Hi D.,
We just got my 3 year old to ditch her paci a couple of months ago, which she was VERY attached to. We prepped her for a few weeks, telling her that soon she would need to let it go because she was a big girl. We asked her if there were any "big girl" toys that she wanted, and when she found something she loved, we told her she had to "pay" for it with her pacifier.
She wound up choosing a Disney princess "couch" that folds out into a bed from Babies R Us. She loves that thing! The first night she got it, she insisted on sleeping in it! So we let her - figuring do whatever you need to do to sleep as long as it doesn't include the paci! When we purchased the couch, we made her give the cashier her paci in a plastic ziplock (which the cashier then promptly threw away)as payment.
It was a rough first week, especially the first 2 nights. But every time she would cry for her paci, we would remind her that she traded it in for the princess couch. It made her feel as if she didn't just have to give it up, she got something in return for it. And it also made her feel like it was partly her own choice. Now she is so proud to tell everyone she has a princess couch because she is a big girl!
Good luck! Hope this helps!