Engagement present

January 1, 2006 1:16 PM

A friend of mine has recently become engaged, she has I understand a reasonable sized glory box, her fiance has been living on his own for a while and from a brief visit to his home appears to be established as well. I would like suggestions on gift ideas for their upcoming engagement party.
posted by Chimp to grab bag (17 comments total)

Just a note that "a reasonable sized glory box" may have a quite different connotation than intended in cultures not familiar with the term..
posted by kcm at 1:35 PM on January 1, 2006

Yeah, I nearly did a spit take when I saw that...
posted by TonyRobots at 1:38 PM on January 1, 2006

Is the glory box like a hope chest or trousseau?

Glory box? Hope chest? The double entendres here are killing me.
posted by Emperor Yamamoto's Eggs at 1:41 PM on January 1, 2006

glory box... means... errr... lots of cash?
posted by slater at 1:42 PM on January 1, 2006

yes, please enlighten me on the term glory box.
posted by bigmusic at 2:02 PM on January 1, 2006

"Glory box" is indeed Australian for "hope chest" (or, in British parlance, the "bottom drawer").

Gift ideas? Shared 'experiences' are always fun. Two-person bungee jump for 'taking the plunge'?
posted by holgate at 2:04 PM on January 1, 2006

I can see why their is confusion : ), I will clarify, in Australia a glory box refers to a collection of household goods that one (usually a female) may collect prior to her marriage for example linen, crockery, towels etc.
posted by Chimp at 2:04 PM on January 1, 2006

Well, there may be another reason for the confusion. There's quite a similar term in the US, which may have thrown some off the, er, scent. Of course, modesty forbids my mentioning it glory hole
posted by rob511 at 2:14 PM on January 1, 2006

Oh, and you had a question? Recent thread.
posted by rob511 at 2:31 PM on January 1, 2006

she has I understand a reasonable sized glory box

Thank you, that made my day.

As far as the question, I don't think I have ever been to an engagement party. But, the first things that come to mind are a really nice letter opener (the better to open all those RSVPs with), wedding photo album or picture frame.
posted by amro at 3:18 PM on January 1, 2006

So, you're saying that they're set on household items.

You have a few options, then:
- more expensive/rare household items, like those fancy wine bottle openers, or tapas plates that sit on a wine glass.
- non-household items such as media, games, trips, car accessories, or sex toys.
- consumables, like food and alcohol
posted by breath at 3:19 PM on January 1, 2006

I believe Stephanie Alexander's "Cook's Companion" cookbook has become a bit of an engagement staple in Australia.. highly recommended, though entirely possible someone else will buy it for them.

I gave my friends a couple of books - one was "1000 Places to See Before You Die" (or something similarly named), plus a Lonely Planet coffee-table-ish book with lots of photos in it. They liked it because it was not another set of glasses and because I'd talked about travelling a lot with them (one wanted to go, one wasn't so interested). So it was something that reflected something going on in their lives and the friendship I have with them.. if you can think of something that fits into that category, it'll be a winner.

Or in the consumables line - a nice (doesn't have to be pricey) dozen wines. Also, if they have not arranged an 'official' engagement photo, that could be quite a nice thing to organise for them (but hmmm.. you haven't given a budget).
posted by AnnaRat at 3:29 PM on January 1, 2006

Just to clear up any confusion, everyone in the United States reads "glory box" as "vagina".
posted by neuron at 10:45 PM on January 1, 2006

I don't think so, neuron. It sounds more like a bastardization of glory hole, which is something vaguely similar but also completely different. Although, "box" is a vulgarism for vagina, so I suppose a glory box might mean something like "a vagina that you find in a truckstop bathroom." Or something.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 9:08 AM on January 2, 2006

Thanks for the gift ideas and the brief insight into American terminology, should I ever visit the States I'll be careful with my phrases.
posted by Chimp at 10:45 AM on January 2, 2006

It depends on your budget, Chimp. I had friends who got a photo printer, which was great, because they already had a digital camera. You said she had a reasonable size, uh, household stuff thingy, but I absolutely love the coffeepot I got as a gift recently, the Starbucks Barista Aroma Grande Thermal Coffeemaker I gladly tossed my old coffemaker out. It keeps your coffee at the perfect temperature for hours.

Another great gift is art. I love Japanese woodblock prints. You can get a reproduction for very little, but then frame and mat it nicely. I love Hiroshige

And on art.com, you can see how it will look as you choose a mat and frame.

Or, a lithograph of a subject that your friend likes or has an interest in. Though more expensive, they are antique, so they are special.

Or, if you have pictures you have taken, that you love, get those printed at a bigger size, then get it matted and framed. My friend gave me a gorgeous photograph she took of bright colored bins of spices that she took at a market in France. It's in my kitchen, and I treasure it.
posted by generic230 at 3:07 PM on January 2, 2006

Are they registered anywhere? I have a number of friends who lived on their own before marriage but still wanted household items for *them* rather than items they may have had individually before they married. To the best of my knowledge, in the US at least, people register shortly after getting engaged and before any parties to help those that may be shopping.

Otherwise maybe a piece of decorative crystal, like candlesticks or a bowl? Or maybe some nice notecards with both their names on it?
posted by ml98tu at 10:24 AM on January 3, 2006