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.
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![Alyssa]()
Alyssa Sent on 06/16/2026You need Dawn!!
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. -
![Kelsey]()
Kelsey Sent on 10/06/2025Dawn is the best!!
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!! -
Cayley Sent on 08/20/2025
Dawn is a must!
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! -
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![Maris]()
Maris Sent on 08/10/2025Dawn is the BEST!
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. :) -
![Haneen]()
Haneen Sent on 06/19/2025Incredible Wedding Coordinator!
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!! -
![Indigo]()
Indigo Sent on 11/07/2024Rock solid timelines or bust :)
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. -
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![Justin]()
Justin Sent on 10/06/2024We loved working with Dawn!
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! -
![Heidi]()
Heidi 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. -
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![Rebecca]()
Rebecca 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! -
![Chiravann]()
Chiravann 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! -
![Anisa]()
Anisa 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 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! -
![Sydney]()
Sydney 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. -
![Taylor]()
Taylor 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. -
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! -
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![Megan]()
Megan 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! -
![Kandyn]()
Kandyn 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 ! -
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![Marisa]()
Marisa 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 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.
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Stephanie 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! -
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![Jennifer]()
Jennifer 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! -
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Lindsey 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! -
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![Nicole]()
Nicole Sent on 10/04/2022Trust Dawn & Enjoy Your Day!
I hired Dawn as the Day of Coordinator for my wedding. I wasn't sure if I needed someone because I am a control freak and had everything pretty well planned out, but I am really glad I hired Dawn. From our first call it was obvious that she was really well-connected and had many years of solid experience. At our timeline call she made sure nothing slipped through the cracks, was so thorough, and still made sure to do everything how I wanted, while adding her best practices and knowledge. She was professional, gracious and made sure everything went according to plan. As soon as she arrived on my wedding day I felt like I could relax and everything was in good hands. No task was too small for her, and she knew when to bring a question to me and when to make a decision without me. I trusted her from the start (which I can't say about many wedding vendors LOL) and knew she had my back. She made sure I was calm and focused on what really mattered- marrying my husband! -
![Monica]()
Monica Sent on 10/03/2022An AMAZING Coordinator!
My team and I had the greatest experiences working with Dawn for a few weddings this year. Dawn is extremely welcoming, supportive, and well-organized leading into the wedding day and on the day of the wedding. A wedding planners' work is never ending and often takes place behind the scenes many months prior to a wedding day, however, we are here to share her amazing timelines that she creates and shares custom for every single vendor is above and beyond. This is so beneficial for couples since every vendor knows exactly their role for the entire day. Dawn makes sure everything is in order and runs smoothly, so you have no need to stress or worry about a single thing. If you are looking for a supportive coordinator who can do it all and do it well, Event By Dawn is the way to go. She will be sure to take great care of you, all of your setup needs, and your entire vendor staff and that's the best thing you can ever have from your coordinator. -
![Alyssa]()
Alyssa 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! -
![Riley]()
Riley Sent on 07/07/2022Our #1 hire for our wedding day
We are so thankful that we had Dawn as our coordinator for our big day! From the beginning, Dawn was extremely helpful but also laid back and easy to work with. We opted for her package specifically for weddings at Waterfall Lodge which allows couples to work with Dawn as soon as you hire her, rather than just having her for day of coordination. This option costs slightly more, but it was invaluable to be able to reach out with questions and get support along the way. If you are getting married at Waterfall Lodge and you do not hire Dawn, you’re making a big mistake! I trust that she is excellent at other venues as well, but I definitely want to highlight how well she knows Waterfall Lodge and their whole team, which really helped everything flow very smoothly. Dawn helped us really nail down our timeline in advance and listened to what our priorities were for our wedding day. We had been to several weddings before ours that seemed to run behind and miss out on time dancing, so we really wanted to stay on schedule and Dawn did an excellent job of not only planning this in advance and communicating our desires to our vendors, but also executing it that day. Every aspect of the day started on time and it was truly impressive. She also set up all of our décor for our reception on the big day. Honestly, this was our most key hire to help our wedding day run smoothly and I am so glad we had Dawn there running the show. Thank you Dawn!
