We eloped a few months ago. We are both so, so, so happy we made that choice. We both feared the reaction of our families and I felt super awkward about not inviting my relatives that live five minutes away - but every time we sat down to figure out how to do it and include people, it turned into an expensive nightmare. If we invite my mother, we have to invite his, and then we'd have to invite this difficult person and that other person neither of us like and schedule it far in advance, somewhere half way, etc etc etc.

So we eloped and told our families after we did it. The reaction was not bad. Everyone was happy for us. The day winds up being just about you and the commitment you are making to each other. We started to get pressured into having a reception, but after a week of trying to work out the logistics, we realized that this was exactly what we wanted to avoid by eloping, so we bagged that.

I would stop talking about your wedding plans with your family. Just say something vague and noncommittal, 'we're taking a break from planning,' and refuse to engage on the topic.