My opinion on the safety of tanning beds is that all things are fine in moderation. Tanning beds have been around and used extensively for a few decades now and I think (although I'm no expert) they have determined the use of them isn't quite as bad as the nay-sayers were predicting back in the 80's (You'll fry your insides out! Its like microwaving yourself!). They have nice lotions now that keep your skin from getting dry.
Not to mention the positive effects of the UV on your general psyche!!
I'm just a stone throw from the Great White North (Canada), hence, we get only a few months of tanning weather, so when I get to go to a sun-drenched place like Florida, I like to prep myself with tanning a few weeks in advance because otherwise, I get to the Sunshine State and burn like a lobster because I always forget the sunscreen for my face on road trips or forget to put it on my legs when wearing shorts to places like Disney. I'm an airhead, what can I say? Besides, my skin is so fair, it's practically pink and I hate wearing shorts when I'm so flippin white, so I like to have some color to work with before I get there so when the sun reflects of my body at the beach, I don't resemble a super nova.
In short, in my opinion, a few weeks in a tannign bed to prep yourself for a trip, a wedding, or just summer is probably better than that scalding, peeling sunburn that always finds a way of creeping in on you when you least expect it. I'm thinking of going myself, later towards summer.