Riley & Andrew -
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![Camille]()
Camille 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 :) -
![Tory]()
Tory Sent on 03/20/2022Dawn rocks!
Dawn was such a joy to work with! Leading up to the wedding, she was a true partner. She was always ready to answer a text or hop on the phone to talk through anything - from where to save on catering to best tenting options in case of rain to seating arrangements to curate the vibe we were going for. She really took the stress out of planning; knowing that we had an expert in our corner leading us in the right direction made it possible for us to focus on all the fun of planning without the worry of any issues. And then at the wedding, she took the reins and my husband and I felt like guests at our own wedding! It was magical! From the moment she arrived on site Friday night for the rehearsal to when she left Saturday evening post-reception, she took the best care of us and all of our guests. I could go on and on about Dawn - 10/10 recommendation!
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![Kelsi]()
Kelsi Sent on 11/27/2021Above & beyond! An amazing and calming professional the top of her field!
We started working together on our big day pretty late in the game, about 4 months before our wedding but you would never know it with how seamless and smooth our day went!
I can’t even count how many people came up to me saying how blown away they were by Dawn's professionalism making our day run like clockwork! This allowed my husband and I to sit back and truly enjoy every moment, focus on each other, our families and closest friends. It was the best day of our lives!
Dawn's calm demeanor helped us so much during any stressful moments and even helped keep the small herd of cute kids running around trying to eat all the dessert under control! She also helped my 6 and 4 year old ring bearer and flower girl know exactly what to do walking down the aisle and they did perfectly.
Not sure what we would have done without Dawn on our day. If you are considering hiring her, this is your sign to do so immediately before she gets booked up! Thank you so much Dawn!! -
![Rachel]()
Rachel Sent on 11/01/2021Want to relax on your special day? Hire Dawn!!
Dawn was instrumental in making our wedding such a wonderful event! She helped us get organized and work out logistics for our wedding, since our venue didn't come with any vendors. She gave us great recommendations for vendors, and made contact with each of them before the wedding to double-check details. She made individual timelines for all our vendors (which our vendors said they really appreciated) and made sure that things went smoothly day of. Her attention to detail was so appreciated by us and by the venue! She even went out of her way to contact some vendors when our orders didn't go as planned. I couldn't recommend Dawn enough for your special events! -
Leslie Sent on 10/29/2021
Dawn Literally Save the Day!!!
Dawn literally saved the day!
I cannot say enough about Dawn. She literally saved the day for my daughter’s wedding. Our Venue canceled on us at 6:30 the night before the wedding. This was a destination wedding so family had flown in from Texas and drove from all parts of California to Santa Cruz for the weekend. This wedding was also canceled 2 weeks before the event, last year (due to Covid).
This year we had a storm coming in and since it was in the mountains, where fires had hit the year before, there was a mandatory evacuation the night before.
The day before while planning, for the rain, Dawn managed to get 4 weddings within a week to split the cost of a clear tent that was going to cost $3500. Of course we never used the tent due to the evacuation but this shows the effort Dawn continually used to save us money.
After the wedding venue canceled, she found another venue (that night) nearby to host our event, and the original venue owner paid the cost. This ended up being better than the first location and the large beautiful barn at The Orchard kept us dry from the storm all night.
As if that was not enough…30 minutes before the wedding, Dawn pinned my dress hem up with safety pins because it was dragging, due to a shoe change.
I cannot rave enough about Dawn. She knows the venues in the area. She knows the vendors and has worked with the best. She will go above and beyond to make sure your day is special. Best of all she is calm in the case of emergencies and gets to work to solve them.
She is very organized and will keep things moving smoothly on the day of the event.
You can 100% trust Dawn to take care of everything on your special day without having to worry about a thing.
Hiring Dawn for your wedding planner is the best decision you can make!
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![Heather]()
Heather Sent on 10/14/2021Seamless wedding with the perfect coordinator!
