strings attached

I've noticed that often there's a big difference in gift giving between social classes that I find interesting. From my experience, those with more money seem to hold gift giving in a higher regard. I'm not saying they expect more gift giving, but they seem to expect their gifts to reflect their financial status and not that of those who are giving. I have friends who have been made uncomfortable, for example, being invited to a wedding when the only items on the wedding registry are expensive items. It is frustrating when gift giving is often considered mandatory to be socially appropriate and sometimes a heartfelt card, or small token is not enough to reach that social normalcy. I resent that gift giving is expected in certain situations, and not because I often can't afford what I believe would be a socially appropriate gift, but more because I don't like the guilt that is associated with receiving them.