Well-off couple's wedding offends family, 'we made them feel cheap.' AITA?

"Relatives offended because our wedding made them feel 'cheap?'"

Just got give some context, my wife and I are very fortunate to both make 6-figures. We had also lived together for a year before our engagement and wedding, so we already had all the household stuff we needed, and didn't really feel like we want to ask for more.

So for our wedding, we purposely didn't have a registry, and in our invitation, we specifically said "gifts are not required, your presence is the greatest present." We did so also to minimize the expenses for our guest, hoping as many of our friends and family would come and celebrate with us as possible.

We do have a card box at the reception table, for guests to write well-wishers and slide their cards in. Apparently some of my wife's relatives thought it was a subtle way to ask for money (it wasn't), so they felt obligated to put cash and checks in the envelopes.

Afterwards, my wife and I overheard them complaining to my MIL that it made them felt cheap, like the wedding was a fundraiser, or a transaction. My wife almost bursted into tears, so I step over and clarified that money was not asked or wanted.

I offered to give them their envelopes back so they could remove their money. They refused since "what's done is done." Made the entire wedding awkward (for us and them, other folks had zero idea). Made me feel like no good deeds go unpunished.

Here's what people had to say about this one:

Mitaslaksit said:

Bunch of martyrs. If they don't understand what is written, there's not much you can do.

wavinsnail said:

Putting out a card box for a wedding is extremely common. Almost every wedding I've been to has had one. Giving money as a gift instead of a gift is pretty common, and usually expected. Your wife's family is unhinged.

plasticinecupcake said:

Every wedding I’ve been to has had a box of some sort for cards. At no point have I felt like I must contribute (although I always do). This is very much a them issue.

Grumpysmiler said:

If they'd gotten you a physical present would they have felt obligated to ram that in the card box too? Card box is for cards. Cards go in there. It's where you put cards. To wish the couple well. You specifically said no gifts and to enjoy. It's on them!

Indigo-Waterfall said:

What…every wedding I’ve been to has a letterbox for cards. You don’t have to put money in…also, I don’t understand how it makes them feel cheap?

CatsScratchFeva said:

What aholes. If you’re not petty, ignore and limit contact. If you’re petty, mail them back their checks with a note explaining you don’t want them to feel cheap anymore, as obviously this feeling was so terrible they felt the need to put a damper on your wedding and make the bride cry.