Dawn was our coordinator for our wedding at Holman Ranch on 10/2/21 located in Carmel Valley, CA. She made our wedding easy and we did not have to worry about anything! Everything was flawless down to every detail. There is no way we could have done the wedding without her! Dawn was on top of everything from managing and communicating with vendors, setting up decor, ensuring everything was going smoothly in terms of timeline and more. She even stepped up to put flowers beautifully on the cake because the florist forgot. It looked fabulous! I highly recommend hiring Dawn as your wedding coordinator! She is very friendly, experienced, a great communicator and professional. Thank you for everything Dawn and making our wedding absolutely perfect! -
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![Amy]()
Amy C. Sent on 10/13/2021Waterfall Lodge Wedding Ben Lomond, CA
Dawn is #1 on my list!!!!!
I wouldn't look any further for a wedding coordinator-
Dawn is-
Very organized
Extremely pleasant to work with
Very knowledgeable
Was able to handle unexpected mishaps with ease
Thanks Dawn for a perfect wedding for our daughter and son in law!! -
Sara Sent on 08/25/2021
Hire Dawn if you want a genuinue, nice human to help with your big day!
I cannot imagine what my wedding day would have been like without having Dawn and her assistant. Not only did she exceed expectations in preparation for the big day, she rolled with weird Pandemic - caused confusions and a surprise wine box ceremony! During clean up, my MOH asked her what she could do to help, and Dawn's response was, "Oh no, this is my time to shine!" Truly. She is warm, genuine, and someone I could see myself being friends with. Very easy to work with, and not to mention talented with decorations and helping with DIY floral! -
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Hannah Sent on 04/01/2020
Absolutely Invaluable
It's challenging to even begin to describe how incredibly integral Dawn was in pulling off our wedding; there are just so many ways she helped us. Not only was she constantly calm and positive when we faced any obstacles, but she was also straightforward and efficient every step of the way, which was so assuring and helpful.
We were in a lot of difficult or unsure circumstances. We had planned for a spring wedding in a redwood forest where the forecast was wavering back and forth about whether there would be rain (since most of the venue was outdoors, this meant we went back and forth on a very expensive tenting decision, which Dawn was absolutely integral in coordinating). I'm in law school and my now-husband works full time, so we were not always on top of wedding decisions, and Dawn would check in with us and sweetly get our butts in gear when we needed it. We were also dealing with my husband's mom being very ill, so we were having to plan two versions of the wedding: one where she was able to attend, and another if she was not. There were a lot of very last-minute decisions she handled smoothly as well, such as the need to do a standing ceremony under pop-up tents due to the torrential downpour that began right before the ceremony.
Dawn was extremely dedicated to helping us whenever we had questions - the woman even responded to my emails while in the hospital to deliver her baby. Seriously, you could not hire a more professional, kind, thoughtful, creative, and practical coordinator, and in the words of my very money-conscious father, Dawn's services were "worth every penny."
I could not recommend Dawn enough, and I would gladly recommend her to any couple looking to have the best wedding day possible. Even dealing with some of the chaotic elements of the day, between the rain, the complicated venue, and my husband's mom being unable to attend, she remained calm and collected and kept us from worrying about anything non-essential. If you're considering hiring a coordinator, choose Dawn. I would bet anything that it will be the best decision you make in this process. -
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![Gregory]()
Gregory Sent on 11/01/2019Wedding Went Flawlessly!
Dawn was a phenomenal coordinator who did an impeccable job of managing all of the vendors for our event. She is also VERY friendly and made us feel welcome the entire time. Highly recommend! -
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Hunter Sent on 10/29/2019YES!!! Absolutely Amazing!!!
