The Muslim Wedding (Walimah)

Walimah is the second part of the islamic wedding, which is held after the Nikkah has already taken place.
It is the banquet/feast which we refer to as reception in Nigeria.
The idea of walimah is to feed people with all sincerity.
Relatives,friends and the poor members of the society are all invited to share
in the joy and hppiness of the togetherness and give thanks to Allah.
(again without doing anyhing haram)
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) set an example in offering walimah at the time of marriage.
It is reported that he offered a feast at the time of his marriage with Zaynab by sacrificing a
 sheep and also advised one of his companions
named Abd al-Rahman b. Awf to
“offer a feast by sacrificing at least one sheep.” when he got married. (Bukhari)
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In Islam, it is wrong to invite only the rich or those who are regarded as upper class or VIP.
Abu Huraira (Radiyya Allahu anhu) said,
“The worst food is the food of a wedding banquet in which the rich are invited but the poor are left out.” (Muslim)
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Many schoolars regard that one should accept the walimah invitation,
refusig it will be offenive if not sinful unless there is an excuse.
If one is fasting, one should atlest attend and make dua for the bride and groom.
Abu Hurairah (Radiyya Allahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said
"Accept the marriage invitation if you are invited to it"(Bukhari)
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Islam emphasises that muslims should avoid spending extravegantly.
Walimah should be held in moderation, and in a lawful (halal) manner.
It should be remembered that, the simpler the wedding ceremony is kept, the better the marriage
will be for the bride and groom.
Aisha (Radiyya Allahu anha) reported that, The  Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said 
"The Most blessed wedding is the one with the least expenses" (Mishkat)
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People ususaly spend thousand upon thousands because of what others will say and because they want to show off.
Some will say because its only celebrated one time so they have to go overboard forgetting that the sum of
money can be used for other indispensable needs and  the bride
and groom will need to eat after the occassion.
You do not have to spend all your savings impressing anyone.
Walimah is not an avenue for flaunting wealth.
Money should be spent only for the sake of Allah because Allah provided the wealth in the first place;
feeding the poor,contributing to the masjid growth, umrah, hajj and so on.
If you do not have so much,you also  do not  have to borrow money just to cause yourself troubles after the ceremony.