About this vendor
Above and Beyond Wedding Planning
Based in Des Moines, IA, Dawn 'til Dusk is a wedding planning service. Specializing in day-of coordinating, partial planning & full service planning, the team here is ready to help you get over the finish line.
Dawn 'til Dusk is owned by Lydia Dawson. She has been helping people celebrate milestones for several years and prides themselves on their organizational skills.
Lydia wants you to be able to rely on her and her team to take care of the details so you can focus on making memories. Their services can include timeline creation, booking vendors, overall design of the wedding, and so much more. They are happy to oversee the setup and breakdown of your venue.
Details
Business Attributes
- Woman-owned Business
Planning
- A la Carte Wedding Planning
- Budgeting
- Day-Of Coordination
- Full Service Wedding Planning
- RSVP Tracking
- Wedding Design
Wedding Activities
- Wedding
- Ceremony
- Cocktail Hour
- Reception
- Rehearsal
Awards and Affiliations
Pricing
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Reviews
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4.9
out of 5.028 reviews
Review Summary
This AI-generated summary is a snapshot of this vendor's ratings and feedback.
Dawn til Dusk received highly positive reviews for wedding coordination services, particularly for Lydia and Sam who were praised for their professionalism, communication, and attention to detail. Reviewers highlighted their ability to keep weddings running smoothly, handle last-minute adjustments, and ensure a stress-free experience for the couples. The team was commended for exceeding expectations, providing valuable advice, and helping in setting up and coordinating various aspects of the wedding day, making them a recommended choice for wedding planning and coordination.- Top reviews
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We absolutely adored Lydia! She helped us every step along the way. Very knowledgeable, professional, and responsive. Made everything about us while guiding us to a successful day. When my fiancé forgot his SHOES on our wedding day she had it solved so flawlessly I had absolutely no idea until the next day when he told me. We are so thankful for her!
Lydia was amazing from start to finish. We could get a hold of her with any questions we had beforehand and she was quick to respond. She was there to help during rehearsal, helping set up at our reception venue, and helped the entire day of our wedding! She helped us stay on track making sure we thought about not only the big details, but the small details as well! She helped our day run smoothly and kept the party going!
Thank you!!!
Lydia was amazing! She was a great communicator and advocate for me as the bride. Lydia made sure no little details were forgotten!
Any questions?
Lydia was the best at helping for the day of and even letting me connect with her leading up to the day of my wedding. She took care of everything and I had little to no stress thanks to her. She made sure everyone and everything was in the right place at the right time and we couldn’t have had a more perfect day without her. 100/10 recommend using Dawn til Dusk!
I can’t begin to explain how wonderful Lydia was as our day of coordinator. She was truly a lifesaver on many occasions and went above and beyond to make sure everything went off without a hitch. If you’re not sure whether or not to hire a coordinator, do it. You won’t regret it. Especially if you hire Dawn til Dusk. We can’t thank Lydia enough!!
I cannot say enough good things about working with Lydia at Dawn til Dusk! She helped keep us on track and organized throughout the whole process, resulting in the most magical wedding day! She helped with any questions we had and was on top of it all. 100% recommend working with her and the team!
Response from the Vendor on 09/05/2023
Thank you Sarah!!!! It was such a pleasure working with you and Michael to make your day so special 💕🥹
I hired Dawn till Dusk for day-of coordination, and it was probably some of the best money I spent for my wedding. Our wedding coordinator, Lydia, was with us a few months prior to the event; advising us on vendor relations, timelines, and generally keeping us on track - so it was much more than day-of coordination. The timelines they deliver are amazing - had so many details we’d never even thought of.
Lydia ensured my day as a bride was as stress-free as possible. I know we ran into a couple of issues with the room flip, but honestly, I wouldn’t have known, they made everything as seamless as possible for my husband and I. I would definitely recommend Dawn till Dusk for wedding coordination!
When first planning our wedding, I wasn’t going to hire a day of coordinator, but boy am I glad I did! It helped so much with making sure things ran smoothly and little details were ironed out day of. Sam was great during the day of only making me aware of things I really need to know and only asking me simple questions about logistics. It was so nice to be able to just enjoy the day! Would highly recommend working with Dawn til Dusk! They even take the time to meet with you discuss timeline in the months leading up to the wedding. So helpful and a joy to work with!
We hired Dawn ‘til Dusk at our first meeting with them. We had originally talked with Sam after her being recommended through our venue. Lydia was our coordinator and did an amazing job at controlling everything and helping me and Quentin make decisions on our timeline and order of events. She reached out to all vendors and gave them our timelines, and was very helpful at organizing our rehearsal. She was able to set up day of exactly how I wanted everything and keep everyone on time and make last minute adjustments and communication plans. She was constantly making sure I was happy and my day was special and that she was available if I needed anything. We are so thankful that we were able to have her there!
The Dawn til Dusk team is such an amazing value for the professionalism, attention to detail and personable touch they bring to a wedding day. Sherry was our day-of coordinator, and we can’t say enough about how wonderful she was. Things WILL go awry on a hectic wedding day, and they certainly did on ours, but she took it in stride and minimized it so that we could enjoy our day to the fullest. We are so grateful to her for that!!
