Before arriving in India, I had a 21-hour stopover in Zurich. I specifically liked my flight schedule because it let me have an extra mini-vacation on the way to my real vacation. Europe and Asia in one trip?! Yes please!

I have loads of photos to show you all, but let me start with Zurich. Here’s a photo summary of my one day of walking the center of town. I can’t wait to get a chance to go back!

~n

Imagine what the ideal wedding or event planner would be like, and you’re probably picturing Liz Cutrano, of wed (weddings.event.design.). Liz and I met through a wonderful group that is geared towards uniting women in creative businesses, and I have a feeling we’ll know each other for a long time In the short time we’ve known each other, I’ve been SO impressed with Liz’s natural talent for putting together the details for an event. From DIY projects to repurposing vintage items, she’s got an eye for making things come together beautifully! Plus, she’s an East coast transplant, just like me. Coincidence? Probably not

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the chat

can you introduce yourself and give us an idea of your background?

My name is Liz Cutrano. I am the head wedding planner/coordinator and the owner of wed (weddings.events.design.).  I have been married to my husband, Chris, for 3 years.  He is my real life boy-next-door, since he grew up 3 houses down the street from me. (Read my blog for the full story!) I grew up in Port Orange, Florida (a small town outside Daytona Beach). I graduated from the University of Central Florida in Orlando.  I moved to San Diego right after college, which was a plan of mine after visiting California for the first time when I was 16.  I fell in love with the beaches, mountains, cliffs, climate and people in San Diego. After living here for 3 years, we moved back to Florida for 2 years to be closer to family. A year ago we followed our hearts back to the west coast and plan to raise a family and grow old together in sunny SoCal!  I also have two chihuahuas, Foofi and Lola, who I take way too many pictures of.

you own wed, and it’s still a relatively new business. Can you tell us about what all the services are that wed provides?

wed is a full-service wedding and event planning and coordination company.  My packages can be customized to fit each bride’s specific needs.  I offer full-service planning for  brides who would like help throughout the entire planning process.  I also offer partial and month-of planning to assist brides with completing their planning.  Day-of coordination is included in each package or by itself.  I create a customized timeline for the wedding day, and coordinate the ceremony rehearsal, ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception.  This is the best part of my job! I love seeing the final product, the joy and love of the bride and groom, and the smiles on the guests’ faces.

Even though I mainly work with brides, I also offer event planning and coordination services, such as: anniversary celebrations, baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties and special events.

having worked with many brides, I bet you have some interesting stories! is there one solid piece of advice that you find yourself telling your brides every time they get stressed out or nervous?

No two brides are alike, but I always tell each of them “That’s why I’m here”!  I take on all of the responsibilities of the wedding day so the bride and groom can be stress-free and enjoy every minute of their big day.  I remind brides that I was in their shoes, and completely understand all of the emotions and anxieties that come along with planning a wedding. I was a perfectionist when I was a bride, and I do the same for each of my clients. No detail will go unnoticed!

your DIY projects are great! they seem to be an important touch that you bring to the table. Have you been doing craft and DIY projects for a long time? Do you have any super unique projects from your past that stand out?

Since I was a little girl, I enjoyed crafting. I have many fond memories of picking out puffy paint and iron-on transfers to make holiday sweatshirts with my mom.  I also loved scrapbooking and making memory books. My mom had cupboards full of fun craft goodies, and I spent many rainy afternoons creating unique projects.  In college, I loved searching the internet and magazines for DIY projects. Now, I am addicted to Pinterest! I could fill the rest of my life with DIY pretties I have pinned to my boards!

I love assisting my clients with DIY projects for their wedding. They’re a great way to personalize your big day and add creative details.  Some projects can also save money and fit into tight budgets without losing style.  A favorite recent DIY project are the paper pinwheels. I made them to use in a styled photoshoot. I will be posting a tutorial on my blog soon!  I also love making fabric banners, chalkboard signs and repurposing thrift store and antique shop finds into wedding decor.

most of the weddings that you’ve been involved with have taken place in San Diego. Is there a location (within or outside of SD) that you would love to organize a wedding at?

I would love to plan and coordinate a wedding in Napa Valley! I love the beauty of wine country and the romantic feelings it evokes.  My other dream venue would be on the beach in Maui! It’s breathtaking!

where do you pull inspiration from when you’re building the visuals for an upcoming wedding? how much of your vision do you like to inject into the planning?

