Nope, not an elopement. We had a church wedding with dress, music, rings, even a reception.
This is an issue Zombieslayer and I agree on. My personal theory is that the health of a relationship is inversely proportional to the size of the rock. I've never seen a truly happy relationship in which the guy bought the woman a huge rock starting out. The fact is almost no one has the money for that kind of expenditure starting out, which means they're going into debt to put on a lavish show -- not a great foundation for a long-term relationship. Besides, if a man has to buy a woman's affection with a huge, elaborate stone, she probably doesn't love him all that much.
Any time I see a (young) woman walk into a room with a huge rock on her hand, I tell myself, "She's going to be divorced soon." More often than not, I'm right. In fact, I've heard women ridiculing their men -- calling them stupid -- for buying such outlandish rings. But I've seen plenty of radiant brides with tiny, unassuming stones -- or even no stone at all -- who are in it for the long haul. People who are truly in love have no need to trade such gaudy trinkets to prove their love. They prove their love by the way they live.
If you have your heart set on getting your special woman that monstrous rock, give it to her on your tenth anniversary, after you're in a financial situation to pay for it in cash -- and more importantly, after you two have proven your relationship has staying power.
In other words, after she's proven she's worth it.