Weddingbee boards

Several recent threads have gotten me thinking a lot about wedding gifts.  It seems that there are many who feel that the cost of a wedding gift should offset the amount being spent on the wedding.  Perhaps it's cultural, but this runs really contrary to my view of weddings and gifts.  In particular, I would expect a smaller (or no) gift from guests who are travelling to my wedding as they are already spending a lot of money to attend.  I view it as an honor that someone would spend the time and money to share in my special day.  And in general, I feel a strong aversion to the transactional sentiment that underlies the entire premise of "paying for one's late".  In my case, due to the venue and size of the event the per head costs are pretty high.  But I really don't feel that any guests should have to tailor the size of their gift to choices I am making about the cost of my reception.  Anyone have different thoughts?