How to Incorporate Good Deeds into Your Wedding Planning

As you plan to celebrate your wedding, you can share the love with the less fortunate and show some love for Mother Nature. Be socially conscious and contribute to your community by using one or all of the tips in the following list:

• Donate food: With rare exceptions, there will be significant leftovers if you are having a large reception. Arrange with the caterer before hand to give the prepared perishables to a food bank, and give them the details to follow through. Your caterer must be prepared to act quickly. You can find a local food-rescue organization through Feeding America (formerly America's Second Harvest) and be sure to read the organization's food guidelines chart to find out what they accept and what their storage requirements are.

• Give a gown: Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation of Portland, Oregon, holds "Brides Against Breast Cancer" charity wedding gown sales. Two other organizations, which outfit financially strapped teens for the prom, are The Glass Slipper Project in Chicago and Fairy Godmothers Inc. based in Hatboro, Pennsylvania.

• Register for charity: If you have enough pots and pans, discreetly steer your guests to a Web site where, in lieu of gifts, they can donate money to your favorite charity. Just Give and the I Do Foundation enable you to create donation registries. Or have it both ways: Register with I Do's partner stores and up to 8 percent of gift purchases will be donated to the charity of your choice.

• Go green: Tree-free invitations, organic food, party favors that help the homeless, eco-tour honeymoons — every aspect of your wedding can make a statement about being environmentally and socially responsible. Organic Nature News steers you toward eco-friendly choices.