Gifts for a Wife Who Has Everything

A wife who has everything usually has it because she bought it, organized it and found a place for it herself. The best gift for a wife who has everything gives her something she would never arrange on her own: time with her people, a piece of her past, or proof that you notice who she is. Here are 12 ideas that do that, at a range of budgets. Our top pick is a song about her, because it is the one thing on this list that could only ever belong to her.

Hear what a Songbond song sounds like

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry her name and your stories.

12 gift ideas for a wife who has everything

1. A song about her ($39.90). You tell us how she runs the house, the name the kids call her and the moment you knew, and Songbond turns it into an original song. It is ready within 24 hours and costs less than dinner out.
2. The records she played at 16. Find four or five albums from her teenage bedroom on vinyl, and a simple turntable if you do not have one. Usually $25 to $40 a record.
3. A portrait session with her mother or sisters. In most family photos she is the one behind the camera. Book an hour with a photographer for her and the women she grew up with. Expect $200 to $500.
4. A weekend away with her friends, planned by you. Book the house, sort the dates with her friends, and cover everything at home so she has nothing to organize. Usually $300 to $800.
5. Lessons in the thing she gave up. The piano she quit at 14, the painting she dropped when the kids came. A private teacher runs about $40 to $80 an hour.
6. A first edition of the book she loved as a girl. An early printing or signed copy of the novel she read until the spine broke. Usually $50 to $300.
7. A family cookbook, collected from everyone. Ask aunts, cousins and her mother for one recipe each with a short story, then print it as a book. About $40 to $80 for a few copies.
8. A garden designed for her. A few hours with a garden designer, or a new bed planted with the flowers she grew up with. Expect $150 to $500.
9. The robe she would never buy herself. Heavy cotton or linen, in a size that fits properly. Usually $80 to $200.
10. Flowers every month for a year. A local florist will usually deliver a small bunch each month for $40 to $80 a time. She gets the gift twelve times.
11. Tickets to the musical she loved at 20. Revivals and touring shows come through most cities. Book good seats and an early dinner. Usually $80 to $250 for two.
12. A class with her best friend. Pottery, flower arranging or bread baking, booked for two on a weeknight. About $80 to $200.

How to choose for a wife who has it all

Think about what she gives other people all year. The wife who plans every holiday usually wants a break from planning. The one who keeps every card wants something with a story. The one with a closet full of nice things often wants time more than anything.

• If she carries the whole house: the weekend with friends or the flowers every month.
• If she is close to her family: the portrait session or the family cookbook.
• If she misses who she was at 20: the records, the lessons or the musical.

What to put in her song

From the stories husbands send us, the details that make a song land are small and specific. Words like loving, kind and thoughtful are true of most wives, so on their own they make a weak song. What makes it hers is the name only you call her, the way she sings in the car when she thinks nobody is listening, or the fact that she has adopted every stray cat on the street. Write down five of those before you order. One line about the day you met and one about an ordinary Tuesday will do more than a page of compliments.

Give her something only she has

Create a song for your wife. Share her story, and her song is ready within 24 hours. If you need it tonight, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: anniversary song ideas for your wife and songs about the day we met.