Most of my clients share inspiration with me on Pinterest. I assist them with their theme and decor using pictures of real weddings and styled inspiration shoots by vendors.  I also find daily inspiration on wedding blogs. I like to stay up-to-date with current wedding trends and unique ideas.  When I have the creative freedom from my clients, I love to put my whole vision that encompasses the bride and groom’s  personal style and story into their wedding. I live for the design process!

you’ve been back in San  Diego for less than a year, but your business seems to be booming. Congrats! What kind of goals do you have for the next year? Any big events or landmarks that you’re excited about and can share with us?

Thank you!  I have had the honor to work with the sweetest and most fun couples in San Diego! My goal is to provide my services to as many brides as I can so they can fully enjoy and be pleased with the best (and biggest) day of their life!

I am also working on coordinating and styling more styled wedding and bridal inspiration shoots. Look for announcements on my Facebook page for upcoming blog features! I will also be announcing new services later this year!

having been raised in, and done some work in, the east coast… what sorts of differences do you see in the wedding business between east and west coast? Do you feel you bring any of the east coast flavor to the west?  If so, how?

In the east coast, particularly Florida, most weddings are indoors. Many ceremonies are planned for the beach, but due to rainy summers, tropical storms and hurricanes, most end up indoors.  I love that San Diego has amazing weather year-round and a great climate for outdoor ceremonies and receptions. I also have noticed that more brides on the west coast take chances and choose unique venues or incorporate unique details into their wedding. I have also seen more “untraditional” wedding dresses in California, which I think is awesome!

5 little-known facts about you?

1. I’m a vegetarian, but I cook my husband raw steaks.

2. I was born on Mother’s Day and I’m the youngest in my family.

3. I love frozen yogurt and luckily, I live less than 2 minutes from the nearest froyo shop. (This is sometimes dinner on a busy day.)

4. My first career was teaching. I taught kindergarten, 1st + 2nd grade. I have some crazy, not-so-cute stories!

5. I wish I could sing! (I am envious of Adele.)

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the space

Since Liz’s finished work is a series of events, and these events are intimate and personal to each of her clients, we just have the behind-the-scenes shots for you this time! But please go to wed’s website and see the beautiful result to all this amazing creativity!

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A big “Thank you!” to Liz for letting us get a peek into her work space, her projects, and her life.

Be sure to follow along with wed’s blog (the site is super cute!), then go visit wed’s Facebook page and “like” it for instant updates and links! If Twitter is more your speed, you can follow @wedsandiego and be in the loop at all times.

Aaaaand…. if you’re as addicted to Pinterest as I am, you’ll want to also follow all of wed’s boards on their profile!

~n

Hi there! Remember me? Maybe not… it’s been a while since my last post. There has been lots going on behind-the-scenes at Full Circle Images, and I hope to be able to tell you about some of these exciting projects and ventures soon!

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This past weekend was crazy busy. As in, I-think-I-slept-but-I-don’t-remember-because-I-was-going-through-lists-in-my-head-all-night sorta busy. Today I’ll be telling you about my Saturday (don’t worry, you’ll hear about my Sunday soon, too!).

If you drive along Route 62, which at one point takes you through Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree, and then 29 Palms, you’ll soon start to see a bunch of little shacks pop up on the open desert. They’re mostly one-room shacks, and for the most part they’re now abandoned. They’re called Jackrabbit Homestead, and I recently learned about them from a friend who had been dying to make a trip out there to photograph. Well, that was all the inspiration I needed to get an organized field trip going! Before you knew it, there was a great little group of folks driving out to the desert, including several photographers and a couple of models.

I won’t bore you with too many details, but suffice it to say – it was hot! We went through a lot of water and sunscreen that day! At the top of this post you see one of my favorite shots from our day trip. It doesn’t actually show any of the shacks, but I love how this shot turned out. You can see the entire album on my Facebook page. I was SO happy with how these photos turned out! It was just the inspirational kick in the butt that I needed.

enjoy!

~n

Tagged: bride, california, desert, editorial, fashion, mini shoot, narrative, photography, road trip, travel, wedding ]]> http://full-circle-images.com/2012/05/01/jackrabbit-homestead-in-four-hours/feed/ 0 fullcircleimages 11-web http://full-circle-images.com/2012/04/12/2984/ http://full-circle-images.com/2012/04/12/2984/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:43:43 +0000 fullcircleimages http://full-circle-images.com/?p=2984 ]]> “He is the happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.”

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

In case you haven’t seen it yet, here is my fantabulous April newsletter. It’s filled with highlights, event suggestions, and inspiration!

If you like it, be sure to click on the “Email Newsletter Sign-Up!” button on the right sidebar to get all the goodness delivered straight to your inbox each month! Go ahead, I’ll wait while you look for it…

Enjoy

~n