Courthouse, Small, Or Large Wedding

If you're going to have a big reception in any event, it makes sense just to invite those people to the ceremony. The ceremony is kind of the point. And inviting extras to the ceremony doesn't really cost a lot extra. (You could have your ceremony at the reception location, so at most you're paying for an extra hour and some chairs.)

We are having a small wedding. We invited about 70 people. Mostly his families about 40 and about 10 of mine and the rest are our friends. It was hard in trying to figure out what we’re going to do.

3
It's a headache to explain why people are not invited to the ceremony. They want to be there. A lot of emotional among family and friends come out. Do what you feel is best but be prepared for fallout.

No price difference between 2 & 3. But we did 2 (tiny DW & small local reception three months later) for a variety of reasons: we wanted an intimate DW, a DW was too costly for many of our guests, drama among some friends/family let us enjoy two separate events with each. Happy with our decision.

To avoid a tiered wedding, I'd go with option 3. The ceremony costs way less than the reception!