Dawn was perfect all around! She went the extra mile to ensure everything ran perfect the day of our wedding and spent hour and hours going over all the details. She has such an eye for detail! I strongly recommend her for any event planning in general because she is soooo personal and perfect for this job!!!! Thank you Dawn!!!!! -
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Doris Sent on 10/20/2019Dawn was awesome
At our wedding venue we had to contract and arrange everything with the vendors directly so we hired Dawn as a wedding coordinator and she did a fabulous job! She gave us many recommendations for all the different vendors, guidance on what order to do things. She put together the timeline and coordinated that with all the vendors. She also gave us some recommendations on what worked well at this venue, since she was so familiar with it - those were great tips, things we hadn't thought of. Dawn was always available by text or email to answer questions and responded quickly, which i really appreciated. She managed all the vendors, even some setup for us, and directing quests on the wedding day - it went so smoothly and we didn't have to worry about anything. The wedding day was amazing, everyone said what a great time they had. and we couldn't have pulled it off without Dawn. -
Kristen Sent on 10/17/2019
Totally Awesome
Dawn is fun creative and gets it done! She was a joy to work with. She has an exceptional vendor list and works great with all of them. We loved Dawn! -
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Karelaine Sent on 08/28/2019Dawn is amazing
I cannot say enough about how amazing Dawn is! Not only is she a kind and wonderful human, but she is an excellent wedding coordinator! She was with us every step of the way...answering every question, going out of her way to accommodate our requests, and in general, making sure our day was perfect. It was such a pleasure working with her. Thank you, Dawn!! -
Mike Sent on 04/24/2019
Wonderful Coordinator and a Amazing Person! So happy!
Having Dawn as our Wedding Coordinator was the best decision we could have made. From day one, she was so personable and helpful, truly looking to make our special day perfect. Her attention to every detail leading up to and on our wedding day was incredible. From contacting all of our vendors for us in advance, to greeting them along with our guests on the day of the arrival was more than we could have asked for. Having Dawn really helped eliminate the stress of ensuring everything was ready the day of the wedding. This allowed my husband and I to really enjoy our beautiful venue, The Waterfall Lodge in Ben Lomond, and share this special time in our lives with our friends and family. She was able to create our vision and we are beyond thankful. Stephanie & Michael Redfearn October 6, 2018 -
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Patrick Sent on 09/28/2023Amazing Day of Coordinator!
Events by Dawn made our wedding day and the months leading up stress free! Dawn was not able to personally attend our wedding but we were left in great hands with Stella. Stella organized and directed our vendors flawlessly, playing an integral role in keeping on day time and running smoothly.
I would recommend Events by Dawn to everyone looking for an amazing day of coordinator! -
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Ben T. Sent on 06/28/2021Taking care of all the details you didn't know about
Dawn is an extremely professional and competent coordinator. We hired her for our wedding at Waterfall Lodge and in addition to being our day-of coordinator, she was basically our planning consultant who we could bounce questions off of. In the weeks before the wedding, Dawn made sure we had all the vendors and details in place and we also had a detailed timeline for the big day. On the actual wedding day, Dawn took care of coordinating all the vendors across the sprawling site as well as making sure that our ceremony and reception went off without a hitch.
We highly recommend Dawn, but that's especially true for any couple choosing this venue, as it has a lot of logistical details to be worked out and Dawn has worked there so much that she has it down to a science. -
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Melissa Sent on 06/01/2022My wedding on May 5th
Dawn did a handful of things to help on my wedding day. I appreciated her attention to detail in setting up the reception site. She decorated all the tables, hung up various decor we had around the site, and assisted some of the vendors in setting up their parts of the wedding. I was a bit disappointed in a handful of things that I wished she had a bigger part in: she wasn't available to conduct a day-before rehearsal with the wedding party, she didn't arrive on-site the day of the wedding until around noon (with a start time of 3pm) and wasn't there to deal with some issues that arose in the morning, I was so excited & nervous before walking down the aisle, I forgot to grab my bouquet & forgot to link arms with my father as we walked down. I would have hoped she would have been near me to remind me to grab my flowers & walk down properly with my father, but she, unfortunately, wasn't with me before walking down the aisle as I would have hoped (and really didn't check in with me nearly at all the day of the wedding) The flower girls never got the rose petals I ordered, and just had an empty basket to walk down the aisle with (Dawn didn't ever check with the florist to ensure my entire order had arrived). Additionally, the DJ played the incorrect song as I walked down the aisle & Dawn didn't jump in to fix the situation like I would have expected as well. I would have liked to see Dawn be a bit more involved & around the day-of, in general, and things would have likely gone a bit smoother for me. -
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Kaitlin Sent on 08/26/2024Working with Dawn was a disappointing experience
To begin, my husband and I have been long distance for most of our relationship and lived in different states so we have been waiting a long time for this. She knew from the start that it was a DIY wedding and I organized, labeled, and printed out pictures for everything day of to help. She said she would set up everything besides flowers for the ceremony space but my family and our photographer’s wife ended up having to set everything up for her. Right before our ceremony started and I was putting my veil on she went up to my father and said, “What are they doing in there? It shouldn’t take that long to put a veil on. I have never had a wedding start 5 minutes late”. In my opinion, if she was that worried she could have came into the bridal room and offered to help us put my veil on.
