About this vendor
11th Hour Weddings and Events provides all inclusive and partial event packages in the Outer and Inner Banks, and Central North Carolina as well as Virginia and South West Florida. Established in 1978, this planning business operates out of offices in Southern Shores the Currituck Mainland and Raleigh. They boast over 4,500 weddings in their over 40 years.
11th Hour is committed to arranging every detail of your special day having brides choose their decor, linens and rental equipment from their extensive inventory. They either manage or have a close working arrangement with numerous venues and event homes, from the beach to central North Carolina. Most of their vendors are in-house. Their Complete Ceremony Only Package boasts officiant services, floral decor, photography, arch of choice, seating, a live musician and a director with mini timeline. Ceremony with Reception services include director with timeline and decorating staff, rental equipment, DJ or band, catering and cake. They can help you to select your dream wedding venue and know the best oceanfront, waterfront and country settings for your ceremony. They can even transform your backyard into a small private tented event. Packages can be custom designed for your needs and vision.
Details
Business Attributes
- Veteran-owned Business
- Woman-owned Business
Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
- Destination Wedding Planning
Planning
- A la Carte Wedding Planning
- Budgeting
- Day-Of Coordination
- Destination Wedding Planning
- Full Service Wedding Planning
Wedding Activities
- Rehearsals & Parties
- Rehearsal Dinner
- Welcome Party
- Wedding
- Ceremony
- Reception
Awards and Affiliations
3-Time 'Best of Weddings'
2026.2025.2022.
Best of Weddings
The Knot independently assesses vendors for this award—it’s never self-reported. We base it on firsthand experiences from real couples and guests, and they must have a 4.5-star average across 7+ reviews in the qualifying year.
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Reviews
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5
out of 5.027 reviews
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Showing slide number 1 out of 9
Deborah was my day of coordinator but did so much more. Months before my daughter's wedding she was there to give me advice and guide me in all the right directions with her years...
of experience in planning. She had ideas I would have never thought of and we are so appreciative for her expertise and constant communications. On wedding day, Deborah and her assistant Courtney were the first ones there, making sure everything arrived as planned and that nothing was missing. She had a timeline that made the day go smoothly and stayed until the very end working while also making all the guests feel comfortable and welcome. My 85 year old mother is still talking about Deborah( I didn't even know they met) and the great job she and Courtney did. As the mother of the bride it was so nice to be able to ebeing taken care of professionally behind the scenes by 11th Hour. I'm so glad we handed over the reins to Deborah after trying to do everything ourselves. It was a geat experience and wedding.
We cannot say enough wonderful things about 11th Hour Weddings and Events. From the very beginning, they made the entire wedding planning process feel easy, and most importantly, p...
ersonal. Throughout the year leading up to our wedding, Deborah and her team was incredibly kind and genuinely invested in making our day special. I never felt like I was just one of many brides during a busy wedding season.
One of the things I appreciated most was their ability to help us create a beautiful, meaningful wedding while working within a more limited budget. They helped make things possible that I initially never expected we could have, like an acoustic guitar for our ceremony music and a beautiful driftwood arch. They also had excellent recommendations for other local vendors, including Sweet Sun Flour Bakery for our wedding cake and The Pointe for our dinner reception. Those recommendations made such a difference and helped us find vendors who were a perfect fit for our day.
Their professionalism and care were especially evident when rain was forecasted for our wedding day. As the forecast got worse, they were incredibly proactive about creating multiple options in case we needed to move the ceremony indoors. They worked with us right up until the latest possible moment, closely watching the radar for even a small pocket of dry weather so we could still have the beach ceremony we had dreamed of. And when that window finally came, they executed everything flawlessly.
I want to give a particularly special thank-you to Ava. Making those decisions while it was pouring rain on our wedding day was emotional and Ava was so incredibly kind, patient, and reassuring throughout all of it. She helped us navigate a very difficult decision and I will always be grateful for that.
