What is the difference between eloping and a big wedding?

This entry describes eloping and a big wedding as two ways of making the marriage public: a small rite with little family present, and a gathering of many guests, gifts, and plans. It notes that the size of the day does not measure the marriage, and that each form still leaves someone whose disappointment has to be named.

What this entry does not do

It does not say which form a couple should choose, and it does not replace the entries on wedding money or on a wedding versus a marriage.