Event By Dawn Reviews
Reviews
We're all about trust. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
4.9 out of 5 rating
![WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2024 Winner]()
4.9 out of 5 rating
73 Reviews
98% recommend it
-
![Heidi]()
Heidi S. Sent on 08/29/2024Dawn is the best!
Dawn was such an invaluable resource for our wedding venue - she had great insight into the little details that would make our wedding run so smoothly. She also was easily reached and took the time to guide us through the wedding planning process. Would highly recommend Dawn for day-of coordinating services! -
![Abigail]()
Abigail Sent on 08/08/2024Dawn is essential
Dawn was the key to our wedding day running so smoothly. She is so friendly and kind, it felt like we had known her forever. Her knowledge base is massive with event coordination. She has a ton of knowledge regarding our specific venue (Waterfall Lodge) that was immensely helpful throughout the planning process. Dawn was able to guide us through the process of wedding planning, reminding us of things we would have forgotten and makingt suggestions that helped with a very smooth process. On the wedding day, Dawn ensured it ran so smoothly that we got to fully enjoy the day with no worries, something that is difficult for me as a Type A planning personality. I would not only recommend her but say she is ESSENTIAL especially for a wedding at Waterfall Lodge. -
-
![Chiravann]()
Chiravann U. Sent on 07/25/2024In Dawn We Trust!
After several so-so calls with potential wedding coordinators, the moment we spoke to Dawn, we could tell she was extremely experienced and would be advocates for us throughout the wedding process and probably the most expensive day of our lives. She walked us through all the details during our meetings, offered guidance when we had no reference points to what other couples have done, and took care of everything the day of. I can confidently say our wedding day was stress-free because of how Dawn just took care of business without a peep! She offered so many great ideas to our timeline to make everything go smoothly and have the run of show mood flow seamlessly into the next. Our wedding party was also very impressed with Dawn's clear directions and leadership during our wedding rehearsal. I would highly recommend Dawn for all your wedding coordination/planning needs in Santa Cruz County! -
![Rebecca]()
Rebecca C. Sent on 08/08/2024Couldn't have asked for better!
Dawn was an amazing help for our wedding! She is very knowledgeable about coordinating such an event and her list of vendors were incredible. The way the team worked together was flawless and without her help, the wedding wouldn't have been so magical. She is quick to respond, thorough, attentive to detail, and very kind, despite my constant emails for questions haha. 10/10 would recommend her and her list of vendors! Thanks x a million, Dawn! -
![Anisa]()
Anisa S. Sent on 07/09/2024The Best Santa Cruz Wedding Planner!
From start to finish Dawn was a huge help in putting together the perfect wedding day for my husband and I! She offered us great vendor recommendations, was always prompt to respond, and was very hardworking and professional on the day of. I felt like I could fully relax on the day once she arrived and I was stress free for the whole event. 10/10 would recommend Dawn to anyone getting married in the Santa Cruz area! -
![Kaedyn]()
Kaedyn H. Sent on 04/13/20242024 Waterfall Lodge Wedding with Dawn!
Dawn was our wedding coordinator and we worked with her for a year planning our wedding. Without Dawn's expertise and knowledge, I am not sure our wedding could have happened! She was an expert with our specific venue (Waterfall Lodge), and she was able to help us navigate the ins and outs of vendors like rentals, transportation, and food. She provided us with lists of her recommended vendors as well as many different tips to use throughout the planning process. She was kind, clear, and so easy to work with. It was a pleasure getting to work with her the day of, and she helped execute the timeline well. We are so thankful for her time and expertise and would recommend her! -
![Taylor]()
Taylor W. Sent on 10/07/2023Highly recommend Dawn for your wedding!
Dawn was the coordinator for our wedding and was AMAZING. She came highly recommended by other vendors in Santa Cruz and we can totally see why. She was professional and on top of planning from the start, making us feel like ours was the only wedding she had that season. She also provided a great list of other recommended vendors in the area which was very helpful, and provided useful suggestions when needed in the wedding planning process.
1-2 months before our wedding, Dawn dialed in our timeline and vision for the day. She proactively reached out to our vendors to ensure everyone was on the same page, which was a huge relief. She oversaw all of the logistics between our ceremony site and reception venue, including set-up, shuttles, ceremony flow, DJ schedule, photographer and videographer cues, and more. If there was an issue that arose, she handled it calmly and quickly and advocated for what we wanted. Our guests kept commenting how smooth the day went, which we attribute to Dawn! My husband and I are so thankful to have had her on our team that day. Because of her, our day went better than we could have imagined. -
![Megan]()
Megan R. Sent on 07/30/2023Love Dawn!
