I recently wrote about how even wedding gowns are going green, so I decided to take a look at my own wedding planning---with the date merely three months away---to make sure we are doing all we can to be environmentally responsible. In my research, I came across a local Sustainable Event Planning Guide, which helps lighten the damage to the planet as well as our pocketbooks. Here, three tips that have helped us save both: 1. Cut Out the Paper. We created a free wedding website through mywedding.com, and then each spent around half an hour e-mailing our guests to invite them and ask them to RSVP online. Not only did we hear from most of our guests within a week; we saved cash on printing the save-the-dates, invitations, and reply letters. Also, we can update our website with registries and hotel deals, and use the group contact tool to inform our guests of any changes. Cutting out the paper not only helps the Earth. It saved our sanity. 2. Public Transportation. One of the major selling points of our venue---a barn behind Oskar Blues Brewery--is that we get to use the Oskar Blues bus to transport guests from their hotels to our party. So our guests will drink the tastier craft beer, and fewer cars will traveling back and forth from Boulder to Lyons. 3. Spend Locally. Even with our limited budget---we’re aiming to stay within $5,000---we realize that those dollars can make an impact. (When else are we going to throw a $5,000 party?) So far, almost every dollar we’ve spent is helping a local business, from the reception site at the brewery to the ceremony site at a park, which is owned by the City of Lyons. Our only non-local purchase? The groom’s ring, which we found on Etsy. (We’re hoping we still get good karma for supporting the handmade community.)