I hate when weddings come up. I feel like there's no consideration of the guests and what they have to sacrifice, more like a couple has just decided to throw a party that obligates you to give them gifts. Where I'm from, the expectation is around $150-200 for a wedding gift, $100 for a shower gift, on top of buying a new outfit to wear, getting a babysitter, and giving up an evening to go sit with strangers and eat a crappy meal. My family actually believes that if you are invited, you still send a gift even if you decline, so I end up getting invitations from second cousins that I don't know in other cities because they know I'll decline and expect a gift. I don't send them one but people actually complain.

I think it would sit better for me if things were like a couple of generations ago, where people were setting up new households when they got married. But the expectation that I spend a couple of hundred on gifts for people who are already living together and have kids is just ridiculous. Or the one that came up recently, bridal shower on the first weekend, wedding on the 2nd weekend and baby shower on the third weekend.

Sorry for the rant, but people making decisions like they're all entitled to how I spend my money is a big peeve.