Wedding gift woes! (for future husband)

[musey]

I've been trying to pick something for FI. Here's what I'm wrestling with:

1) A lasting keepsake type item
2) An every-day use type item
3) What he'd truly love vs. what I think he should love (haha)


If I went with #1, I already have something picked out... a pair of Tiffany cufflinks made of titanium and silver, which would coordinate very nicely with his titanium/platinum wedding band. This has a little of #3's influence, because he could care less about "brands" so there's little point to buying something Tiffany other than that I think it's fun.

If I went with #2, I'd probably get him a Wii and a few games

(we already have a PS3, otherwise that would be even better).

A watch would be a nice compromise of the two, but he's not a watch-wearer (and even if he were, he already has several!).



What are you doing, and how'd you decide on it?

 

[newbie124]

I promised my FI that he''d get a really, really nice watch as his wedding gift from me in exchange for the fact that he had to shell out for my little rock (but oh what a pretty rock it is . But he''s also obsessed with watches, so it works out in my case.

Has your FI gotten nice trinkets as gifts before? If so, does he ever pull them out and actually wear them? That might help decide how much enjoyment he''d get out of each gift option. Honestly, if a Wii is something that he truly wants and would be ecstatic over, then that''s probably would I would get if I were you. Plus, he probably wouldn''t be expecting you to get that for him as his wedding gift. It''s all about making the receiver happy, right?

 

[newbie124]

Date: 6/5/2008 2:57:46 PM
Author:musey
A watch would be a nice compromise of the two, but he's not a watch-wearer (and even if he were, he already has several!).

Oh, and P.S., I've found that watches are to guys what shoes are to girls. Guys can't understand why we need so many shoes and we can't understand why they need so many watches!

If he enjoys watches, that would be a nice gift and I would try not to worry about the fact that he already has several (*try not to* being key . But if, as you say, he doesn't really wear watches anyway, then I would look into another option.

 

[musey]

Date: 6/5/2008 3:30:11 PM
Author: newbie124
Honestly, if a Wii is something that he truly wants and would be ecstatic over, then that's probably would I would get if I were you. Plus, he probably wouldn't be expecting you to get that for him as his wedding gift. It's all about making the receiver happy, right?

Definitely! Problem is, there's nothing that he'd be 'ecstatic' to receive. He's not a guy who needs or wants for much (besides a new car, which is definitely NOT in the budget!

).

He's so hard to shop for. Grr. I think that I'm just bitter because I always make his gift-giving EXTREMELY easy. I always have a list of a few specific things I want to get eventually, and I make it no secret from him... so he's always got a few things to choose from, all of which would make me 'ecstatic'.

 

[musey]

Date: 6/5/2008 3:33:27 PM
Author: newbie124

Date: 6/5/2008 2:57:46 PM
Author:musey
A watch would be a nice compromise of the two, but he''s not a watch-wearer (and even if he were, he already has several!).

Oh, and P.S., I''ve found that watches are to guys what shoes are to girls. Guys can''t understand why we need so many shoes and we can''t understand why they need so many watches!

If he enjoys watches, that would be a nice gift and I would try not to worry about the fact that he already has several (*try not to* being key . But if, as you say, he doesn''t really wear watches anyway, then I would look into another option.

The only reason he has a bunch is that he never gets rid of them... So the fake Movado he bought on the street in NYC when he was 12 is still sitting in his drawer! He asked for a specific watch for christmas 2.5 years ago, and wore it for only about 2 weeks after getting it.

It now sits in the drawer with the rest...

 

[newbie124]

Date: 6/5/2008 3:34:20 PM
Author: musey

Definitely! Problem is, there's nothing that he'd be 'ecstatic' to receive. He's not a guy who needs or wants for much (besides a new car, which is definitely NOT in the budget!

).

He's so hard to shop for. Grr.

Sigh...yeah, those are the toughest. I guess I "lucked out" with a guy who has a ton of things on his wish list.

Maybe instead of buying him a material gift, what about taking him to dinner at a really nice restaurant (if you guys are into food)? or a massage? or some other kind of experience that he might not otherwise think to treat himself to?

 

[newbie124]

Date: 6/5/2008 3:36:14 PM
Author: musey

Date: 6/5/2008 3:33:27 PM

Author: newbie124

Date: 6/5/2008 2:57:46 PM

Author:musey

A watch would be a nice compromise of the two, but he''s not a watch-wearer (and even if he were, he already has several!).

Oh, and P.S., I''ve found that watches are to guys what shoes are to girls. Guys can''t understand why we need so many shoes and we can''t understand why they need so many watches!


If he enjoys watches, that would be a nice gift and I would try not to worry about the fact that he already has several (*try not to* being key . But if, as you say, he doesn''t really wear watches anyway, then I would look into another option.

The only reason he has a bunch is that he never gets rid of them... So the fake Movado he bought on the street in NYC when he was 12 is still sitting in his drawer! He asked for a specific watch for christmas 2.5 years ago, and wore it for only about 2 weeks after getting it.

It now sits in the drawer with the rest...

Haha. Well, that''s another issue entirely

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Hey, Musey, is he a sentimental kind of guy?

