Elope or Wedding?

My fiancé and I just got a engaged and we have begun planning our wedding ideas. We are both financially sound, and have a hard time imagining spending so much money on one day. We even considered a reception only but that alone with food and liquor would cost $10k.

A part of us

would rather travel to Europe, just me and him, especially if we are going to spend the money. I don’t think we could afford both, seeing that we are paying out of pocket for everything. We are a couple of big hosts, so the idea of having a bunch of friends and family together sounds fun. It’s a hard and big decision and we’re a little stuck at the moment.

Any ideas, or perspective from someone who has eloped, wish they would have, or an alternative?