It depends upon where you want to have your wedding (the size and how many people the venue can accommodate) and how big your budget is (can you afford the quality of ceremony that you want and still have the amount of people that you want?) and the most important of all, who do you really want to have at your wedding? If you want a lot of people, because you have a lot of close friends and relatives, then you may have to tone down the costs associated with hosting a party. For example buffet style is cheaper than individual sit down meals. Having a relative bring and ipod or a CD player is cheaper than hiring a band. Having your reception at the elks lodge or in someone’s backyard is probably cheaper than having it in the ballroom of a fancy hotel. If you and your friends make all of the center pieces and decorations, rather than hiring a florist, that will save you a lot of money.
If you prefer a small wedding, because of it’s potentially more intimate feeling, then by all means have a small wedding, and invite only those people that you are the closest with. One of my close friends got married with just her and the groom, another close mutual female friend of ours (as a witness and matron of honor) the groom’s best friend and his wife, and the groom’s mother. The bride’s family all lived on the East coast, and this was her second marriage, so they just had lots of pictures taken, had a short sweet ceremony and went to dinner at a fancy restaurant. No fuss, no muss, but it was beautiful.
My cousin, who got married at age 19, and her friends made all of the flower arrangements for the tables, and the wedding party, and they did all of the decorations and favors themselves. They had a December wedding, so the church was already decorated with a beautiful Christmas tree and other decorations, she got her dress on sale at David’s Bridal, had an Italian style buffet dinner. It was one of the most beautiful and fun weddings I’ve ever attended. And they’re still happily married almost 10 years later.