Hiring Dawn was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding, and honestly, we almost didn't do it.We had a very small wedding (just 21 people) and had skipped many of the traditional elements like a wedding party and first dance. We figured, how complicated could it be? About two months out, reality hit us fast. The number of tiny logistics and day-of details we hadn't thought through was overwhelming, and we started to panic. That's when we found Dawn.

She took us on without hesitation and immediately brought a sense of calm and structure to what had started to feel chaotic. As someone deeply rooted in the Santa Cruz area with over a decade of experience, Dawn already had established relationships with many of our vendors, which made coordination so much smoother. She put together an incredibly detailed day-of timeline that covered everything from start to finish — comprehensive enough that nothing fell through the cracks, but flexible enough to roll with any last-minute changes.
She even took some of our items to the venue ahead of time so that everything was set up and waiting for us when we arrived. And on the day itself, she handled all communication with our vendors directly — times, directions, instructions — so that we didn't have to think about a single logistical detail. We could just be fully present and actually enjoy our wedding day.

The day went absolutely flawlessly, and that was no accident. It was Dawn. If you're on the fence about hiring a coordinator because your wedding feels "too small" to need one — trust us, you need Dawn. We are so grateful we found her.

I am so glad we had Dawn as our coordinator. She is on top of things and clearly has so much experience! Leading up to our wedding, she answered all our questions, gave vendor recommendations, and helped create a timeline which included two outfit changes. She is very familiar with vendors in the area, including our venue, which was extremely helpful. She was also so patient throughout the process, which I very much appreciated as an extremely indecisive person. But the best part about Dawn is her flexibility and adaptability. When MUAH unexpectedly ran long, she assured me that this happens all the time and somehow still made everything happen on time. Or when we decided in real time to take our time with table touches, instead of rushing us, she simply talked with the DJ and caterers about the “schedule change” and, once again, somehow made everything run seamlessly. I would highly recommend Dawn to anyone who is looking for a coordinator, especially in the Santa Cruz/Monterey area!

Dawn was so incredible throughout our wedding planning process and made the day of absolutely perfect. We hired her to coordinate our wedding at Waterfall Lodge and I believe her services extended beyond just what a coordinator would do. Her knowledge of the venue and vendors in the area were exactly what we needed, especially since we were from out of town. I was the most Type B bride and got extremely overwhelmed with the planning and Dawn was always the calm, soothing presence that kept me on track and got me through it. We had a budget that she helped us work with and had so many tips and suggestions on how to cut down on costs. I am so grateful for the dedication and commitment to making our day unforgettable and helping everything run so smoothly. She was available to answer any questions we had and took so much time in our preparation calls to make sure we had everything we needed. 10/10 highly recommend!!

Where do I even begin? Dawn’s cool organized approach to the wedding planning journey was so comforting. We had no idea what it was going to take to make our dream a reality but she was there from step one guiding us and doing all the hard confusing parts for us. I loved loved loved working with her! She’s fun, realistic, creative, and truly a master at her craft. No detail slipped by her. Everything was perfect! I can express how happy I am with the results. My wedding was truly the best day of my life and I couldn’t have pulled it off without Dawn!

Long story short: hire Dawn!!

Dawn coordinated our wedding at Waterfall Lodge and we could have asked for a more supportive, collaborative, knowledgeable, detail-oriented, caring person to coordinate our day. From the start, communication was easy and Dawn was very responsive, transparent, and helped us create a wedding that aligned with our goals, values, and budget.

Our wedding day was truly a dream come true, and I strongly believe it is largely in part because Dawn (and the rest of our vendor team that mostly came from Dawn’s recommendations) was so on it. We were 100% present for our wedding and at peace knowing Dawn was in charge of our day. From the bottom of my heart and top of my brain, I couldn’t recommend Dawn more!! Thank you, Dawn, for helping us create the most perfect day to celebrate our love. :)

Dawn was a great asset to our wedding planning and execution! She was prompt, responsive, and incredibly helpful. We got married at a family home that has some difficult logistical hurdles. She had extremely helpful ideas and also listened to us and our vision and helped execute it well! With Dawn by our side we were able to enjoy our wedding day and feel confident that things would run smoothly. Her list of vendors was also very helpful - we had a rockstar team, in large part, thanks to Dawn! She took a lot of our stress leading up to our wedding day away and we are so grateful for the peace of mind she allowed us! Thank you Dawn!!

Dawn was an absolute superstar and a huge reason our wedding weekend went so smoothly. From day one, she truly listened to our vision and helped bring it to life with care, creativity, and attention to detail. She crafted a timeline that ran flawlessly and worked behind the scenes to ensure every vendor was aligned and every detail covered.

What stood out most was Dawn’s ability to think ahead — she anticipated edge cases we hadn’t even considered and made sure everything was handled before it could become a problem. Her calm, thoughtful presence allowed us to fully enjoy the day without stress. We highly recommend Dawn to anyone looking for a wedding coordinator who is organized, collaborative, and deeply committed to making your celebration seamless and special.

I am so happy I hired Dawn as my wedding coordinator, she was not only an expert in our venue, Waterfall Lodge & Retreat but was incredibly helpful in making sure the day ran as smooth as possible. She had a rock solid timeline for both me and the vendors and was able to make sure things kept moving during the day. My husband and I were happy to just enjoy the day and not worry about things getting done. I highly recommend hiring Dawn, especially if you are getting married at Waterfall Lodge & Retreat.

Dawn was a fantastic coordinator. Leading up to the wedding, she was quick to respond, knowledgeable about the venue, and helpful with insight about how we should handle various logistics. On the day of the wedding itself, she handled everything without needing to pull us away from enjoying the day, and wrangled all of our other vendors with ease. She's also just fun and easy to work with! Highly recommend

My partner and I got married at Waterfall Lodge and Resort in Santa Cruz and used Dawn as our coordinator. We had a great experience with Dawn and would recommend using her to anyone. A standout for us our timeline meeting with her. She recorded every detail of our day, hour by hour, and kept it up to date as plans were finalized. It made us feel confident that we had everything covered well before our wedding day. 10/10!