around here. I’ll have to look around a bit.
Sledman: No crystal bowls, I promise!
Satan: I thought of cash, too. Depending on how much time I have, I might end up going that route.
Drain Bead: I never thought about a gift certificate for plants. That might be better than an actual plant since it has to be shipped.
Tabithina: I’m really starting to like the gift basket idea.
Nymysys: Another gift I didn’t think of getting, but I like that one, too.
bwk: I’ve seen some very nice towels in stores.
You’ve all given me so many great ideas to work with! In the end I think it will probably depend on how much time I have to shop and what’s available in my area, but at least now I have some thoughts on what to get. Thanks again for the help!
