Okay, a large glamorous wedding day may have been the plan, but small weddings have their benefits. Small weddings allow for more time, experiencing one of the biggest days of your life, with those who are most important to you. I'm sure your second cousin who you used to spend summers with as a kid would love to be at your wedding, but cutting your wedding down to less than 80 people means you can have more moments with those who you are closest to.
Having a small wedding or eloping means you can cut out some of the stress. Now you don't have to worry about family feuds or how many people need special accommodations (now you just have to worry about your sister's vegetarian plate).
Not having to rent a large space, food for 200 people, or putting together 200 wedding favors means you can focus your time and energy on the things you find most important. Like photography!
The most important thing about elopements is that it allows you to focus on what's most important on your wedding day, and that's YOU!
Your wedding day is a day you will be remembering and looking back on the rest of your life. Cutting out all the extra stuff so that you can focus on just you two is a great way to celebrate the new journey you will be embarking on together.