And Caroline, the 11th Hour florist, deserves a special mention of her own. She was truly an angel on earth and created the most stunningly beautiful flowers I could have imagined. She took my inspiration photos, listened to me, and somehow turned a vision I wasn't even sure I fully had into something even more beautiful and personal than I could have dreamed. The flowers felt completely me and were so much more beautiful than anything I could have shown her in a picture. Caroline also helped me recreate an incredibly special moment from my parents' wedding. She figured out how to make two roses from my bouquet removable so that I could give one to my mom and one to my mother-in-law as a surprise when I got to the end of the aisle with my dad. It was a small detail, but it meant so much to us, and the fact that she took the time to make it possible is something I will never forget.
Our wedding day turned out to be everything we hoped for and more, and so much of that is because of Deborah and her team at 11th Hour. They brought creativity, expertise, kindness, and so much care to the entire experience. If you are planning a wedding in the Outer Banks, I cannot recommend 11th Hour Weddings and Events highly enough. They truly went above and beyond to make our day feel uniquely ours, and we are incredibly grateful for everything they did for us.
11th Hour Weddings and Events did an amazing job making my wedding everything I wanted and more! Despite the weather, their team rearranged everything to be better than expected. W...
e were so happy with them and definitely recommend!!
I loved working with Deborah and Ava, I had my wedding in Elizabeth City, NC but me and my husband are stationed in my hometown in Gulfport, MS. Deborah and her team made the proce...
ss of creating and making my dreams come to life easy and effortless. Just like any wedding it can be expensive and time consuming but she made sure I loved and enjoyed every aspect of it. During my reception I didn’t remember to buy bubbles, but that didn’t stop them. They went ABOVE AND BEYOND and went out and got me bubbles just so i could have them and i will never forget all the effort, thought and care they had for me. I would recommend 11th Hour to anyone and everyone. I couldn’t have done it without them. Thank you for everything!!
I would recommend Deborah and her staff always. Every detail was done perfectly. Courtney and Ava were also wonderful. They made our wedding day fantastic!
Our wedding on 9/13 was absolutely beautiful and truly everything we could have dreamed of. Deborah was the best wedding planner we could have ever asked for—her attention to detai...
l, professionalism, and warmth made the entire planning process stress-free and our day so special. She went above and beyond to make sure every moment was perfect. Courtney and the rest of the team were also incredible, ensuring that everything flowed seamlessly. We felt cared for and supported from start to finish. It was breathtaking, memorable, and more than we ever imagined. We are forever grateful to Deborah and the entire team for making our day so extraordinary.
I cannot recommend Deborah highly enough. She was an absolute rock throughout the entire planning process, but what truly set her apart was how she handled the unthinkable: a hurri...
cane on our wedding day.
While most would have panicked, she already had a seamless backup plan in motion before I even had time to worry. Every detail was accounted for, and she executed everything with such calm, grace, and professionalism that I was able to be the calmest bride—even in the middle of a storm.
She held my hand through every step, from the early planning stages to the final moments of the big day. Her support, organization, and genuine care made all the difference. If you're looking for someone who will go above and beyond, no matter what, she’s the one.
Deborah and team were awesome to work with. They made the process of planning and pulling off a wedding from long distance super easy and the event went great.
Working with Deborah from 11th Hour Events was one of the best decisions we made for our destination, beach wedding in the Outer Banks. From the very beginning, she brought such ca...
lm, confidence, and creativity to the planning process—exactly what we needed in the midst of all the excitement and chaos.
Deborah’s attention to detail is unmatched. She thought of everything before we even had the chance to ask, and her ability to manage timelines, vendors, and logistics was nothing short of masterful. She truly understood our vision and elevated it in ways we never could.
On the big day, everything flowed seamlessly. From the ceremony to the reception, it felt effortless—because Deborah, Courtney & Ava were behind the scenes handling everything with total grace and professionalism. We actually got to enjoy our wedding without worrying about a thing.
If you’re looking for planners who genuinely care, go above and beyond, and execute your vision flawlessly, look no further than Deborah, Ava, and the team at 11th Hour Events. We are forever grateful for the unforgettable day they helped create.
