My aunts asked me for a shower guest list, which I was reviewing with my mother beforehand because there were a few people in question, such as some of her friends that have known me for a long time. My mom asked if other people their age (which is her age, basically) would be there, so that they wouldn't feel out of place. I told her that a lot of people invited would be of similar age, including lots of aunts and uncles (it's a co-ed shower), my BM's parents, and some other family friends.
Then she goes on to say that older (read: more financially established) guests would be more likely to "shower" FI and me with gifts than would my friends who are on grad-school budgets -- implying that yes, I should go ahead and invite the older crowd, which I had intended to do anyway. This statement kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but I let it go because I understood what she meant.
THEN she says, "But I guess it would still be nice to invite your friends too, just like you're inviting them to the wedding even though they probably can't afford to bring much of a gift." I was floored. I really got the sense that she believed that only people who we presume can bring extravagent gifts should be invited to anything wedding-related, including the wedding itself.
I had to bite my tongue to not completely go off on the woman over the phone, and just dropped it, saying, "Yes Mom, of course FI and I are inviting OUR friends to OUR wedding. Have a nice evening and say 'hi' to Dad for me."