Eloping in March. Engagement Dinner beforehand? Celebratory Dinner?

I would phrase the invite as "please join us for a celebration of our engagement/marriage", depending on if you do it before or after the wedding. I definitely wouldn't include a registry on an invite or have one at all considering no one is invited to the wedding. Will you be paying for everyone's dinner?

I would just call it an engagement party and wouldn’t mention a registry at all. I wouldn’t even register in the first place.

View Quoted Comment Yes! The dinner is paid by us.

I have a couple friends who did this, and they had a "couples shower" before the wedding! They did register and we all bought them gifts.

If you want gifts, invite people to your wedding. I think a registry for essentially and engagement party is inappropriate.

Maybe plan it as an engagement party, I think that would be a cute idea! and yes you may include your registry on the invite!

I assume there’s more to this story, but this just really confuses me.

Do not give people a wedding website address if they will not be invited to the wedding. They’ll be asking you where their invites are and possibly offended if they send you a gift and the wedding invite never comes. Personally I wouldn’t have this dinner at all as it begs the question from the guests as to why they won’t be invited to the actual wedding. But if you have a good reason that your nearest and dearest will understand, go for it.

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Registries should not be mentioned on any invitation except for a shower (and a shower would be inappropriate in this situation, since every shower guest needs to be invited to the wedding itself).

View Quoted Comment I have seen and heard of many people listing a registry on their engagement party invite... I think since they are eloping I️t may be different and may be ok. I️m not sure

Any person invited to any pre wedding parties (engagement, bridal shower, bachelorette party) must be invited to the wedding.

View Quoted Comment Yup. This.

If you really can’t have a gathering after your wedding then you can just send out a “we’re married” announcement with a photo from your elopement.

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Regardless of what you have seen, it's very inappropriate. It's even more inappropriate for an elopement.