Tacky or Tasteful?

I think I am going to make this a new weekly post; I have enough material for it LOL.  So, this week let’s start off with:

My husband worked with a woman, and he and I were friendly with her and her boyfriend.  She got a job about 3 hours a way, but she still keeps in touch to ask about the kids, ect.  So, she and her boyfriend are now getting married and invited us to the wedding.  Even though it is 6 states away and would cost us a chunk of change to attend, we were thinking about it…until she said NO KIDS.  Ummm, yeah their goes our attendance, and she knows that we wouldn’t be able to come without bring the kids.  Moving on…I get an invitation to her bridal shower a week ago, which is again no kids, a month before the wedding, 6 states away…she KNOWS I can’t come.  But the part that bugs me is the fact that it said she was listed for “bridal presents” at X,Y,Z and the wedding invitation says that “wedding presents” were registered at A,B,C.

So what, I am suppose to drop everything twice, travel a good 16 hours or more, stay in a hotel for 2 days TWICE, pay for gas and food and whatever else AND BUY 2 PRESENTS…one for the bridal party and one for the wedding?  Are YOU NUTS?

So what do you think?  Is it tasteful or tacky to send out invitations for a wedding and a bridal shower when you know the people won’t be able to attend?  Does that smack of just wanting people to give you gifts?  And, what’s up with the whole no kids thing?