I had a very specific vision for the song I walked down the aisle to since my father has a tradition where he gives us a locket before we walk down the aisle, so we were supposed to get to the beginning of the aisle before my husband turned around to see me so my father could put it on me. I had thoroughly explained this to Dawn every time we talked and gave her the time stamps of when I wanted to be at the beginning of the aisle. To ensure this vision even further we had given her a paper day of with even more detailed cues to make sure it was executed properly. Sadly, she kept telling my father and I to stop walking to the aisle even though we were already supposed to be there. Our moment was rushed and my husband turned around before I was ready and we missed our true first look since we both had not seen each other’s outfits until that moment. He had to turn back around so my father could put the locket on me and turned around again when I was ready. It was the most disappointing part since I gave enough details and information on exactly how it was supposed to happen and that huge mistake could have easily been avoided.
Dawn was not present for any of our ceremony and left our photographer’s wife in charge of the whole ceremony. The only thing his wife was in charge of was putting up the flowers for our arch since Dawn said she couldn’t hang anything (which is understandable), but other than that she was a guest to our wedding. She was unprepared for Dawn’s responsibilities to be dumped onto her unassisted.
Right after our ceremony, I would’ve expected a big congratulations and for her to be happy for me, but the first thing she told me was that my ceremony was “realllyyy long” and “wayy too long” which made us slightly behind schedule. Instead of reassuring me that everything will be okay she continued to stress me out saying we have no time for anything and had no words of encouragement for me. In the end it didn’t make a big difference and we even had time to join the end of our cocktail hour which we originally didn’t think we had time for.
When bustling my dress (which I told her my father or my grandma could do since she made the dress), she asked my father which buttons to use and she misheard him and snapped at him and proceeded to tell us that she hates when they do bustles like this. After my first dance I accidentally snapped one of the buttons off and went up to my grandma so she could put the bustle on a different button, but Dawn stepped in and again said she hates bustles like this to my grandma, who again made my dress which was mentioned multiple times throughout our wedding and in multiple speeches. It was very disrespectful and unnecessary to say, especially to my grandma who worked hard on my dress.
Our send off was uncoordinated and again she left someone else in charge. At 8:45 pm, Dawn told my photographer she would not be there for the send-off and left him in charge of reminding people to take the bubbles. In her words, "it usually is the wedding photographer's job to "coordinate" send-offs. This was not communicated to him before the wedding. I did not see her until after our send off where we were supposed to have a Waterfall Lodge car ready to pick us up, but to our surprise when we walked out we were left embarrassed and confused. Dawn ended up walking up to us and said “how are you planning on getting to your cabin?”, which we explained that we thought we were supposed to have a venue car and asked her what we should do and the only suggestion she had for us was to walk, knowing our cabin was at the top of the mountain.
Overall, her services were not worth her price. I thought she would be more personal day of, but I only saw her a few times and it was just to complain about my wedding. I felt like we were not taken seriously from the start and do not understand why we were treated this way. I do understand my wedding was all DIY and more work than most weddings, but I wish she would have just been honest if she couldn’t properly coordinate my wedding.
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