I just wanted to answer your gift card/cash question outside of that post so not to threadjack...
Exception for one exception, I do not give gifts of cash or gift cards. That includes Christmas and birthdays. The only exception is for restaurants for my parents... I give them gift certificates to their favorite restaurants because that is the only way I can buy them dinner! They will not let me when we are actually eating together.
I just prefer giving tangible gifts... something that has meaning to me and to the recipient. Even with registries, I buy things that have meaning - like a good friend of mine and I LOVE coffee - we would meet all the time at Starbucks during law school... I bought her the coffeemaker off of her registry. I was in a wedding recently that the only registry was the honeymoon registry. I simply am unwilling to pay directly for someone's vacation. Since they were not registered anywhere else, I gave them two bottles of wine.
I am not trying to tell anyone what they should think or what they should do in terms of gift giving. But, there are other people like me out there that go to weddings and would be irritated, like me, that the only option provided is basically cash. When asked, my mother is telling people where we are registered and that we could always use gift cards to Lowes (we would have registered at Lowes, but are getting married a year to late!!). Like I said, it is a personal choice... I prefer to give something that can be wrapped with pretty wrapping paper and a big bow.
I don't judge for giving gift cards or cash, it is just not the type of gift I am going to give. I promise I am not the only person that feels this way!