Last year, a widely syndicated news story declared, "More Couples Choosing to Make Their Weddings Green." But despite the growing interest in eco-friendly nuptial celebrations, planning a green wedding isn't nearly as easy as it should be. It involves either a lot of extra cash to spend on a one-stop organic [0] event planner, or a lot of extra time to spend micro-managing details. I should know: I'm getting married next month, and I'm exhausted from trying to find enviromentally sound options for every aspect of the wedding.

Of course, weddings in this age of far-flung friends and family are automatically somewhat bad for the planet, thanks to the fossil fuel being burned to fly and drive your guests to the event. You can kick in for carbon offsets [1], such as investments in wind energy, to help counter the emissions - but as we've mentioned previously, we here at Planet aren't convinced of the usefulness of carbon offsets as much more than a psychological panacea.

Still, there are many other things you can do to make your wedding more Earth-friendly. Some caterers [2] offer all-organic [3] or all-vegetarian [3] (or both) menu options, and will even ensure that only organic fabrics are used to decorate the space. Ask around to find one in your area. You can also choose to buy only organically grown flowers [4], a big help since the cut-flower industry is one of the most pesticide-intensive. Better yet, forego the cut flowers and use plants as centerpieces [5], and let guests take them home afterward. I'm planning to buy bedding plants - annuals such as petunias that are sold in flats at the local nursery and ready to plant in the ground - and plant them in basic terracotta pots to use as centerpieces.

Invitations are another way to go green. Design them yourself and print them on 100 percent recycled paper, which is available at just about any printer. To save paper, instead of printing reply cards I bought old postcards at a local used bookshop; you could also ask your guests to reply via email.

Choose wedding bands made from recycled metal and stones [6]. Give handmade wedding favors if at all possible. A crafty and very generous friend of ours is making goat-milk soap to give as favors; seed packets are another great option.

None of these things cost any more than the conventional version, and in many cases they cost less - especially the homemade solutions.

Instead of registering for wedding gifts that will come packed in bubble-wrap and styrofoam, consider registering with a charity. Or choose both: at WeddingChannel.com [7], you can select a charity to receive a donation every time a guest buys you a gift from your online registry. You can also register with a service such as the I Do Foundation [8], whose charity registry lets your guests make tax-deductible contributions in your honor.

Photo credit: CaliforniaOrganicFlowers.com [9]