[name]Elena[/name] or [name]Lucia[/name]?
I would pronounce [name]Elena[/name] as e-lay-na and [name]Lucia[/name] as loo-sha.
I think they’re both really substantial, lovely names. I prefer [name]Lucia[/name] 
[name]How[/name] funny - my daughter is [name]Lucia[/name] (but the Spanish pronunciation) and my son was going to be [name]Elena[/name] if he had been a girl. I have considered this very question, and I think [name]Lucia[/name] is more substantial than [name]Elena[/name], at least the way we pronounce it and probably for the English pronunciation you’re asking about as well.
Edited to add: Not that I think [name]Elena[/name] is unusable!! Ditto the pp that they are both lovely names. If this baby is a girl, we’re going with [name]Ines[/name], which I think is even less “substantial” than both [name]Lucia[/name] and [name]Elena[/name]. But we like softer names, so we’re okay with that.
I like [name]Lucia[/name] as loo-chee-ah, and I think both the names are equally substantial, but I slightly prefer [name]Elena[/name].
They are equally substantial to me, but I prefer Elena. (During junior high school, in Spanish class, we had to choose a new name from a list to go by in class. I picked Elena and was totally charmed by the name. I still love it.) Elena sounds so elegant! Lucia is fine too though.
I adore both of them, but I’ve always thought [name]Elena[/name] was particulary classy and elegant.
I prefer [name]Elena[/name] pronounced eh-[name]LEN[/name]-ah, the Greek way as a pet form of Helena rather than the, I think, Spanish way.
I pronounce [name]Lucia[/name] the same way you do (but also like other pronunciation).
As for your question, I prefer [name]Lucia[/name] as I think it has a prettier sound than the way you’re saying [name]Elena[/name] and I think it looks and sounds more sophisticated for a grown woman.
[name]Both[/name] are legitimate spellings of [name]Lucy[/name] and [name]Helena[/name] so I don’t find one more substantial than the other. I prefer [name]Helena[/name] to [name]Elena[/name] so I will have to choose [name]Lucia[/name].
I think they are both pretty substantial too, but I do slightly prefer [name]Lucia[/name], especially with the pronunciation you want.
[name]Both[/name] substantial. I prefer [name]Elena[/name]. Like a previous poster, I prefer [name]Helena[/name] but I know that wasn’t your question
I would say [name]Elena[/name], since you have the no-nonsense, sharp “n” in the third syllable whereas [name]Lucia[/name], pronounced the way you prefer it, is so breathy and soft. [name]Both[/name] are lovely, though.
[name]Both[/name] are, in my opinion. Of the two I prefer [name]Lucia[/name] but pronounced “loo see ah.” However, with your pronunciation of [name]Lucia[/name], I’d choose [name]Elena[/name] in a heart beat
I love [name]Elena[/name]!
They both are! Great choices! I prefer [name]Elena[/name] personally.
Thanks, everyone, for your replies. I do like [name]Helena[/name], but DH has nixed it. We are both very fond of [name]Elena[/name]. What makes it feel “insubstantial” to me is the worry that it disappears into a sea of Ellies and Ellas, not to mention alternate spellings like [name]Alaina[/name], [name]Elaina[/name], etc. I adore [name]Lucia[/name] and all its pronunciations, but loo-sha is my favorite. It may be tough to get that one to stick with teachers and people who meet her, as I think loo-SEE-a is the pronunciation people will guess most often.
I think I’m just over-analyzing everything as I near the end of this pregnancy!
Re: pronunciation of [name]Lucia[/name], My [name]Lucia[/name] most often gets the Spanish Loo-see-ah pronunciation, but semi-often people think it is the Italian Loo-chee-ah. I have only once (in four years) had anyone guess that it was Loo-sha. I’m sure that would depend on where you live, though. I think whatever pronunciation you choose would stick, though. The three pronunciations of [name]Lucia[/name] all sound pretty different from each other, so I don’t think they’re too easy to mix up once you hear how a family says it.
Re: [name]Elena[/name], DH wanted choose it again if this baby is a girl, but I do think it gets kind of lost in all the other [name]El[/name]- names that are popular right now. Though, I was pushing for [name]Eloisa[/name], which is another one anyway! In the end, we have a new niece who is named [name]Eliana[/name], so we decided to not use [name]Elena[/name] because it’s too similar, and DH didn’t like [name]Eloisa[/name] enough to agree.
I don’t think you can go wrong, though, with either [name]Elena[/name] or [name]Lucia[/name]. They are both beautiful.