Wedding Gift from Best Man

So my fiancé was the best man at his childhood best friends wedding this weekend. We had to travel, stay at a hotel and use public (Uber/Lyft) transportation during our stay. All while my fiancé is between jobs after barely finding a job after being laid off for nine months due to Covid.



When I bought the card for the couple, I asked my fiancé how much money he wanted to give as a gift, $100, $150, etc. He said he and his friend agreed to no gifts to each other since their wedding and ours are only a few months part but his friend might give us rookie cards of a couple high achieving professional athletes that we like. My fiancé told his friend no, we don’t want the cards (really we don’t, trust me). Best friend is the best man in our wedding, too.

So we didn’t put anything in the card. Just a heartfelt message and we’ll wishes.

I feel bad that we didn’t give anything but, things are tight considering how much money we spent to get to the wedding and while we were there. Since it is his friend, it was his call.

I think part of the reason he objected is because they had a little bit of a falling out after a not so good bachelor party where the best friend got so intoxicated, got kicked out of bars, started fights, punched my fiancé, etc.
Have you or your fiancé been in a wedding where you didn’t gift the couple anything? I’m not used to going to parties, let alone a wedding, empty handed, even though they did “agree” no gifts.