Dawn did the coordination for our wedding at Waterfall Lodge and she was amazing! Such a pro and so familiar with the ins and outs of the venue. She is extremely organized and detail oriented - she made the entire process so easy. Knowing she was taking care of everything allowed us to focus on our special day without any worries at all. LOVE Dawn! -
Huy P. Sent on 08/08/2023
Our Amazing Day-Of Wedding Coordinator
Dawn is the master day of coordinator at Waterfall Lodge and Retreat, the beautiful venue where my wife and I got married this past spring. Because of how many weddings she's coordinated and planned there, she knows all the details and ins and outs when it comes to having a wedding or any event at Waterfall Lodge. We hired Dawn via her month-of coordination package. We had a few video calls and phone calls prior to the wedding but never actually met Dawn until the morning of the wedding. From there, it was a sprint through the big day and Dawn had it all covered. She made the wedding day go almost perfectly and smoothly. Our guests were impressed at home well-organized and well-run the day was and how smoothly everything went from start to finish. That is a testament to Dawn and her ability to run the show from behind the scenes. She is an enormous resource when you have a wedding at Waterfall Lodge and we are glad we worked with her! As a bonus, she even captured our wedding dances on her phone and because of that, we have full videos of those exciting moments! Thank you Dawn for being an amazing day of wedding coordinator. We highly recommend Dawn to anyone having a wedding at Waterfall Lodge! -
-
![Sydney]()
Sydney D. Sent on 12/10/2023Couldn't have done it without her!
We could not have pulled this day off without Dawn. From our first conversation, I knew that Dawn knew our venue like the back of her hand and offered a wealth of knowledge that our venue hadn’t even told us. I had a huge wedding party (think over 20 people) and she got everyone organized like a pro. We also had 2 officiants and were struggling with how to have them stand and she gave us advice that we used. -
![Marisa]()
Marisa B. Sent on 04/22/2023Dawn is amazing!
Dawn was absolutely amazing! Her organizational skills and attention to detail made the wedding planning process a breeze. On the big day, she worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure everything ran smoothly. Thanks to her hard work and expertise, our wedding was absolutely perfect. I would highly recommend Dawn to anyone looking for a dedicated and talented wedding planner. Thank you, Dawn! -
Kayla T. Sent on 04/18/2023
Thanks to Dawn, I was able to relax and be fully present on my wedding day!
As the bride, I was completely stress free on my wedding day, and I have Dawn to thank for all of her expertise leading up to the wedding and all of her hard work day of. Dawn’s planning meetings helped us get organized for our event and think through all of the logistics and details. Dawn was very understanding of our budget and helped us find vendors that were less expensive and cut out extra things that we didn't really need. There were so many challenges the day of our wedding, (the road to our wedding was literally blocked by a power line hours before the event) but Dawn handled any potential problem that came up. As the bride I didn't even know about many of the potential hiccups until days later because on the day of, Dawn knew exactly how to handle everything. With Dawn taking care of the details I was able to be completely relaxed on my wedding day and fully present with all my loved ones.
-
-
![Kandyn]()
Kandyn B. Sent on 05/03/2023Dawn is your best choice
Dawn is the most professional and is prepared for anything that comes your way. We got married at Waterfall Lodge and being that particular venue is a bit more complex, working with Dawn is your best bet. She knows the ins and outs of that venue (almost better than the venue themselves)! From the beginning, she provides you with complex and detailed vendor recommendations, which is super helpful if you are not from the area. Dawn was always available to help me with any questions I had or follow up needed when vendors are not getting back to you. I met with Dawn when I was 8 months pregnant and a year out from our wedding date. She made sure from the start that I got most of my necessary vendors and details squared away before the baby came so that I could sit back and be stress free for the following months. Dawn has SO MUCH knowledge on running weddings and makes you feel at ease that she has it taken care of.
The day of my wedding, when the punches kept coming, she made sure everything was taken care of.
Days leading up to the wedding, we were on weather watch for an "atmospheric river" that was heading toward our wedding. We made sure we made last minute necessary arrangements to make sure we were prepared for the potential rain. As the day of the wedding came, it DOWNPOURED, and I will never ever forget this conversation Dawn and I had.... She came to me and said, "If it rains, we can move the ceremony into the barn and explain how the day could be arranged to avoid the rain. After talking to my husband, we both agreed and explained to Dawn that we chose this venue so we could get married under the Redwoods, not a barn. We went on to say that we could get married in a barn 5 hours south from there where we lived and that we would be getting married under the redwoods as planned and if it was only us and the officient up there, then so be it. Dawn had the most simple, perfect response of, "Let's do it!" and at that point, my rain wedding stress went out the window because I knew from there that Dawn was on my side and would do anything in her power for us to have a perfect wedding. Throughtout the night, she sprays me and my wedding dress down with a hose in the cold to make sure I was clean and presentable, lol, helped check on our sleeping baby when she knew family had to be present, and much much more !
