First anniversary gift ideas

September 8, 2006 12:38 PM

What can I get my younger brother and his wife as a first anniversary present?

My brother and his wife will be celebrating their first Anniversary on October 6th, and I'd like to give them an anniversary present, but I'm feeling completely uninspired. I didn't get them a wedding gift yet either (in my defense, their wedding was sort of sudden and unheralded) so I'd like this gift to sort of do double duty.

The challenge is that they don't really have any interests to speak of. My brother's somewhat into working out and fitness, and he likes dark superhero-type movies. His wife isn't into much of anything at all. I was thinking it'd be nice to get them a sort of "night out", dinner at a nice restaurant, or a play, or something like that, but no fitting local venues come to mind. I don't think it matters what the traditional gift is.

My brother lives just a little west of Detroit, Michigan. He is 22 years old, and his wife is 20. I've budgeted $200 for their gift, but I'm willing to go higher for a great idea.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

posted by Vorteks to human relations (11 comments total)

How about the Purple Rose theatre?
posted by k8t at 12:47 PM on September 8, 2006

1st Anniversary is Paper, so how about some personalised notepaper for them to use? It's a luxury item, is for the long-term (they probably won't use it for shopping lists) and shows that you put some effort in - good quality stationers are not found on every corner.

Link goes to Symthsons of Bond Street, London. Probably the finest stationers in the world.
posted by mooders at 12:50 PM on September 8, 2006

Sorry - that should have been Smythson. I understand they're quite particular about that sort of thing :)
posted by mooders at 12:51 PM on September 8, 2006

A single piece of really nice cookware. You can get an awesome Le Creuset pot for that money. I give that often as a present because couples rarely put good cookware on their registries, and they totally love it.
posted by mkultra at 1:09 PM on September 8, 2006

Getting a Le Creuset is a great idea if either one of them is into cooking and they'd be likely to appreciate its quality and usefulness. But if they're not into that either (since the OP says "they don't really have any interests to speak of"), then I'd be afraid that it would just sit in a cabinet getting dusty.

A certificate for a nice dinner out seems like a pretty safe bet. I don't know anything about Detroit (haven't been there in 15 years, sorry), but here's the Detroit Cityguide list of their Best Romantic Restaurants -- maybe that's a good place to start.
posted by scody at 1:26 PM on September 8, 2006

Thanks for the suggestions! I especially appreciate that Cityguide link. At the moment, I'm leaning toward getting them certificates for a nice restaurant and a local bed and breakfast. Though I'd love if someone has a better idea, or has a particular restaurant or venue they can recommend.
posted by Vorteks at 1:50 PM on September 8, 2006

I heard this suggestion once a long time ago, and I've always thought about doing it for my friends/family, but well, you know... Since the wedding was 'sudden and unheralded', this may not work for you anyway.

Gather a bunch of stuff from the wedding (the original invitation, the program from the wedding ceremony, maybe a matchbook or personalized napkin from the reception, etc), compile it into a collage of sorts, and have it framed. It's a nice reminder of the day, and since 'paper' is the first-anniversary gift, it kind of fits.
posted by jknecht at 2:00 PM on September 8, 2006

Gift certificates, theater tickets, airplane tickets
posted by candyland at 2:50 PM on September 8, 2006

The nice thing about something like cookware is that it is a lasting gift -- the restaurant certificate is a good present but it is ephemeral. Ephemera have their place, but something that lasts will be a continuing reminder of your relationship. You could also start your own tradition of giving a piece of some larger set of things for each anniversary.

When my brother got married neither of us was particularly affluent, so we gave them a few pieces of a nice dinner service -- there was no way that we could have afforded the whole thing at the time. Then over the following years we gave them more pieces as anniversary presents; in the end they got pretty much the whole thing. Easy on us (no worrying about what to get them), they liked it, and it has been both useful and a good symbol of the continuing relationship.
posted by Quinbus Flestrin at 2:56 PM on September 8, 2006

His & Her massages at a local spa? Think how lovely & romantic they'll feel afterward... especially if they can have a nice dinner directly afterward.
posted by amtho at 4:00 PM on September 8, 2006

In case this benefits anyone in the future, I ended up getting them gift certificates to Andiamo Italia (which was #3 on the list of romantic restaurants that scody linked to. Thanks scody), and also tickets to The Second City, a comedy club that just happens to be above the Andiamo Italia in Novi, MI. Thank you everyone for your great suggestions. The cookware ideas were good. Although I didn't think my brother and his wife were the type of people who'd appreciate a Le Creuset pot, I'll probably be buying one for others in the future.
posted by Vorteks at 9:44 AM on September 21, 2006