Help pick a portrait lens for the holiday

Go for the 85mm 1.8G (not D) you'll gain 2 extra stops in low light. Macro lenses are nice to shoot portraits if you need tack sharp skinn detail (sometimes unflattering). My wife enjoys macro photography and bellow 90mm focal lenth, forget it. She purchased a Nikon 105mm 2.8 micro (great lens) but it will close automatically at F3.2 depending on the focus distance. Also, 105mm is still a bit short for proper macro work especially in Full frame.(distance for bugs + isolation while keeping the object sharp) A very nice macro lens seems to be the new Sigma 150mm Apo HSM 2.8

To go back to the main subject, the 28mm 1.8G + 85mm 1.8G is a Killer combo. I use them on 2 bodies to avoid losing switching time, in every photo shoot. 2 stops is a lot, especially low light. In day light, I always close around F2.2 to keep the face in focus while blurring the backround.