Renewal Inspirations: Painting a picture of love in Zion.

This is where it all began.  My love for the west, redrock landscapes and the clear, crisp air of the desert landscape-it began with a painting.  Years ago, when the hubby and I took our first trip out west, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to go honestly.  He was thrilled at the prospect of seeing our nation but me? I  would have preferred a trip to the beach.  My lackluster sentiments stopped very soon after we drove across the New Mexico border.  Plants and land I had never experienced, wide open spaces mixed with towering rocks were all I needed to get hooked.  As we drove further west, I pulled out my paints and water and began a lifelong love affair with this area of our country.  Visiting Zion National Park for the first time, struck me so deeply it is difficult to put into words.   Experiencing Zion with my brush and paints makes me feel lucky to be alive and have eyes.   Being so close to nature’s magic and feeling completely immersed in it builds character, fosters humility and gives profound gift of being part of a naturally occurring beauty.

So why am I sharing all this, you might be wondering?   Our renewal plans began with a simple idea; to celebrate and share our love with friends and family.  The hubby and I are two very different individuals since marrying ten years ago.  Many experiences have shaped us but mostly so have been our travels out west.  We fell further in love with each other with every mile driven, every walk taken and every new discovery.
As our renewal planning takes a hurried pace I wanted to remember the truth that has brought us to this point.  Our love and experience is what is most profound in this planning experience.  Cakes, dresses, music choices and yes even invitations are all gravy.

A Peek into the Studio: Renewal in Zion, Party in PA

So to give you an update on the renewal plans I though I would share a sneak peek at the ceremony invitations that just went out to guests!  If you remember our plans include a ceremony and small celebration in Zion National Park in May with a big party to follow two weeks later in PA.  Needless to say I have my planning work cut out for me as we are only 2 months away!!!  Thank goodness for my Mom as she has been making phone calls, scheduling appointments and basically keeping me sane.  Thanks Mom!

The save the dates went out before the holidays and were a big hit with our friends and family.   I wanted to follow up with a more colorful, typically “Kristy” style watercolor from one of our many trips to Zion.  Being inspired by my own clients like Brittany and Rebecca, I decided to created a similar style painted landscape invitation.

Of course, Betsy Dunlap’s  edgy script originally penned for our sae the date envelope back flaps needed to be included.  Betsy created a printable file of our return address and names so I was able to get creative with a bit of Photoshop love to use throughout this invitation set.

Over the years, after working with so many destination wedding clients I knew just what to include on our response card.  Destination celebrations are just as much about your guests as they are about you…like it or not   The response card is the perfect place to take a bit of extra time to find out what your guests may need.  For a small celebration dinner, special dietary requirements requests are a very personal touch I think.  Tentative arrival and departure dates will help us arrange for welcome gifts and transportation too!

So what else am I up to?

Just made a cake tasting appointment for next week (while in NYC for this) with Ms. Sylvia Weinstock.  All I can say is holy cow!  My first wedding cake was a struggle to say the least so I knew the renewal cake had to be amazing.  I will definitely be blogging about my experiences so stay tuned!  Being that the appointment is in the middle of the week, neither the hubby or Mom can go so I am on my own!

Gearing up to create the party in PA invitations using a vintage collection of Zane Gray novels found at a local antique dealer.  I purchased 65 books for about $50.00…this is going to be a blast!

Getting really excited for some amazing client projects coming up…just take a look at our Muddy Brushes gallery, it is brimming with handmade wedding invitation goodness!

Renewal in Zion – Our anthem

Love 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….”

Renewal in Zion – Flowers, flowers and more flowers!

photo courtesy of the talented Gideon Photography

Even though our renewal in Zion will be intimate the hubby and I decided to leave no detail overlooked or under-worked.  We both have a pretty lush sensibility when it comes to visual inspiration so the flower design would certainly be no exception.  This past Wednesday while in Utah Mom and I visited By Bloomers in the heart of St. George.  As we walked into the shop we were greeted by gorgeous tall ceilings, a fresh green palette and overflowing buckets of flowers set just about everywhere.  Clearly the ladies we in full design mode and it was quite exciting to see their works in progress.

These shots I found on the By Bloomers blog were what really grabbed me and inspired me to give a call.  While veggies in floral design bit has been done, these designs seemed to have a life and unique quality that was somehow new to me.  Contrasts and textures are big for me and I was thrilled to see how they used both visual details in so much of their work.

We met with Angie and her bubbly presense and creative spirit were instantly obvious.  We connected immediately.  If I could give any advice when it comes to working with your vendors it is this….trust your instincts and then trust the artists.    I feel strongly that instinct plays a huge role when making big design and decor decisions about your wedding or celebration.  Laboring over a decision and experimenting too much sometimes can lead to muddy ideas and unclear visions.

We chatted about flower types and ideas for only about 20 minutes.  When  “Be as creative as you like” and “I want to see what you always dreamed of creating” came out of my mouth, I saw a true spark in Angie’s eyes.  She was immediately inspired and fascinated by the freedom I had given her.  I can only imagine what she will vision for us, but I know it will be spectacular and I also know it will be greatly due to trust on both of our parts.   Here is a selection of the flowers we discussed using.

Lotus pods, Billy Balls, Mango Callas, Red Peonies, Red Dahlias, Sagebrush, Berries

Thanks Angie for meeting with us on such short notice, we are thrilled to have you on our #Renewalinzion design team!