Honeymoon packing tip #10 - Make Room for RuMe!

If you're like me, you never know when you're going to find something you need - on a vacation, on your way home, or as you're heading out. Since I love the planet as much as I love shopping, I have taken to carrying a reusable tote in my bag at all times.


Sure there are lots of these on the market but my favorite comes from RuMe. They are super small and light when folded and large enough for groceries or a day's worth of shopping when unfolded. Best of all, they are super sturdy (think groceries for the week) and they fit perfectly over your shoulder keeping your hands free. I also discovered that they can also double as a beach bag - here we are in Anguilla last month:

They're available in an array of sizes and patterns so order one or a few to throw in your honeymoon suitcase. They would also make nice bridesmaid gifts or destination wedding Out of Town bags.

And the Pevonia Botanica winner is.....

And the winner of the Tropicale Papaya-Pineapple gift set from Pevonia Botanica is commenter number 2 - Jessica P! Email me at globetrottingbride@gmail.com to claim your great prize!

And to the other 150 fabulous readers who didn't win this time, stay tuned for more great giveaways!!

Nifty, Eco-Friendly Personalized Gift Idea

Staying hydrated is super important for summer brides and bridal parties! I love the idea of giving your bridesmaids and groomsmen personalized and eco-chic SIGG water bottles from CafePress.

You simply enter a personal message or date, select your design template (or upload your own artwork or photo) and voila, you're done!

These bottles are great to bring along on your travels too...

Are you a Recessionista Bride?

Weddings are expensive but The Broke-Ass Bride just launched a cool new site called Bride$hare to help out today's Recessionista Brides!


It's a fabulous way to hook up with other brides to share the cost of rentals, decorations, gowns, bridal accessories and much more. Or maybe you're just lazy and want someone to plan everything so you can just show up. Either way, recycling is good for the environment!

Tuesday giveaway! Aruba, Jamaica ooh I wanna take ya. To Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama.

What's the next best thing to a spa treatment on a tropical beach getaway? Pevonia Botanica's Tropicale De-Aging products!

For the last few weeks, I've been slathering myself (and my ever growing belly) with their Mango-Passion Fruit line and I can't tell you how yummy I've been smelling. Even the Globetrotting Groom has noticed my soft skin.

Aside from smelling great, the body balm is rich, creamy and moisturizing but totally not sticky or greasy. The saltmousse scrub works great to polish away dead skin and the mist is so deliciously moisturizing. Best of all, the natural, organic products are formulated with Shea Butter, Collagen, Elastin, Pomegranate and other anti-aging tropical fruit extracts. So maybe I'm even starting to look a little younger! And they care too - Pevonia products are eco-packaged (recyclable/biodegradable), non-comedogenic and cruelty-free (no testing on animals).

All brides need soft skin. Wanna try it? Thanks to the kind people at Pevonia Botanica, I'm giving away a Tropicale Papaya-Pineapple Gift Set valued at $80! Just visit the Pevonia Botanica website and comment below with your favorite at home product or in spa treatment by midnight on Monday, July 6.

And, if you don't win, you can experience Pevonia Botanica products at home or on your next vacation since their products are used at several top day spas and resorts around the world.

Celebrate Earth Day with Organic Hanky Panky Panties. Say that three times fast!

If you love Hanky Panky's comfy-cute styles, you'll be happy to hear they now have a line of eco-friendly organic cotton Boy Shorts and Thongs.

Find them at Bloomingdale's, Bare Necessities and other fine retailers. Happy Earth Day to you and yours!

Looking to make an Escape??

There's a new e-Zine (eco-friendly, all-digital magazine) in town called Hip Compass Escapes.

The spring issue has launched and its chock-full of travel tips, deals and great stories on romantic escapes, girl's getaways, adventure trips (volcano climbing anyone?) and much, much more.


Best of all, I'm a contributor so you can read all about my latest journeys. Thinking about a Mexican honeymoon? Scroll to page 49 to see my Romance in Mexico's Riviera story.

Bon voyage!

Fight Global Warming With Lip Gloss!

Future brides buy a lot of make-up. In fact, I think I told the Globetrotting Groom it was actually a law.

Since most make-up packaging can't be recycled, I was happy to hear about Cargo's eco-friendly line called PlantLove. The packaging is super eco-friendly and compostable (plastic made from corn, who knew?) and the products are all natural -- no dyes, chemicals or fragrances.