Deborah and Kyle were wonderful to work with. Very helpful in recommending an amazing caterer. Arrived to the destination on time. Made sure everything was perfect for our ceremony...
and even took some of our what are our favorite photos! I would definitely recommend them for your Outer Banks wedding!
Deborah Sawyer from 11th Hour Weddings & Events was the essential element in our perfect wedding day! Deborah and her team are the consummate professionals. They are highly organi...
zed, very responsive, with an amazing attention to detail. No task was to big or to small.
Deborah is exceptionally knowledgeable and experienced. She has great instincts for matching needs and people offering services from finding a babysitter to caterers. In particular, Deborah coordinated our floral decor (which was perfectly gorgeous) and the musicians (who were fantastic - a shout out to Michael Oberdorfer and Andrea). She spent most of the day before our wedding setting the tables, transporting flowers and keeping them cool, putting up our little photo display and making sure everything was ready for the big day. Deborah had a timeline for the wedding day and made sure everything happened just as it should. Not an element was missed! Beyond, that she served as our photographer. The pictures were great but just importantly, she made sure that the process was well organized.
Deborah is a great communicator and works very well with others making the planning process an absolute pleasure and holds people accountable, when they fail to deliver on promises. Deborah’s assistant, Holly, was tireless in service and execution of details on the wedding day and does everything from set up to take down. When event staff were short in delivery, she stopped forward to fill in without blinking.
Deborah made our wedding day perfect with her impressive attention to detail, phenomenal effort, calming and organized demeanor and wonderful sense of humor ! Thank you Deborah, I will be forever grateful.
My daughter had a destination wedding in the Outer Banks, N.C. We hired Deborah from 11th Hour Events to help us. She walked us through everything that we should expect and tha...
t we would need. We rented her beautiful wedding decorations, signs, etc. Deborah made sure we were where we needed to be and that everyone and everything was in place. If you are thinking about getting married in the Outer Banks I would highly recommend contacting her to help you every step of the way! She and her team are amazing!
From start to finish, our experience with Deborah and the staff at 11th Hour Events was absolutely flawless! We hired them for our destination wedding, and they truly went above an...
d beyond. The team was not only professional but also incredibly thoughtful, attentive, and supportive throughout the entire process.
We were impressed with how organized everything was and how every detail was executed carefully. Deborah and her staff perfectly matched our vision and looked even better than I imagined! The entire staff was so friendly and helpful, and they made us feel like we were the only couple they were working with, which made our wedding day even more special.
On the wedding day, everything ran smoothly thanks to their seamless coordination. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better team to help make our day perfect.
If you’re looking for a company that delivers exceptional service with a personal touch, I highly recommend 11th Hour Events for anyone planning their big day!
Thank you again, Deborah and staff- you made our wedding unforgettable!
Deborah & the 11th Hour Events Family were absolutely wonderful to work with. When I think back about my experience with planning a wedding (out of state) I think of how helpful an...
d caring Deborah was. She and her term were amazing! We had a few hiccups with the event space but Deborah was proactive and smoothed over any issues that came up. I highly, highly recommend using 11th Hour Events!
Absolutely higher than the 5 stars and I would have done 10 if they had it !! 11th Hour is very classy with great and easy communication & she genuinely cares about your happines...
s and peace of mind . They are the BEST !!
Deb was very professional and detailed oriented. She created our timeline and answered all the questions we had. She made my wedding day easy and stress free. Her decor was elegan...
t and exactly what I was envisioning on my special day ! We highly recommend her and her team!
Deborah at 11th Hour Events worked some major miracles for my wedding, which include a venue change, ensuring my event was a priority at the new venue (despite multiple personnel c...
hanges at the new venue leading up to my event) and last minute adjustments due to inclement weather. She also recommends and manages the other vendors so that everything is seamless. Her experience plus communication and project management skills are top notch, she is on top of every detail. It seriously doesn't get any better than this, I rate Deborah a 10 out of 10 stars.
