Re: No boxed gifts please
I understand why your fiance is against you indirectly asking ppl for money instead of gifts. The reason may be…
Everyone has different budgets and different lifestyles. If you were to ask (indirectly) for money, ppl would be compelled to at least fork up $50/75/100, if not more. Not everyone feels as comfortable with giving this amount because it may be a stretch for them.
However, had they had the choice of being able to give you a gift, they may be able to do so by gifting you say a cake tray that may cost $20-30. This may mean that you end up with 5 cake trays in the end 
ummm… best of luck with everything.