Dear ESB,
You have had some great gift posts in the past, so I thought I would ask for your help with a wedding gift that has me stumped.
I am attending a destination wedding for a couple who has a lot of money, like a lot of money. They are wonderful, gracious people and their wedding is going to be the bomb. But everything on their wedding registry, which was all very reasonably priced, was bought up the day after I got their invitation and now I have no idea what to do.
It feels weird for us (always broke-ish) to give them cash or a gift card to Williams Sonoma when they don't really need money. I love them and would like to get them something in the standard wedding range of about $100. I could go as high as $200, but closer to $100 is ideal.
Their taste is classic, kinda fancy, but they aren't dorks or anything. They're like, wealthy, straight, big-city-living people in their 40s. Have you seen any new and exciting salt bowls? I'm at a loss.
Love,
Bad At Shopping For Once
*****
How bout a polished horn salt bowl [pictured above] and spoon....
$29 + 9 + 29 = $67 from Kaufmann Mercantile
______________________________
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i like to give experience-oriented gifts... what about dinner at a great restaurant on their honeymoon/wherever their destination wedding is... or a cookbook from a restaurant/chef you've gone to together (this could be a good add on to ESB's suggestion)... or an activity that they would enjoy on their honeymoon? or something they would appreciate but that they didn't register for? (ie, copper moscow mule mugs if they like moscow mules... with a bottle of ginger simple syrup), a really soft blanket, etc.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, rita. The salt bowl is beautiful and if they're into cooking they will likely use it and love it, but experience-based gifts are really fun to receive. My brother and sister in law got us a full-day moped rental for our Hawaii honeymoon, which probably cost them the same as getting us a toaster but was WAY MORE FUN THAN A TOASTER. We hadn't registered for that, of course, so it came as a really nice surprise and made us feel nice to know they put thought into the gift. That being said, don't stress about the gift too much. Especially since this couple sounds wealthy enough to probably already be set up with everything they need, your gift can be something simple yet meaningful or useful and it will be appropriate.
DeleteI agree, my favorite gift was a gift certificate to a nice restaurant. Yes, these guys can probably afford their own fancy meal out, but that doesn't mean it won't be appreciated!
Deletei'm not rich, but i'd be very happy to have that salt box in my life.
ReplyDeleteIf you do salt, fancy people usually have two, one for each end of the table:). At least in the previous century.
ReplyDeleteesb's taste is impeccable, but we knew that.
Here's my question. Big house or small house? If their house is big, if they have a lot of surfaces and shelves, a little thingambob that has meaning and is beautiful would be good.
If their house is small, then something extremely luxurious and consumable. Once some friends I used to have gave me and the husband I used to have a bottle of great wine, in a rough wooden wine box. The box was signed with their names, and the date. The deal was that we shared that wine, and then we'd give them back a bottle and sign the box, and we'd pass it back and forth as friends.
It was a lovely idea, and not their fault that it didn't happen:).
We got a bottle of wine in a wooden box as a gift - with the specific instructions that we have to save it until our 10th wedding anniversary. We recently moved, and during our packing/unpacking found the box with the wine and it brought back fun memories of our wedding and gave us something to look forward to (in another 7 years)... And then we stashed it away in the back of our storage closet.
DeleteI love the idea to pass the box back and forth. Maybe something I'll try when my next friend gets hitched.
I like the experinece-based gift idea above, but would also add that donations to a charity on behalf of the couple would be appreciated, I'm sure, particularly if it's a cause you know they would want to support.
ReplyDeleteThis is always a flawless gift.
DeleteA friend of mine had an uncle who got married later in life. He and his new wife had only grown children, and they had a lot of money and a lot of Things that they already enjoyed. So the friend tracked down a beautiful 50 year-aged bottle of balsamic vinaigrette for the couple to enjoy. It ended up getting opened at the rehearsal dinner and shared amongst all their friends, and was a real hit. Something like this, which is both a gift AND a cool experience, might hit the mark.
ReplyDeleteI like this idea + cookbook idea above. It just has to be something special/unique, not Crockpot Dinners for 2
DeleteNo gift certificates to fancy restaurants. If they are like the rich people I know, they will just give them away to a babysitter or house cleaner or something.
ReplyDeleteI like ESB's gift idea, but I especially like the advice above of LPC.
agree! we used to give my grandparents (who are loaded) gift certificates to what we thought were great/fancy places and then found out they were going to the mailpeople, dry cleaner, and gardeners!
DeleteOne of my favorite gifts to give is a bottle of custom blended whiskey — http://www.whiskyblender.com
ReplyDeleteNot sure if the couple likes whiskey, but it's fun mixing the flavors (this determines the cost) and giving it a personalized name that can involve an inside joke between everyone. My best friend received a custom bottle of whiskey dubbed "Ron Swanson" last year and freaked out in the best way.
Friends gave us an "experience-based gift" that we never used--some food tour thingee here in Chicago. It's like giving me a job to do. I don't know, it didn't sound that cool and we kind of forgot about it.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, my friend Craighton makes a nice salt + pepper...dispenser? It's called Pinch.
One of my very favorite gifts was a gift card to one of our favorite restaurants, received a month or so after the wedding. Our friend called the restaurant and somehow convinced them to hand deliver the gift card and two of their amazing cookies to our apartment (which, granted, shares an alleyway with the restaurant, so proximity was on our side). Coming home to that surprise was AMAZING.
ReplyDeleteIf you know of a place they love, maybe try that? Even restaurants that won't hand deliver would probably be willing to pop a gift card directly in the mail for a couple extra bucks.
My husband got me an Idaho cutting board from AHeirloom (on etsy). I totally love it! Maybe you could get them a cutting board of the state they live in or the location of their wedding. It's sentimental and pretty!
ReplyDeletea really awesome plant (like this tree) that you re-pot in a really cool pot. look for rare and unusual plant nurseries in your area, and try to find a plant that will grow well either inside or in the climate in which they live.
ReplyDeleteThis guy is pretty awesome: http://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/handforgedworks
ReplyDeleteI have given a cork screw & bottle opener combo. I asked and he printed the wedding date on the cork screw - not sure if that was a one-time thing, but I think it makes the gift pretty cool!
This is also a cool idea for those who are looking to spend more and get something for those who have everything...
pretty. like the awesomest contact lens.
ReplyDeleteKM story- my husband got a bunch of cool stuff for his family for xmas there, and they totally threw in some beautiful beeswax candles, just to say thanks for doing some extensive shopping there. A small gesture, but it totally ensured our loyalty.
ReplyDeleteFor a friend who loves to cook, I put together a batch of my favorite kitchen gear - not generic stuff but a bunch of things that I have researched, used a ton over the years, and still love. You know, like that perfect silicon spatula that I read about in Cooks Illustrated and the vegetarian cookbook that I use at least once a week. She loved the personalized nature of the gift.
ReplyDelete