Deborah was the best and knew exactly what I wanted the venue to look like and the atmosphere I was shooting for! Holly was the best day of coordinator I could ask for, she was on ...
it! Her husband even helped out by providing drinks for the wedding party before we were announced! The only thing I didn't like was our DJ Greg, he took a phone call during our toasts, played our song requests during dinner, and played the WHOLE song instead of fading them into each other. I'd definitely recommend using them but don't use Greg as your dj!
Debra and her team do such an amazing job! Everything went flawlessly and I was so relaxed on my wedding day knowing they had it all under control. The decorations were perfect. Th...
e photos turned out better than I could have expected. The whole day was even better than I had dreamed of and would not have been possible without Debra and her team. I highly highly recommend 11th hour events!!!
Absolutely amazing. Easy set up and easy payments. Updates with everything for wedding. We had last minute changes and it was no big issue at all. Flowers were amazing. Our officia...
nt guided us 100% even though we didn’t have rehearsal. Deborah explained everything and took amazing pictures. The coordinated kept everything on track and easily understandable.
11th Hour Events are absolutely AMAZING! They thought of every detail. Our wedding was perfect and stress free. We didn't have to worry about anything because they had it all taken...
care of. Everyone was so sweet and professional. I can't recommend them enough.
11th Hour Events is a one-stop shop when it comes to wedding planning. We paid for the “ceremony only” package and it was EXACTLY what we were looking for. Everything for the cerem...
ony was included in our package: chairs, music, decor, officiant, PHOTOGRAPHY. Decisions were quick and easy to change, the coordinators carried out exactly what we described with really no effort on our end. Communication was consistent, Deborah even suggested a great caterer for us! If you’re planning an OBX destination wedding, 11th Hour Events is a MUST!
Thank you, 11th Hour Events for a truly magical evening! Deborah and Charlene made the process so easy/seamless and managed to create the ceremony of our dreams. They were a "one...
stop shop" and coordinated every detail: from flowers, to ceremony music, photography, officiant, set-up and gave fabulous recommendations for venue, caterers and hair/makeup. This took a huge weight off our shoulders while planning our wedding from out of state; we were so grateful for the convenience of communicating with one person rather than a large number of vendors. Thank you 11th Hour Events for the BEST DAY EVER!
We were very impressed with our recommended venue (The Pointe Golf Club), wedding coordination, and how seamless everything went throughout the day and into the final hours of the ...
evening. Deborah & Diane were able to make planning for a wedding from a far distance easy (decor and every little detail!). Deborah & Diane's list of vendors were professional, timely, and easy to work with. Everyone we came in contact with did not disappoint. All-in-all it was the perfect day we were hoping for and cannot say thank you enough to all who were involved. We would 100% recommend 11th hour events! Deborah Sawyer is a kind, genuine person and an amazing photographer!
Wow. Just... Wow. That's what you and your guests will be saying after your wedding if you use 11th Hour events. Deborah and her entire team are simply amazing, making suggestions ...
to help us decide what we wanted and how we wanted it, then flawlessly delivering the reality. If you want to give your bride her day in the most special way possible, call Deborah. Our day was perfect, neither a global pandemic nor a disruption in gasoline supply was any match for 11th Hour Events ability to deliver perfection. There are no do-overs in a wedding. Get it right the first time. Call Deborah at 11thHourEvents
Deborah Sawyer was my wedding planning angel. Due to covid, I had to scrap my original wedding plans and had literally a month to plan our wedding. Deborah helped me find a private...
chef, hair stylist, cake, tables, flowers linens, pastor and set up and decoration of our ceremony. Deborah also helped us save money and some cost saving ideas. ADDITIONALLY she coordinated everything on our wedding day. Oh did I also mention she is an amazing photographer? Our pictures came out perfect and she even stayed past our ceremony so we could get sunset pictures back at our rental property. A true professional and I really can’t say enough in regards to how thankful I am for Deborah and 11th hour events in making our dream wedding come together. Thank you!
Deborah and her staff was amazing! With short notice we hired her after having to completely change our wedding plans due to COVID. She made everything so perfect and beautiful!
Contact
Powells Point, NC
Wedding Planners