I really want a simple wedding, but....

My parents want to throw a huge party and invite all their friends and lots of extended family. This is the situation that I dealt with when planning my wedding. My parents had visions of inviting everyone and their dogs to the wedding. The problem is, my mom's side of the family is quite religious and is very set against drinking and such, so we had to figure out how to keep them happy too.

For those of you that are dealing with a similar dilemma, here's what I eventually settled on with my parents:

We had a small, family only wedding (except for those friends who were actually in the wedding and their significant others). Following the ceremony, those that attended the wedding were served food. Those that were not invited to the ceremony were invited to come at a later time, so it also cut costs by quite a bit by not serving as many people supper. Here's a pic of me and my best friend as she was helping me get ready.

Those who came later were welcome to eat the left-over food and have some cake (we did get plenty of cake, but that's a whole other rant). After the food, the reception was exactly what my parents really wanted. I know there's no way I talked to everyone. There was plenty of booze to go around. Everyone had a wonderful time. My bridesmaids didn't allow for too much leftovers as you can see by this picture. We propose this should become a picture that everyone has to take for their wedding because it's just too much fun to take.

As far as my mom's family, they're the type that won't stay out late, so by setting the time for the large reception a bit later, her family was gone by the time the booze came out (at least in large quantities).

So, for those of you dealing with this problem, either you want a small wedding or maybe the tables are turned and you want the big wedding and your parents don't: consider meeting in the middle. It saves tons of money and you've compromised enough to hopefully make everyone happy.