Thank you Dawn, so much for everything you did for us. And thank you for continuing to be a lifelong friend and a huge part of our special day ! -
-
![Jennifer]()
Jennifer M. Sent on 10/30/2022Don’t hesitate - Hire Dawn
You simply will not regret having Dawn involved with your wedding. We planned a Waterfall Lodge wedding remotely from Chicago and Dawn was a life saver for our stress levels, particularly in the last few months leading to the wedding. We had brought a ton of tiny details and everything got set up perfectly. Efficient, detail oriented, and unflappable. Dawn, thank you for letting us actually enjoy our wedding day - we knew you had everything covered! -
-
Lindsey B. Sent on 10/20/2022
Best decision we made for our wedding was choosing Dawn!
The easiest decision of the entire wedding planning process was choosing Dawn as our wedding coordinator. From our very first phone call with her (over 1.5 years prior to our wedding date), Dawn instilled every confidence in us that she would do everything in her power to make our wedding day as perfect as possible. And she truly delivered!
Throughout the 18 months we spent planning our wedding, Dawn made herself available for any and all questions, concerns, phone calls, texts, emails, and everything in between. She provided wonderful vendor recommendations, and supported us through so many different aspects of planning our day.
The week of our wedding, the weather took a turn on us, and Dawn could not have been more on top of things! She worked day and night to help us come up with a Plan A, B, C, and D, in the event that the pending rainstorm affected the completely outdoor wedding day. Dawn ultimately secured a tent for us just days before the wedding, and made sure that our entire team was prepared on the day of. The day of the wedding, the rain poured down, and despite everything that COULD have gone wrong, Dawn made sure that everything went as smoothly as possible. We truly could not have done it without her! The weather had the power to ruin many aspects of the day, but Dawn was there to keep that from happening, and we couldn’t be more grateful.
There are no words to fully describe the gratitude we have for Dawn! There is no one more knowledgeable about the Waterfall Lodge in particular (it’s practically her second home!), no one better equipped to handle stressful day-of situations, and no one more calming or encouraging to have in your corner. We absolutely adore Dawn, and know that we have a lifelong friend in her! -
-
Stephanie H. Sent on 01/10/2023
Best coordinator ever!
We are beyond grateful to Dawn and her expertise! Dawn has so many positive attributes; right after our first conversation, we were already thankful for her expertise, transparency, and overall calming demeanor. It was an instant yes from us! We had our wedding at The Waterfall Lodge in Ben Lomond, CA, and agreed on the Waterfall Lodge package, which was slightly more expensive but well worth it! This package included more assistance from her throughout our process of planning. Dawn helped reach out to a few vendors when they would have yet to respond to us. She got us in touch with some of the best vendors in the business! She was also there to answer questions about logistics, costs, and things like table sizes and setup. She did it all on the wedding day, from preparing and moving decorations to coordinating all the vendors to work smoothly together throughout the day! We did not have to think about anything and enjoyed the wedding with our family and friends knowing she had everything under control. Even after the wedding, our family and friends told us EVERYTHING was well planned and executed and that all our vendors worked so well together. If you are looking for a wedding coordinator in the area, especially at the Waterfall Lodge, look no further. Thank you again, Dawn! -
-
![Alyssa]()
Alyssa B. Sent on 09/20/2022It wasn’t a question for us to hire Dawn as our coordinator—we can’t recommend her enough!
Dawn shared with us really great resources and an amazing recommended vendor list (where almost all of our vendors came from), helping us put together our dream team! Despite our wedding being in the busiest wedding season/year ever, she was very communicative with us and our vendors and was a godsend on the day of our wedding making sure everything went smoothly and according to what we had agreed upon. She worked to accommodate our schedule for meetings, site visits and phone calls; and always made sure to answer any questions we had as they came up. We got married at Waterfall Lodge and she knows it like the back of her hand, which was so incredibly valuable! She helped relieve a lot of stress on the day of the wedding and leading up to it so we could focus on ourselves and our loved ones. All of vendors had a smooth time working her as well. It wasn’t a question for us to hire Dawn as our coordinator—we can’t recommend her enough! -
![Camille]()
Camille C. Sent on 07/04/2022Indispensable and calming presence at our wedding
Dawn is absolutely wonderful. She was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and calm. All things you want in a coordinator for your 2 day, 100+ person, wedding spread out over 70 acres. From beginning to end Dawn was able to answer all our questions, kept us on track, worked so smoothly with all our other vendors, and made the week before our wedding feel quite calm! Something I didn't even know was possible.
Dawn took a long time helping us make our weekend timeline and told what was feasible with our many ideas. She enabled us to a whole field on Friday and the rehearsal on Saturday so we could do everything we wanted. She shared our timeline and coordinated with all our vendors so we had minimal directions we had to give on Saturday which was her greatest gift. We actually go to enjoy our own wedding!
I will say that with a good coordinator it is key you give them all the information beforehand so they know what to look for day of and no matter how great the coordinator is, if other vendors are not practiced with how to do weddings there can be hiccups (my guess with the review below).
I really can't recommend Dawn highly enough and am only sad I won't get to talk to her as often now! If you are getting married - do it with Dawn on your wedding team :)
