I'm generally of the opinion that this was an oversight on behalf of Tolkien (much like the dwarves naming their greatest home Black Pit on the doorway) and that he should have said that elves wait for the right person though it may take centuries or even Ages before they commit (for example Arwen - any her brothers were even more picky).
I know it’s a bit of a digression in this thread, but I thought that Moria (S. “Black Pit” or “Black Chasm”) was a (not positive) name given by the Elves in the Second Age after the Dwarves closed Khazad-Dûm’s West Gates on their noses in the Eregion Wars, when they were trying to flee from Sauron’s rampage on Ost-In-Edhil.
However, perhaps my memory doesn’t serve me well here or Professor Tolkien was not completely coherent in this matter through all his legendarium and texts...