Like figuring out what you would like for your wedding cake, you really needn’t go to ‘Starbucks’ or a fancy cake shop at all. While a nice treat, for a fraction of the cost, you can have your sweet fix and still have that beautiful slice of wedding cake.

I immediately thought of three tactics, besides the obvious affordability factor, for my wedding cake shopping: 1) Local (aka Frederick, Maryland) 2) Off the Beaten Path (i.e. not a fancy cake shop) 3) Delicious (i.e. tasting reviews from friends, locals)

Upon asking a few friends for advice, I was twice referred to Ed Country’s Bakery in Frederick. | www.edscountrybakery.net | While local, the small bakery shop is nestled in the hidden farmland of the O'Hara Family Dairy Farm. So, after only one phone call and a cake tasting of different icing and flavors, we have already decided that this was will be the place to create our special wedding cake (and with traditional icing, three tiers and flavors like mocha fudge and vanilla, each slice comes to just three dollars and change).

As an added bonus, we learned the farm does not use any growth hormones and antibiotics and they are proud to participate in Baughman’s Lane Farmers’ Market | www.mda.state.md.us/md_products/farmers_market_dir.php

In a way, we were going green in selecting our wedding cake, a popular trend in cake shopping today. Writer Nicole Wong wants us to think ‘green’ instead of white for weddings. Your wedding cake “can be an organic cake” she suggests in her article “Green Weddings” | technorati.com/lifestyle/green/article/green-weddings

And you do not have to sacrifice decorative appeal or taste to go a little green instead of white for your wedding.

Besides wedding cakes, there are many ways to ‘go green’ when thinking of a wedding. To find out how green your wedding plans are, take the ‘Go Green” challenge Quiz at http://planetgreen.discovery.com/go-green/weddings/.

My Score: 8 out of 9. What did I get wrong? I did not understand how difficult it is to reduce your carbon footprint when it comes to wedding rings. Diamonds are not created out of someone’s local backyard, and thus, when selecting an engagement or wedding ring, thinking vintage, like a family heirloom, may be the way to go after all.

We are inviting fewer guests, looking at a local farmer for organic sunflowers, serving a lighter but appealing fare, and having the reception at the same location as our ceremony. Our ‘go green’ fumbles thus far would have to be my wedding dress, which is not vintage nor made of organic materials whatsoever and my engagement ring. I have no doubt that my diamond ring was not locally made, and while a family heirloom would have been lovely, I am very happy with my ring, despite its lack of ‘green’ luster.