Perhaps I'm old-fashioned but I have a problem going to someone's wedding and paying for my plate at the reception. The way I see it, if the marrying couple and their families couldn't afford to pay for their own reception, then they probably have no business getting married. At the very least, they have no business having such an expensive reception. It's even worse when you pay $200+ for a plate AND you're expected to give them a gift too. I come from a background (Haitian/Venezuelan) where families paid for everything related to the wedding (open bar is optional). Sometimes they were small but they were intimate, dignified, and enjoyable. It's passing the buck. People should stop trying to live outside their means and be content with a smaller wedding. My dad doesn't like it either but if a close friend invites him to their child's wedding, he can't not go because of $200. It would ruin the friendship. What do you think?