Getting married earlier than planned

So me and my partner are in a really awkward situation because of covid, he started working abroad a year ago and the country has now shut its boarders to visitors and doesn't look like it'll be opening up for months most likely over a year from now. We have had to spend 4 months apart but he's managed to come back for 2 months.


We have been together for almost 8.5 years and for ages have planned on getting married on our 10year anniversary, we're not engaged yet.
The question is do we get married in these next 2 months so I can go back with him abroad. If we don't then he will have to go back and we'll spend an unknown time apart, we've decided he shouldn't leave his job over this. It's a good job with good people and after covid is over we want to be able to live abroad together anyway, besides getting a new job right now is difficult.
Getting married really is our last option now. We're both upset as our original wedding date is really special to us and we've been planning it for years! I know I shouldn't be so emotional over a date but i get really upset thinking about it. If we do get married in the next 2 months he thinks we should still have a "proper wedding" on our planned date. I'm torn up about this too, weddings are expensive and it feels so much less special having a "fake wedding" if we're already married, it seems not so worth it.
And this most likely would be a literal fake wedding as we don't want to tell anyone about the original one, it'd be a secret marriage. I should point out here that it was our mother's and their comments about us getting married early that has completely put me off getting married early. They both see it as the real deal even if we don't want it to really count and my mum in particular started making comments pittying me and now I can't shake the fact that no matter how much we dress down the registry office wedding and dress up our 10year anniversary that the first one will forever be our REAL wedding. So to avoid more pity and more comments from our mums and I'm sure many other people will make, we decided if we do get married we will not tell anyone. I had come to terms with this situation (albeit reluctantly) months ago but our mother's have completely thrown me off the idea now.
I know I shouldn't be so hooked up on a date, but I can't help that I am. I am upset. And I will count our first wedding as real no matter what. I will regret it, but I would regret not getting married much more as I would much rather us be together.
If anyone has any advice on what we should do, or just tell me to stop being so petty or maybe just wants to say they understand and I am allowed to be upset. Any opinion is welcome right now. Thank you