Create an Open Land Wedding

There are two ways to have an #OpenLandWedding: you can create a registry where guests donate in place of traditional wedding gifts, or you can donate in lieu of favors to honor your guests… or you can register and donate. (Guess that makes three ways!) Help conserve Montana’s wild places and wide open spaces by selecting what fits your celebration.

1 | Register in lieu of gifts

Wedding gifts are a beautiful tradition. People give from the heart, and want to give something meaningful, something you will love and value for years to come. Yet, what do you really need?

In lieu of another toaster or salad bowl (or heaven forbid, a white elephant), invite your guests to contribute to something you sincerely want: Montana to remain the special, spectacular “last best place” you love - for years to come.

We make it simple (and fun!) for your guests to give to open land conservation in Montana by registering with Weddings for Open Land.

How it Works 

Once you register, you receive resources to help create an Open Land Wedding that is unique to you. These include:

Sample text you can use to invite your guests, family & friends to donate in lieu of gifts.
The link your guests will use to donate. For those who prefer to donate off-line, directions for mailing a check.
Access to our logo and stock photos, which you can incorporate into your wedding materials as makes sense for your wedding. For example, you can share your Open Land Wedding registry in information that accompanies your invitation or on your personal wedding website (if you create one.) We also invite you to add the logo to personalized thank-you cards, or in other ways. (Creativity welcome!)

Registry Gifts

When guests make a donation online, they receive an email that acknowledges the gift (with a certificate they can place in their wedding card to you) and a tax receipt for their donation.

When guests make a donation by sending a check, a similar process is initiated. Please note that the turn-around time to send acknowledgement of the gift and tax receipt can be up to three weeks.

Set up your wedding REGISTRY

2 | Donate To Honor Guests

You want to thank your guests for honoring you, for celebrating with you. You want to welcome them with a touch of yourself, something that speaks to all your aspirations as a couple–something that reflects the occasion, and reminds them of your love.

And yet, wedding favors can be such a production. And then there’s the Mother-of-the-Bride, the Best Man, the Maid of Honor, the attendants, the welcome baskets...

In lieu of fancy truffles or Pintrest-worthy creations, we offer an alternative: a donation in lieu, part of your legacy to help keep Montana a special, spectacular “last best place” for years to come.

How it Works 

Once you donate, you'll receive:

Templates that you or your designer can use to print table-cards, invitation inserts or signs. Each template offers a way to explain to your guests the gift you’ve made to honor them, your love for each other, and Montana. And directions for using the templates, just in case!
The “Open Land Wedding” logo, sample messages, and stock photos. We provide these in case the templates provided don’t match your creativity – we want you to be able to design materials in your own style, that match your wedding.
A letter acknowledging the gift and tax receipt for your donation.

Donate to honor your guests

You or Your Guests Have Donated, What's Next?

Each donor receives a handwritten thank-you note, in addition to online correspondence and formal tax receipt letter.

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Whenever possible, each wedding’s donations will be allocated to a specific project in a region close to your heart. Once the project has been funded, you and your guests will receive a custom postcard with a photo and description of the project as a memento of the land you and your guests helped conserve.

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Each winter, you and your guests (if they don’t opt out) will receive a fun, fact-filled e-newsletter describing all the projects that Weddings for Open Land has helped conserve that year.

See where your Money Goes