It’s a funny thing with events like weddings; to invite or not to invite. I was raised to invite all the people who ‘should be’ and they can decline if they want. When I got married, my h said not to invite his very small family and their friends because he thought they’d feel we are just ‘hitting them up for a gift’.

The venue has minimums of dinners you have to pay for, so honestly, we invited all the ‘should invite’ people because I felt it’s the right thing to do and also we had to fill up the room. The dinners cost at least 5x more than the average gifts we received, so it’s really not about the gift. IDK your friend’s wedding plans, maybe those things aren’t a factor at all. He may simply want your company because you were/are a good friend.