It's mainly about the marriage license. If you were married abroad it can be a real hassle to get it legalized and translated and legalized again. It's time-consuming. If married in Thailand,then it's basically a walk in the park.
The Elite visa is going down as we speak because of the DTV. Paying a lot of money for a crappy visa when there aren't any real advantages, is imo just a waste of money.
You don't know much about immigration offices in Thailand,do you? Jomtien immigration is one of the smoothest. There are no strange requirements what so ever when it comes to extensions based on retirement. I'm in and out in less than 10 minutes every year. So,if you don't know what you need from your bank or what copies you need, don't blame immigration. Just saying.