Wedding in Chicago I am attending-Need Help! LONG

This is the year of weddings for us on top of the fact that we need to plan for our own
I love it!!! I am a excited because my very close friend is getting married, a close family friend is too, and a couple others. So my question is (since I just rambled on for no apparent reason...) since money is tight this summer, what type of gift do you give for weddings in Chicago? We are flying there, getting a rental car, and the hotel stay we are paing for. We just received the invitation and it was not what I envisioned it to be at all. I thought it was at night-wrong! its in the afternoon on a Saturday. What do I wear now? I bought a gown expecting the wedding to be at night and it is not appropriate at all. I have plenty of other events to attend this year so it won't go to waste but what is appropriate for a day wedding? Also should I send a gift and also give money? Is it appropriate to give gifts at the wedding in Chicago?
Thanks for all the help and suggestions!

I know what you mean. Most of my friends and family all live up north and I'm in Florida so I have to travel up for every wedding (including my own ) so what I've been doing is I founds a great outlet store that sells waterford crystal and they have a very beautiful wedding frame that was only like $50 on sale....After I got the first one for my friends wedding I went back and got 3 more! I would just look for something that you can get on sale, but I don't think you need to give them both $$ and a gift. One or the other would be fine.

I would not give both, I would give one or the other. Last year I went to a wedding in S. Carolina. The groom was from Chicago and the bride was from S. Carolina. We gave cash because that is what we do. Our friend (the groom) knew that his NY friends would be giving cash gifts because that is what people from NY do but everyone else bought a gift.
I think the outlets are a good place to start if you are short on cash. No one would ever know.

I have decided on getting the couple gifts from the registry instead. I haven't called any of the stores yet but what if I order something big? Can they give me a card stating what their gift is? I am thinking of getting the majority of their cookware and its a lot of boxes
Thanks

The stores should send a card with the gift. If you send it before the wedding, they will know you already sent something. If you are sending the gift afterwards, I would put a cute little note in the card, like 'wait 'til you see what I cooked up for you when you get home from your honeymoon'

It's a great gift! Have Fun at the wedding!

I am definitely using that one! I started giggling when I read it. I hope they get a kick out of it like I did.
Thanks all for your help with this one.
Wanda