I did not elope, but my mother offered us 10K to do so. Both my husband and I agreed, but then she jokingly laughed it off...she wanted the wedding more than I did! I do like being the center of attention though - at least, when I feel good about myself (which I did that day)...so it was all good. I got to see so many friends and family that I hadn't seen in ages and we had a blast (95% of my guests were from out of state).

Anyway, my brother did elope. He and his wife went down to city hall, signed some paperwork and then went out for dinner. He called me on his way out of the building as a married man and told me. I assume that they had witnesses, but I have no idea who they were. No family, no friends...from either side. My family is close, so we all admitted that we'd have been hurt had we lived anywhere near him at the time. His wife is not close with her family, so there were no issues there. They had already been engaged for about 6 months - so we all knew it would happen eventually anyway.

My personal vision of my wedding was always very, very similiar to the wedding at the end of the 'Runaway Bride' movie where they are in a hilltop in the fall with gorgeous views, foliage and a simple white dress. Friends and family, optional.