Renewal in Zion – Our anthem

momental_designs397Love this shot of Zion at night by Greg Gibson

Yes, that is right, we have an anthem that encapsulates pretty much everything we vision for our #renewalinzion.  If you remember back to this post, where I suggested Destination Events have a mission statement, well,  having a theme song is along the same lines.  Destination events are costly for guests to attend and take a good deal of prior planning, SO it is your job to  motivate people to attend.  Let’s face it, the people on your guest list, love you, wish you the best BUT may not be feeling the prospect of traveling great distances to see you get hitched.

Just like a great invitation can inspire and excite guests,  so can a strong mission statement and further an anthem backed by a great story.  You may be thinking, is she nuts?  a mission statement?  anthem? Come on!  I am serious and not nuts on most days 😉  Remember the last time you read a great book that transported you to another place, made you want to be in that place?  How about a great song, whose lyrics and melody excite so much that it reminds you of a past trip or inspires future adventures?

This song for us is World Falls by The Indigo Girls…Our invitations for the renewal are going out to guests this month and the lyrics of this song will be integral to the design in hope that our guests get a look into our passion for choosing the Zion location for the ceremony and days of fun to follow.  It is our hope that sharing this song, along with photos, maps and other practical, useful info, that our guests will feel confident to make the trip with inspiration and a desire for a bit of adventure to boot!

During trips traveling our country and experiencing many National Parks this song always seemed to be playing. As we filled with excitement at the first sight of redrock on each additional trip, World Falls became our anthem of sorts:

I’m coming home with a stone, strapped onto my back.
I’m coming home with a burning hope turning all my blues to black.
I’m looking for a sacred hand to carve into my stone.
A ghost of comfort, angels breath – to keep this life inside my chest.
This world falls on me with hopes of immortality.
Everywhere I turn all the beauty just keeps shaking me.
I woke up in the middle of a dream, scared the world was too much for me.
Sejarez said, “don’t let go, just plant the seeds and watch them grow.”
I’ve slept in rainy canyon lands, cold drenched to my skin.
I always wake to find a face to calm these troubled lands.
This world falls on me with dreams of immortality.
Everywhere I turn all the beauty just keeps shaking me.
Running – end – earth – swimming – edge – sea – laughing – under – starry sky
This world was meant for me.
Don’t bury me, carry me.
I wish I was a nomad, an Indian, or a saint.
The edge of death would disappear, leave me nothing left to taint.
I wish I was a nomad, an Indian, or a saint.
Give me walking shoes, feathered arms, and a key to heaven’s gate.
This world falls on me with dreams of immortality.

So to explain the photo at the beginning of this post…the hubby and I decided to take an evening drive through the park last Wednesday.   We stepped out of the car at The Grotto and were simply blown away at the site.  It was one of those magical moments for us that is truly hard to explain.  The dark silhouette of the canyon walls set against the sky peppered with twinkling stars was humbling to witness to say the least.  Experiencing a site like this makes you feel honored to be alive…to draw from a certain song  “Running – end – earth – swimming – edge – sea – laughing – under – starry sky. This world was meant for me….”