Child's first birthday at a buffet what is tacky and not?

OK after some thinking through we decided to have our daughters birthday at Old Country Buffet. We are renting the party room for her. We have invited over 20 people (which includes a mix of adult family and friends, and their children). We are paying for all the guests dinners. The question is.... in the invitation should I mention dinner is paid for by us? I dont want them to think they will have to pay for it, since alot of my husbands family is having finacial difficulties right now and I dont want them to not show up because they think they HAVE to pay.

Is it tasteless or redundant to put this in there? would most people already assume we were paying? I just dont know about this stuff I am originally from India my husband is american, and most of our friends are american, we normally hosted a party in our home, but our apartment is too small for this.Child's first birthday at a buffet what is tacky and not?
i like the other lady's idea, i don't think it's tacky
You should just add somewhere in the invitation "all expenses on us."Child's first birthday at a buffet what is tacky and not?
When in doubt you should specify! so there is no confusion
I think most people would assume that you're paying for it since it's your daughter's party. Nothing is tackier than inviting a guest and making them pay for themselves...Child's first birthday at a buffet what is tacky and not?
I like Tessa's idea. It's not tacky at all to let people know it's on us.
I don't agree with the other posters. I've never been invited to a party where I thought I would have to pay, ever. You bring a gift b/c the person is inviting you to attend the party that they supply. I wouldn't put it in the invitation.
I have to agree with Kristen. About the only times I've seen anything refering to a guest paying for something is a gift registry for a bridal/baby shower or an open bar reference on a wedding invitation. If you want to make sure you avoid confusion, mention it in person to a couple of less sensitive family members and let the word spread.



Happy Birthday to your little one. Make sure to bring lots of towels for that yummy cake.
If you are inviting someone to a party, they can assume that they will not be responsible for paying for their share. There is no need to put it on the invitation. (Were you planning a get together it may be a different story).



What you could do in order to make it a little clearer without being tacky is have a gift registry somewhere. You can put that on your invitation. This will give people the idea to bring a gift but not a payment.

mopar