MetaChat - drawing a blank with ideas for a wedding gift

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17 May 2010

drawing a blank with ideas for a wedding gift OK folks, I would love your help and I have a few restrictions with the gift buying.→[More:]My favourite cousin just got married and I can't think of a gift for him and his wife. The main caveat is that I have to mail it to Australia. And I want to get something from here and mail it, so that rules out ordering something online from Australia. So it can't be huge or heavy.
I don't know his wife at all, don't know her taste. He is quite a manly man, likes rugby and fishing etc. They are both in banking. So I guess I just want something kind of generic, but... nice? And I usually pride myself on getting something either very personal that I know the couple will love, OR extremely practical that I know the couple will need. So I'm drawing a complete blank. I would love to hear any ideas that pop into your heads... thank you SO much.

post by: gaspode at: 09:24 | 15 comments

When you say you want to get something "from here" and mail it, do you want something regionally-specific? (I forget where "here" is for you. If you're in the US I might have some ideas.)

As far as generic, not heavy gifts, my first thought was a digital photo frame (or two, one for each of their desks at work).

posted by desjardins 17 May | 09:51

My go-to in this situation is a really nice picture frame.

posted by amro 17 May | 09:51

Do they have a gift registry that might be online somewhere? Looking at other stuff that they've picked out might at least give you an idea of what their taste is and what items might go with the other things they've picked out.

posted by Orange Swan 17 May | 11:09

My generic go-tos are vases and candlesticks. Pewter or silver would ship well.

posted by iconomy 17 May | 11:24

I'm blank, too. Money is out?

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 17 May | 13:07

Um, I got married 4 years ago and I have probably 6-12 nice picture frames still in their boxes. Apparently it's what everyone gets when they don't know what else to get, no offense meant to amro or anyone. I should have returned some of them. One of my favorite wedding gifts was a fabulous expensive set of knives. We use them every day. One or two good knives may be within your budget and would not be too bulky or expensive to ship. Someone else got us a really nice set of coasters (not on our registry) and I use them all the time. All of the big museums in NYC have great gift shops ... maybe there's something there that would be nice and unlike anything they'll get at home.

posted by Kangaroo 17 May | 14:14

Kangaroo has a good idea - museum gift shop.

posted by gomichild 17 May | 16:46

Yeah, here is NYC, sorry about that.

and my internet has been down all day (grar!) so I haven't been able to respond.

No registry, I think that is less common in Aus/NZ (and these are both NZers) and money is also out because I just know that my cousin doesn't like it.

*head smack* museum gift shop is a GREAT idea. And duh, I live a few blocks away from museum mile, I'll check out the gugg and the met tomorrow.

Thanks y'all :)

posted by gaspode 17 May | 17:36

money is also out because I just know that my cousin doesn't like it.

Your cousin doesn't like MONEY?

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 17 May | 17:58

as a gift, TPS, as a gift...

posted by gaspode 17 May | 18:44

Kindle? Nook? Some other nice electronic device that may be difficult to acquire elsewhere?

posted by msali 17 May | 21:09

I looked at getting a Kindle for my bro in Australia - too hard to get the actual books for any of those kinds of devices just now.

posted by gomichild 17 May | 21:48

You sound as though you are off to a good start. Thought I'd throw out one idea. Some friends of mine were recently showing me that coffee roaster they got as a wedding gift...they LOVE it. I mention is because I'm not sure I could see many people buying themselves one, and it's sort of like an popcorn popper - well and air-popped one...so it's relatively light, for shipping.

posted by richat 17 May | 22:36

I gave blankets to pips+jonmc and specklet+the DonF.

posted by brujita 18 May | 00:25

Something that can be split up without argument later?

posted by dg 18 May | 06:27

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