Is eloping the only option for me and my partner?

If you are both legal adults you have every right to see her with out parent consent. You do not have to elope! Play it safe if you are still living under the roof of your parents. See each other whenever you want! You don't have to let your parents know where you are going and whom you are gong with.If you are not 18, still, play it safe. Do not make rash decisions of eloping because that is a HUGE decision to make. Do this smartly and carefully. It is you life.

Getting married is no small decision to most people. However; it is just a legal document saying half of their stuff is yours. It can be easily changed. But, I don't think it's the right decision if you're only going to do it so you can test the water of the relationship to begin with.

Don't rush into getting married. You have all kinds of time for that, and nothing changes once you are married - it is only a piece of paper and you get half of each others stuff and while you can get divorced at any point it does cost a lot of money. So take it slow. Love each other. Spend a lot of time just enjoying life together. Yes your parents may not agree with who you are with, but it is not their decision to make. If your partner is not emotionally/physically abusive to you and you are happy then you are in a great place! Keep it up =) And if in a few years you still want to get married then do it! Elope or have a huge wedding, whatever makes yours and your partners heart sing!

If marriage is important to you and you don't need financial support from your parents, I say go for it. If they don't like your gf, why would you want them involved in your wedding anyway?