Back over 50 years ago, my parents looked at each other and said, "We have two choices, we either fill the church or elope." They opted for the church wedding, all the relatives, fluff and stuff and everything, my mom's sister opted to elope instead. To each his or her own!

In my opinion and experience, you do not need to spend a fortune to have a nice wedding, and blowing the bank has no bearing on the success of the marriage. Do what is right for you, and lets others say whatever they want.