We'd hold the ceremony and reception with catered food at the church in the late-afternoon, then head back to the hotel to party with guests (e.g., go to a oceanfront restaurant/bar for drinks and late night snacks), and local guests can join, too. The church doesn't allow alcohol on the premises (not that alcohol must be present, but our parents and other family members don't really drink alcohol, or at least 'expect it' to have a good time).
In the long run, this will save us funds as we're both members of the church, so it's almost $0 for venue, officiant, and wedding planner fee (just have to pay for catering, photography, and music). Then we could host an 'after-party' for anyone that wants to join at the hotel restaurant/bar (covered under our host bill on alcohol, etc) to celebrate until the late-evening, and also host a morning brunch...
I don't want to sound cheap, but we're also focused on investing in our future life as parents, etc.
We're hosting our wedding in Virginia Beach, so evening though it requires some travel expenses for my family in Southern New Jersey, I still feel as though Virginia Beach could be considered a vacation spot that most folks would want to travel and enjoy this special day/weekend with us.
Does this sound appealing to you? Or cheap? I appreciate your honesty. 
Stephanie
