Congratulations on starting a 180.
It used to be common knowledge that you needed 1-2 pounds of live rock per gallon. Most people don't go by that any more preferring to rely on their deep sand beds and allowing their fish a lot more swim room.
I am in the process of setting up a 200 gallon tank which is the same as a 180 only 1 foot longer. I will have approximately 150 lbs of live rock along with a 4" deep sand bed. I have a mix of Fiji, Florida Aquaculture, and Happai. The Florida is the prettiest rock but is very dense and very heavy. A 10 lb. piece won't be very large. It is often covered with sponges and porites. You can order it from Gulf View Marine online and have it shipped to your local airport. Very little die-off. Fiji is probably the most common rock - it's not terribly heavy and you can get some nice shapes. It's usually not beautiful though. I like my recently purchases Happai. It is extremely lightweight with lots of large holes, nice color, too. Look for good deals online for rock - most of the online stores carry it. Premium Aquatics is supposed to have great rock and Jason will work with you to pick stuff out.
As far as lighting goes, tell your fiance to hold onto her hat! If you want to eventually do corals you are going to have to spend some $$$. If you want to purchase your lights at the beginning you are going to need to consider what you are eventually want to keep. Do you like the looks of the stoney garden or do you prefer the long tentacles of LPS corals swaying in the current? Deciding on this will determine your lighting.
We keep mostly LPS and softies so our lighting over a 7' tank will be dual 250W metal halides and dual 175W metal halides. We will use 4X110W VHO bulbs for actinic supplementation. This is PLENTY of light for what we like to keep but might not be enough for some of the more light hungry SPS.
Some people will tell you to go with 2 400W Metal halide bulbs no matter what you plan to keep. Keep in mind, they get VERY hot - you will need lots of fans running and fans equal noise. I hate fans and use them only as absolutely necessary. Truly though, if you plan on corals in a 180 you will need to go with MHs and probably VHOs, too. If you buy the separate components and do it yourself you will save lots of money but it will still be expensive.
As far as Tenecor tanks - they are beautiful. We were considering one until we looked really close and realized that since we are both fairly short, access into the tank would be a real hassle for us. Keep in mind that acrylic does scratch much easier than glass but the scratches can be buffed out. If you use 400W halides you might have a heating problem, too, since acrylic is a better insulator and will hold the heat in. You could wind up having to use a chiller in addition to fans.
There is a lot to consider but don't rule out going with a reef. I find my corals much more interesting and fun to watch than my fish.
Laurie
