Dinner after elopement

If you invited guests, then you are not eloping...you are having a destination wedding. And therefore absolutely should be hosting their dinner afterwards. Especially since they are paying so much money / taking time to travel to your destination wedding. Side note: Just read you wrote dinner to follow on your invitation, so that definitely locks you in to having to host dinner.

Danielle pretty much sums it up.

All a wedding is is exchanging vows (pretty much). What distinguishes an elopement, is having no guests attend. Having 20 guests automatically makes your wedding a destination wedding, which is an exchanging of vows at a place that has to be traveled to. The wedding itself is the ceremony (exchanging of vows). The reception afterwards is the party the bride & groom hosts to thank their guests for coming to their wedding. Hope that clarifies a little more, lol. But all that aside...you put "dinner to follow" on your invitations, so that right there told your guests that you will be hosting a dinner. I can't really see a way out of that.

Danielle is right and since you said dinner to follow you now need to foot that bill.

Exactly this

You should 100% be hosting your guests dinner after the wedding. First of all, all these people are traveling and spending all this money. It'd be very rude not to recognize that and host them appropriately. Second, your invite legit says dinner to follow. I'd be shocked if I went and found out I have to pay my own way. Honestly, it'd be borderline relationship ending for me. Just a total lack of respect to your guests.

I get that you did not plan on covering the dinner, but that is not what you communicated on your invitation. That is why articles, experts, other members here will always caution about invitations and what is listed on them. Like in this case, you may lock yourself in to something you didn't intend to. The appropriate thing to do here is cover the dinner since you stated dinner would follow on your invitation. And regardless of whether this is an "elopement" or not, if 20 people are traveling, taking time off work, etc to witness your wedding - the LEAST you can do is buy them dinner!

We're going through a company called simply eloped where their prices are for the couple alone (and up to 20 guests if so chosen to have them). We're also having a dinner afterward and are unsure of what to do so I totally get it. We invited our immediate family so there's going to be 10 of us total so elopement, micro wedding...call it what you will...either way, I do still agree with everyone that since it IS on your invites, everyone will already be expecting the bill to be taken care of.

Danielle nailed it. Even if it's just an exchange of vows - that's a mini-ceremony for a wedding if nothing else. The fact that you put dinner to follow means dinner will be provided... at your expense. You have 7-8 months to save up some money to feed everyone. We're planning out rehearsal dinner and it will be about $450 for 25 people - not including drinks.