You'll find loose and pressed powder, illuminator (blush, bronzer and highlighter in one), bronzer, blush, lipstick, lip gloss, lipliner, lip balm, eye shadow and eye liners. There's also a Green Goddess Collection featuring four eyeshadows and two blushes (bridesmaid gifts anyone?).

You already know I'm a fan of Cargo's lipgloss names so you'll be happy to hear that nine of the PlantLove lipsticks are named after places of Ecological Beauty!

Nahinni (Canada): a shimmering copper brown
Yakushima (Japan): a sheer glimmering red
Killarney (Ireland): a soft terracotta pink shimmer
Majella (Mediterranean region): a sheer rose plum
Yellowstone (USA): a rich rose plum shimmer
Sagarmatha (Himalayan highlands): a sheer rosey taupe cream
Gamba (Africa): a sheer cranberry
Joshua Tree (USA): a shimmering cinnamon sand
Muir Woods (USA): a sheer spiced mauve

Head on over to Sephora to check it all out.

Help Broke-Ass Bride Win a Costa Rica Honeymoon!

Ok ladies, Dana from The Broke-Ass Bride is one of the Costa Rica Honeymoon finalists for the Green Wedding Contest sponsored by Trees Instead. Remember their great eco-friendly wedding favors and gifts?

It's a super close race so please help her out with your vote! The deadline is Thursday. Click here for the most up-to-date contest answers.

Free invites, ornaments and honeymoons. Oh my!

Feeling lucky???

Here are some great prizes to be won:

1) Globetrotting Bride's $100 Gift Certificate from Wedding Paper Divas contest - Need some invites, holiday cards, social stationary? Just pick your fantasy wedding destination and invite to enter. Deadline is Dec. 22.

2) Parisian Party's Holiday Giveaway offers up the chance to win these cute "Paris Party Girl" Christmas ornaments. Click over and share your favorite Winter in Paris memory before Dec. 14. This site offers fabulous inspiration for all things French and totally oh-la-la!

3) Remember my eco-friendly wedding gift idea from Trees Instead? Well, they've got a Green Wedding Contest running through December 28th. Three lucky couples will win Trees Instead Wedding Favors (one tree planted for every guest). The second prize winner will win an acre of planted trees and the first prize couple hits the jackpot with an acre of planted tress, a Lifetime Carbon Footprint offset and an ALL INCLUSIVE ECO-FRIENDLY 5-NIGHT HONEYMOON IN COSTA RICA.

I say, increase your odds and enter all three.

Around the World with Kenzie Kate Invitations

Whether you're planning to tie the knot in Seville or Savannah, I think you'll enjoy Kenzie Kate Invitations' sophisticated and modern wedding collection named after some of the world's most glamorous cities. Founder Mackenzie Sala works one-on-one with each of her couples to select every last detail. Best of all, while these invites are custom, they are also moderately priced to fit within all wedding budgets.

Choose from more than twenty styles which come as a complete set (invitation, reply card and envelope, customizable enclosure card and an outer envelope) and feature high quality papers, ribbons and envelopes. All of Kenzie Kate's colored papers are made from 30% post consumer recycled materials. I especially like the 100% recycled Brown Bag Kraft envelopes that are an option with any invite design.

Check out my favorites:

Burlington

Casablanca

Palm Springs

Seville

All designs and more details are online.

Mackenzie also has a great wedding blog - Something Old, Something New so be sure to check it out for more wedding inspiration.

The Ultimate Eco-Friendly Wedding Gift

Know any Globetrotting Couples planing a "green" eco-friendly wedding? Here's an over-the-top wedding present idea.

For just $1,600 Trees Instead will plant a lifetime of trees (approx. 1,000) to offset the average couple's lifetime Carbon footprint. The trees will be planted in forests across the United States, Canada, Israel and the Amazon and you can specify an area to commemorate the couple's first date spot, hometown, vacation or honeymoon locale or favorite region. Best of all, the price can be divided among guests making it an ideal group gift.

Like the idea but not the price? Trees can be purchased individually, and in half- and full-acres starting at $25.

All gifts come with an elegant Tree Certificate which includes a tree number so recipients can find the tree's location online.

Trees make great wedding favors too. With pricing as low as $4.99 each, wedding guests will receive a personalized Tree Certificate indicating that a tree has been planted to honor there presence at the wedding.