Do local guests stay overnight at B&b elopement?

You are under no obligation to provide overnight accommodations to any invited guests. If you want you can give them choices to stay, but it isn't a requirement for you to pay for anything.

You don’t have to provide accomodations for anyone living locally. If for example you’re providing and paying for rooms for some siblings and not others only you can guess how that is likely to go over.

So first off, this sounds more like a micro wedding than an elopement. An elopement is just the two of you, without involving guests. The reason that's important is that you'll actually be hosting this event. Etiquette advice is to always try to treat all guests in the same way, and only you would know how this plan would go over with the people that aren't invited to stay.

Travel and transportation (including hotels) costs have always been the responsibility of the guests themselves to cover. Social media talking about that the couple is “breaking etiquette rules” by not covering it is incorrect because they are catering to and parroting the ideas of celebrities with unlimited budgets and no sense of reality. If you want someone to stay in a specific place, then you need to cover those costs but be aware that they may be more comfortable staying at a hotel of their own choosing that they pay for.


Local guests typically are not included in that count because they go home after the reception.

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Accommodations for out of town bridal party have traditionally been the responsibility of the couple. That's an etiquette rule that was true and followed for generations long before there was ever such a thing as the internet. It has nothing to do with social media or celebrities. People commonly used to offer up their own spare beds or that of friends or relatives in the area, so it wasn't necessarily an issue of money, either. I actually think it is a refreshing rule, if unfortunately all too rarely followed in these days of couples seeming to believe everything is a one way street in their direction or being unaware.

You can't obligate someone to stay anywhere regardless of whether you pay or not. That's entirely up to them. Transportation, however, is on all guests and always has been. If it's out of budget that might impact the ability to attend.

It’s not an elopement if you’re inviting people. It’s just a very small wedding. But I wouldn’t do it, not just for hurt feelings but because I don’t want my family a wall or two away on my wedding night. I’d feel weird!!

This actually is not an elopement (which would be just the two of you), this is a local micro wedding. The only way I would invite some people to stay the night before would be if you’re having a wedding party who will need to be there early the next morning for hair, make up, pictures, etc. If you’re not having a wedding party, then I wouldn’t invite only select guests. I would simply have all your guests arrive at the appropriate time on your wedding day for the ceremony, then host a proper reception for them after.