Don’t feel like you need to do what society expects of you in order to have a lasting, healthy marriage or relationship. You have absolutely nothing to prove.

So true! The most important thing (and this is the one almost all families and individuals mess up in, year in and year out) is the marriage, not the wedding! So however you got married, what is important is that you are still married, without any shams or pretending but just out of love and commitment, years and years later! I would love to hear from you again on your 25th and 50th wedding anniversaries (my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2013).:)