Interesting concept. Are you offering a location for pictures, or are you planning on offering wedding planning services? The difference is colossal. The catch is, as always is, what is the cost to income ratio? This need not be a dollars only calculation; value such as satisfaction may be a factor. If all you provide is a section of fence and an antiquated piece of machinery, it may be worth it. As far as agritainment, imagination and location seem to be the biggest factor involved. Pumpkin patches and corn mazes, haunted houses and hay rides, grain bins laid on their sides and put on rollers; I know a neighbor that offers several acres for paintball. I have one neighbor who would be the most successful at the business of agritainment, if it were not for the fact that the nearest town has a sum total of 68 people (90 miles a town of more than 20,000). He makes caterpillars out of bales, puts an old toilet on the side of the road (emergency use only [it has been used]), and put a mail box on the top of an old power line pole (air mail delivery). Ever hear of a publication called The Farm Show? Some of the best money you could ever spend. Now if you really have a farm, you probably get all sorts of publications about dairying, beef cattle, hay and forage and other crops. From time to time, there are articles on agritainment, ideas and what people are doing. The best summation I can do is imagination and location.

Joel, Wedding Bell Farm is no longer. Charlie Lomangino sold it a few years back. They still make compost there though. I'll ask about it today at work, they supply dumpsters to collect horse manure at local farms and tracks. Mitch

Miss Manners puts it this way: "There is no tasteful way -- not even any moderately decent way -- of directing present-giving when you are on the receiving end." And she was answering a letter from someone who wanted to hint for charitable donations instead of gifts. It is rude to show any connection between wanting people to share your wedding and the idea that they will want to give you a gift. I agree with all the other posters. Don't give any indication in your invitation that you are even thinking about the subject of gifts, let alone enclosing any kind of registry card or info. No matter how carefully worded, and even if it is for a charity, there is no way to include any registry info without showing that you are anticipating others' generosity and trying to direct it. You seem to believe that if you indicate that "the registry is a suggestion but not a requirement," that will make it okay. But of COURSE it's not a requirement -- they don't need you to tell them so. Giving a gift AT ALL isn't a requirement. No matter how carefully you try to word it, and assuming they even read your disclaimer at all, the effect will be the same: "We know you are going to buy us a gift, so here is where you can find out what we'd like." It's an insult to their manners and their taste, and it makes you two look overly concerned with gifts. Don't fall into the trap of convincing yourself that you're only thinking of your guests' convenience (although actually you only mentioned your own convenience). If having a lot of guests at your wedding inconveniences you, the solution is not to be rude, but to invite fewer. Go ahead and have a registry if you want, but ONLY tell people about it if and when they ask. I promise you that even if none of your guests tells you so, there are plenty of people among them -- maybe even most -- who think that including registry info with an invitation seems pushy, greedy, and/or tacky. You spent a lot of time and thought choosing the design and wording of your invitation, right down to the stamp, didn't you? Don't ruin the effect by doing something that will make your guests laugh at you. I doubt anyone will get "hundreds of calls." I get many, many wedding invitations (my husband is a clergyman at a very big congregation), and they NEVER include registry information, and I've never called anyone to ask where the couple registered. I either look online or at the usual stores, or else I ask someone -- usually another guest, in fact -- when I happen to see him/her; often, I don't use the registry anyway. But in any case, may a lot of calls congratulating you and asking what you would like for a gift be the worst problem you ever have!

Go through this site and see the various threads on this topic. Although there are a few dissenters, the near unanimous opinion of the posters is that it is rock-bottom unacceptable to put ANY information or hints about ANY gifts in your invitations -- no registry info, no requests for cash. You will see that almost everyone feels that this is way beyond "not correct protocol" -- it's an absolute no-no. You don't want to indicate in any way that you connect wanting to invite people to your wedding with the idea that they will give you gifts. There is no polite way for you to tell them that you prefer cash, because there is no polite way for you to signal that you expect a gift at all. Don't send out registry cards or requests for cash in your invitations -- or any other way, for that matter. You may be confused by the many vendors that encourage you to enclose a "registry card" as if it were not only proper, but the "traditional wedding list," as you put it. Don't be fooled. Of COURSE they want you to distribute such cards -- that's free advertising for them. They don't care if you look greedy or crass. Putting a request for cash in your invitations is no more "correct protocol" than just writing to everyone you know and telling them to fork over some dough. You wouldn't dream of doing that any other time -- it's no more acceptable at your wedding. NancyLouise is 100% right. Gifts are not required, even though of course most of your guests will send them. But you can't proactively TELL them to get you something, and what to get. The most you can do is to register at one or more stores (if you want), and let your immediate family and -- maybe -- your attendants know your preferences. Period. They should not distribute info or announce preferences to the guests in any way, any more than you should, unless someone specifically asks. If people want to know if/where you are registered or what you would prefer, they know to ask family and bridal party. But all this doesn't mean that doesn't mean that you can't achieve your goal. You just have to do it politely. If you hope for cash instead of "thing" gifts, just don't register much or anything -- sometimes this seems to give people the hint. Or register only at a major store you use frequently where you can return items for store credit for everyday things you will be buying anyway -- that's almost as good as cash. E.g., Meier's sells groceries, so if you registered there, you could return items for store credit and just use the credit for your usual grocery shopping. Finally, don't be so sure that you don't want "thing" gifts. Those are the ones that you will still treasure, and that will remind you of the people who loved you enough to give them to you, long after the honeymoon is just one trip among many that I hope you both will share. Congratulations!