It doesn't matter who got married, the response to the gift was in very poor taste. As for complaining about the gift not covering the cost of dinner, they're the ones who chose to spend $97/plate. I've been to weddings where I was served a nice steak that I'm sure cost more than a few dollars and I've been served basically a build your own sandwich bar. You provide what you can afford and what you want, not what you expect to get in return from your guests. You're inviting people not dollar signs.