Civil ceremony

What do you mean by a civil ceremony? Usually that terminology is only used outside of the US where outdoor ceremonies are considered not valid.

Do you mean a small guest list and a non religious officiant? You can absolutely do that. That would be the wedding because you are doing legalities and celebrating at the reception all in one event. There is no need for anything afterward (if you are overseas, not US, they may require you to have a religious ceremony in addition even if you are not religious but it’s mainly just a formality)

Michelle: in many countries, a civil ceremony means non religious.

This has nothing to do with the fact of being outdoor or valid/nullified.

Yes, this. I don't know if OP is in the US, but I am, and we had a civil ceremony at the courthouse in a beautiful location. It was the perfect ceremony for us (secular, short, and sweet). Our guests were limited to our immediate family and a few very close friends. We took everyone out for lunch afterwards. I also ordered a cake from a local bakery; they delivered it and set it up in our private room at the restaurant. It was intimate, low key, and lovely.

Yep, plenty of people hire photographers for civil ceremonies and that works well. I have seen some amazing photographs in and around some of the more picturesque courthouses (not all of them are attractive buildings, of course). For fun/inspiration, Google San Francisco courthouse weddings.

I also had a fresh flower bouquet and my husband had a coordinating boutonnière, but those were all the florals we wanted. The restaurant put some flowers on our tables, which was nice.

One caution: there might be a guest limit for your particular courthouse, so find that out in advance.