Sarah Webber, 30, a Briton living in Australia, plans to keep the environmental footprint of her wedding to a minimum by having a ceremony in Australia and a party in Britain to prevent her family members from needing to fly across the globe.

She is also making sure her wedding buffet is locally produced: "We're not crusty hippies or anything like that ... but thinking about where things come from is part of our lifestyle," she said.

One of the biggest concerns for "green" brides is how to find that all-important dress, and the internet is where they begin their search.

"There is the charity shop option, there are vintage shops, where you could find something a bit more stylish ... or you can have a design made from scratch using fair-trade fabrics," said Katie Fewings, who launched www.ethicalweddings.com in 2006.

Her site lets brides share advice on how to source tricky items - from organic confetti to recycled invitations - with nearly 130 registered members in its discussion forum.

With the average cost of a wedding in Britain set to rise to nearly 18,500 pounds this year according to UK-based insurer Weddingplan, couples say the homemade approach personalises the celebrations.

HOME-GROWN SALAD

London-based Rebecca, a 35-year-old bride-to-be who posts on the ethical weddings site, is being helped by her father, who will be growing lettuces and tomatoes to help feed 150 guests at her wedding reception this summer.

He is also providing a floral touch: "I love wild and home-grown flowers, so my dad has offered to grow all the flowers for me. Cornflowers are my favourite," Rebecca told Reuters, asking to be known by her first name only.

Her fiance Doron, 36, said although some people have found the couple's choices unusual, the planning has paid off.

"For those for whom the environment is not a prime concern, it initially jars, perhaps ... but once everything is explained we've had 100 per cent support."

The couples say their wedding is not supposed to be fashionable: "Fashion is of absolutely no concern to us ... we want to make it really memorable without exploitation," Rebecca said.

Campaigners say couples planning green weddings tend to already lead an environmentally friendly lifestyle, but increased awareness about green issues can take the trend to a wider audience.

"The trend actually gets the message out there and fortunately it also gets the resources for people to be able do this," said Kim Ritch, WWF's manager of partner marketing.

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