I struggled with this decision as well and ended up with the engraved cufflinks so he could have something to keep forever. I thought about a nice watch, but he doesn't wear them. I also thought about something practical like a plasma TV, but figured I could just as easily get him that for his birthday or Christmas. The man doesn't even own a french-cuff shirt and he loved the cufflinks...but he's pretty sentimental like that. He will still wear them, most likely on anniversaries....he just needs some new shirts, haha.

 

[xiuying]

How geeky is he? (I mean that in all niceness!)

FI and I play with our Wii maybe once or twice a week. I LOVE that thing. Granted, several years down the road we might have something new, so it has the disadvantage of being something that will eventually age.

But if you were thinking about the Wii, you could always do something like engrave the controllers that come with the game, or the Wii itself. I suggest the controllers because that''s the first thing you pick up even before you begin playing, and they''re always in your hands, and having your initials or names on them would be very obvious in a nice way.

I do have to admit, though, that it''s a pretty geeky thing, hence my first question.

 

[noelwr]

my FI got a nice watch when I asked him to marry me and I'm paying for the wedding bands, so the sad truth is that he's not getting any wedding present. we spoil each other so much with gifts anyway, so we're not expecting any from each other on that day. the wedding and honeymoon will cost enough.

I wouldn't go with the wii because it's going to be thrown out after a few years and then what will he have to remember the day by? I think you're on the right track with cuff links but it does need to be something he's not going to throw in the drawers. maybe a special edition book and write in the cover "To my husband..."? I would say special edition DVD collection but you can't write on that.

maybe engraved crystal whiskey glass or engraved flask or engraved Zippo lighter with his initials?

 

[newbie124]

Date: 6/5/2008 4:48:32 PM
Author: noelwr
I wouldn''t go with the wii because it''s going to be thrown out after a few years and then what will he have to remember the day by? I think you''re on the right track with cuff links but it does need to be something he''s not going to throw in the drawers. maybe a special edition book and write in the cover ''To my husband...''? I would say special edition DVD collection but you can''t write on that.

Oh, yeah. I''m all for simple, sentimental gifts like that, too. Photo albums are great. I did a photo scrapbook once for an ex. Took pictures of all of his close friends and gave them a blank page to write a message to him or decorate however they want. Pasted in their picture then bound it all together myself. It was a lot of effort, but I think it was a gift he''ll always remember and enjoy (this is an ex I''m still on good terms with).

Guess it really depends on what kind of guy your FI is and what you think he''ll really appreciate the most?

 

[mia1181]

Ugh! Musey I feel your pain! My FI is the same... He never really wants anything. I really wanted to get him a really nice watch, but he hates them! He''s quite happy using his cellphone for the time.

So I was thinking somewhere along the lines of what you wrote. I am getting him some "useful" items for the honeymoon. The first is these flip-flops that have a beer opener on the bottoms of them. And then some nice cigars. He''s not a smoker, but for some reason he likes to smoke cigars on vacation.

Then for a keepsake-type gift I am thinking of giving him a nice box to put the cigars in, maybe engraved with something. I thought about a fancy humidor for the cigars, but he really doesn''t smoke them often. Plus, not sure I want to encourage him becoming a cigar-connoisseur, yuck!

The last thing I am thinking of doing is a boudior shoot. But I''m not sure about this since I can''t seem to find lingerie that I feel good in!

Oh... I just realized all of my gifts are vice-related. Yikes, I don''t know how that happened! Maybe I''ll toss in a nerdy science book to even things out a bit- he loves those!

 

[oobiecoo]

DH isn''t a very materialistic guy at all so its hard to buy for him. For holidays its usually clothes and sometimes a tech/electronic item like an mp3 player or computer memory

. His absolute favorite gifts have been the humidor that my parents gave his last Christmas along with a really fancy cigar cutter (he doesn''t smoke cigars often, maybe a couple times a year but it makes him feel special and gives him the option to smoke more often if he wishes) and the gift I gave him for the wedding... a small pieces of property in Ireland. I hid the deed in an Ireland "coffetable" book and he thought his gift was the book and he was happy with that but when he saw the deed he freaked out. He is Irish and he was SOO happy to have that type of thing. Another item he would really like to have eventually is a nice shaving set... like from The Art of Shaving. What guy doesn''t like a nice shave?

When I was trying to get ideas for his wedding gift he said that naming a star after him would be really cool because he''s really into astronomy.

 

[ladyciel]

Date: 6/5/2008 7:04:35 PM
Author: oobiecoo
Another item he would really like to have eventually is a nice shaving set... like from The Art of Shaving. What guy doesn't like a nice shave?

OOOH! I know this is Musey's thread, but I've been stuck in the same boat as her and I LOVE that idea.

Thanks oobiecoo!

Musey, my only ideas have basically matched yours...watch (maybe pocket watch?), cufflinks, or some other sentimental object he can keep forever. That's really my only rule - that he can keep it forever - because it's the guideline I gave him when he asked what I would like, and he's a sentimental guy. The only idea he'll give me (other than saying marrying me is gift enough as far as he's concerned) is that he wants photos of me. He'd go gaga for boudoir photos, but he was also careful to specify that his request was not limited to those. I'm still completely torn about doing them. If I ever find a great corset to wear for the wedding, then I might consider it more. Nothing like a corset to cover all the problem areas while looking crazy sexy!