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Sister got engaged! Need ideas for present

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

08:12 / 13.09.07

What's appropriate for an engagement gift? I figure shit like tableware, china or silverware is practical, but I figure since I'm in Japan for the next few months I should grab something here. Any ideas for something cool, practical and exotic? I'm drunk or in class most of my time here, so help would be appreciated.

14:47 / 13.09.07

Sexy underwear.

Because there's nothing quite like a sibling recognizing you as a sexual being to underline the solemnity of the sacrament of matrimony.

jentacular dreams

15:13 / 13.09.07

How does she feel about fuck-off deadly spiders?

Alternatively a celebratory bottle or two (one that can be kept and aged) is rarely a bad idea. Offering to make the invitations would probably also go down well. E-cards don't count, obviously.

Tryphena Absent

15:18 / 13.09.07

A kimono, the type you could wear as a dressing gown?

15:55 / 13.09.07

Gift idea #1: Traditional Japanese tea set and instructions on how to do the tea ceremony. Wiki article here.

Gift idea #2: Sake set.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

16:00 / 13.09.07

Offering to make the invitations would probably also go down well

I like this idea. Rather, I would offer to pay for the invitations, since I have no idea how I would go about making them. Even so, offering money as a gift for such a special occasion feels like something a good brother wouldn't do. Is making invitations something people actually do?

A kimono, the type you could wear as a dressing gown?

Can I confess something? I'm not entirely clear on the definition of a "dressing gown". My tastes in clothes are primitive anyway; as a matter of fact it is she who picks out a lot of my clothes for me (does a great job, natch). But I'm willing to try this as soon as someone reveals to me what a dressing gown actually is and for what it is used.

Sexy underwear.

Because there's nothing quite like a sibling recognizing you as a sexual being to underline the solemnity of the sacrament of matrimony.

Theoretically, how evil would it be to do exactly this and sign the card with my brother's name?

17:43 / 13.09.07

"Dressing gown" = "bathrobe" more or less.

I'll leave questions of evil up to other contributors.

21:06 / 13.09.07

As a woman who's getting married next month I would say the dinnerware and such are more wedding gift material. I think engagement gifts are pure celebratory stuff... a dinner out, or if you can't be there some nice bottle of hooch would be great. I also love the idea of volunteering to help do or buy something for the wedding itself, as long as it's something she definitely likes or picks out herself. May seem obvious, but I have had some issues with fathers and bridal hairdos lately.

21:27 / 13.09.07

You could offer to buy *stationery* for invitations, but you'd have to send the couple samples first.

I think the hooch is the best idea. Something you can't find at home.

jentacular dreams

12:32 / 14.09.07

Make her a whiskey still!

Yeah, in the UK most wedding invitations (for the ones I've been to anyway) have been home-made jobs. Usually by some very patient friend or sibling too. But if you're not going to be able to spend much time with her until quite close to the wedding itself that might be a bad one to volunteer for.

14:03 / 14.09.07

I might be making this up because my memory of the events in my own life tend to run together but...

One of the nicest engagement gifts was simply a big ass bunch of flowers delivered to my very bland office. It was a surprise, beautiful, and made me feel like yeah something amazing was happening!

But then I'm a bit of a flower ho so...YMMV.

i tend to think engagment presents are not the permenant loot kind but as stated upthread celebratory frivolity like dinners, hooch, gift certs for taking themselves out to dinner, and a caveat to grant's suggestion a gift cert to a lingerie shop.

I got my sibs beautiful robes and pj's as suited them if IRC. Sleepware can be on the edge between indulgent and sexy.

14:29 / 18.09.07

My gift of choice these days tends to be gift certificates to restaurants that the recipient is fond of.

Gift certificates can seem kind of soulless and annoying, like here's cash that you can only spend where I tell you to spend it. But to my mind, it's different when it's a restaurant. It's more like, hey, treat yourself to a night out on me.