Quote Originally Posted by Vela
Many many times the actual ceremony is for close friends and family, and the reception for those who are not as close to the family as those who attend the ceremony. For my sister's wedding, the ceremony was held 4 hours before the reception and invites were included in the entire wedding announcement for those who were invited to the ceremony itself. Often too, if it a smaller venue, there may not be room to invite everyone, and receptions are often held at large places to accomdate the extra people. The ceremony itself is quite private and family oreinted where the reception is more party oreinted. It's not uncommon at all.
That makes a lot of sense -- I could see where having a small area or building for the ceremony limiting the number of people.

Another thing i thought of after posting this was that the last 3 weddings have been outdoor (and all were nice and sunny and had backup indoor plans if needed), and most were very lightly attended (lots of empty chairs). Maybe some people have an aversion to outdoor weddings?