Wedding gift for a friend moving to Guam?
May 20, 2014 9:30 AM   Subscribe

One of my oldest friends is getting married this summer and moving to Guam a few weeks later. As this is a big move, most of the traditional wedding gifts (e.g. housewares) don't make sense. What could I get her for a meaningful wedding gift?
posted by sciapod to Human Relations (9 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Hard to answer without knowing more about her/her interests, but is there something she likes/does at her current home that might be hard to do or find in Guam? (For example, something uniquely DC or NYC or wherever she lives.)
posted by schroedingersgirl at 9:45 AM on May 20, 2014


I don't want to rain on your friendship parade, and I speak only for myself, but 10 years after our wedding I would fail any quiz that asked me to recall what friend gave us what gift. The Kindle gift cards one of my sisters gives me is more "meaningful" to me personally than nearly any other gift (and I mention that to point out how awkward a hurdle "meaningful" is to cross.)

They are moving to a new country and they are eventually going to need stuff, no matter how careful their planning. In all honesty, I would get them the most generous Amazon gift card you can pony up for, because Amazon delivers to Guam and at some point, one of them is going to be DESPERATE for a salad spinner or Teddy Grahams of a specific coffee roast or whatever, and that shit is very, very expensive on Guam. When it arrives via Amazon, take my word as an ex-pat, that stuff becomes the very embodiment of meaningful.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:45 AM on May 20, 2014 [3 favorites]


Response by poster: Useful suggestions welcomed alongside the "meaningful"! I should have been clearer; thanks DarlingBri.

We're in our late 20s. She's a nurse who likes and wine and dogs, and has an appreciation for simple things (e.g. a day by the lake) and the ridiculous (e.g. reality TV).
posted by sciapod at 9:50 AM on May 20, 2014


If you're tech oriented, what about a subscription to a VPN service (and a Netflix/hulu/etc) account so that she can still watch local reality TV when she's there?
posted by suedehead at 9:55 AM on May 20, 2014


Are they moving to Guam long-term? Because that can affect things as well.

Is there any activity in Guam they could do after they move that you could pay for? Give them an experience that will allow them to really enjoy the place they just moved to. How many times have you heard someone say how they have lived in [some place] but never gotten around to seeing/doing [iconic and fun tourist activity]. Don't let that happen to them. To me that is "useful".

I have ZERO idea about things to do in Guam, but this came up in a google search. Actually, here is a whole bunch of activities offered in Guam.
posted by PuppetMcSockerson at 10:02 AM on May 20, 2014 [1 favorite]


If their stay in Guam is semi-permanent, you and a bunch of your friends could put money on an airline gift card so that they can visit home.
posted by tinymegalo at 11:11 AM on May 20, 2014


What about a painting by a local artist? I just got married and we got a couple paintings from my home province and I love them. Just tell them that as part of your gift, you'll take care of mailing it to their new home. I also like the local experience idea.
posted by carolr at 11:49 AM on May 20, 2014


When I visited Guam some years ago it was pretty much the Outlet Mall Capital of the Universe. They had free buses that ran between all the different outlet malls (all of which seemed to be selling the same stuff). They also have one of the largest K-Mart's I've ever seen. Some daily living stuff can be more expensive than what's found on the mainland, but still I would recommend not getting them any of the traditional "hope chest" wedding gifts associated with starting up a house.
On the other hand, Guam is very well located for vacations in Micronesia and flights around the area (like Saipan, for instance) are pretty cheap compared to flying from the US. So a tropical vacation is a possible gift that can be had for not a lot of money.
Also, Guam is a popular diving destination. If they're interested, maybe lessons?
posted by Runes at 1:27 PM on May 20, 2014 [1 favorite]


Get her a certificate for SCUBA certification! She'll be in dive paradise.
posted by cyndigo at 5:51 PM on May 20, 2014


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