Dawn til Dusk was amazing! They helped so much with our day of wedding coordinating. I loved that they had price and time options that fit within our budget.
Lydia helped with our day of coordinating and came for an hour of our rehearsal as well. She was so nice, timely, professional and helped with anything and everything we needed. She had suggestions for us when we weren't sure of anything and she was well prepared.
We had a meeting before the wedding to nail down our timeline and that was so helpful! She was always quick to respond if I had questions. I would 100% recommend Dawn til Dusk for help with your wedding. You won't be disappointed!
Sam and Claire provide us with adequate time to go through all the planning details with us for our wedding reception. We felt very good about the management while planning. Also, they are very affordable and very professional and sweet ladies. However, we had several issues leading up to and on the actual reception day. Claire was meant to send the itinerary and details to the wedding party and vendors the week before, but this did not happen. Claire was also supposed to come with two assistants, but she ended up coming herself only. She did not inform us of that prior to the day of. We had some extra help to assist, with the venue staff and our family, but Claire seemed overwhelmed most of the time and it stressed us out.
Response from the Vendor on 09/11/2022
Nirmal,
Thank you so much for your feedback. I am sorry your expectations weren't met by Dawn 'til Dusk. Claire was supposed to have an assistant that day, but she unfortunately came down with Covid and didn't tell us until the day of. Also, th...
e timeline should definitely have been sent out to vendors prior and I apologize for this not getting done. It is never our intention to show overwhelm but having to be the only coordinator last minute when she was planning on having an assistant I'm sure was the main cause of her stress.
We do appreciate your feedback and will take this as a learning lesson going forward!
Sam & Sherry were incredible to work with!! After deciding to move states prior to my wedding, I knew I needed help with vendor coordination and final checklists for our wedding day, so no small detail would be forgotten. The Dawn ‘til Dusk team is everything we needed and more for our day of coordination! They helped with everything from finalizing all timelines to executing on the day of to make our dream wedding day come to life. Words can not express how thankful I am for their hard work behind the scenes, no small detail went unnoticed. My family continues to rave about how sweet and helpful Sherry was the entire day! I HIGHLY recommend hiring this team, you will not regret it!
Response from the Vendor on 09/11/2022
You are too sweet :) You were so fun to work with!
I had Dawn 'til Dusk as my day of coordinator and they helped so much throughout the whole planning process! I loved how we had a few meetings beforehand for timeline and what is expected so there were no surprises the day of! Lydia and Amanda were great keeping everything running smoothly as well as taking care of last minute things that got forgotten in the chaos of weddings! I couldn't ask for a better experience!
Response from the Vendor on 09/11/2022
Woo! We love working at Rustic Rose and especially with brides like you :)
Hi Sam,
I just want to say “ thank you” for everything you and your team did for us and that Sydney’s wedding was a huge success!! Everything went so great.. and all because of Lydia!! She was amazing!! I don’t know what we would have done without her! She ran her tail off!! And got soaked when she took it upon herself to make sure we knew what was going on when the party bus got stuck! What a night! She ended up staying later because of all this and she had to have been exhausted!! We appreciate all she did for us and I want to give her some more money for a tip! I know we gave her some but she deserves more for what she did for us! I have already told all my friends about your company and that they DO need to hire you! It helped me so much so I could enjoy the day and the night! Thanks so much.. I hope you all keep offering this service to others as it is wonderful! Take care and talk soon!😃💗
Response from the Vendor on 09/11/2022
We so appreciate your kind words! So glad the bus got un-stuck! lol Things like unfortunately do happen. So glad Lydia was there to help out.
Highly highly highly recommend Dawn til Dusk. We did the day of package and it was the best. Beforehand Lydia did a great job contact all my vendors and finalizing a day of schedule. Then on the day of Lydia was there and coordinated everything. I had no worries the day of the wedding. Dawn til Dusk truly allowed me to enjoy my day and take it all in. While yes it can be an added expense they are worth every penny!! I would recommend all brides have a day of coordinator especially Dawn til Dusk!
Response from the Vendor on 09/11/2022
A few extra dollars to save a TON of headaches! Thank you, Chelsey!
We hired Dawn to Dusk for our wedding earlier this June. When we first started wedding planning I did not think that we had enough money in the budget to accommodate a wedding coordinator. As I got into planning I quickly realized how many pieces have to come together the day of the wedding to make the day happen....and it was stressing me out! Not only was Dawn to Dusk very affordable but signing their contract was one of the most stress reducing things I did in the planning process. We hired them for the rehearsal dinner and for about 6 hours of wedding day coverage.
The Dawn to Dusk team helped us with the timeline and brought up good things to consider (like views from assigned seats). Their communication amongst staff was also great as our initial Dawn to Dusk team member that was going to help us with rehearsal and the wedding fell sick a day before. They quickly shifted and adjusted with few questions to us and I never once felt like it wasn't going to run smoothly with the switch.
The day before the wedding we hired them for the rehearsal dinner which was SUPER helpful as they helped keep everyone in check so we could get the "not fun" part of the rehearsal out of the way. The day of the wedding I don't know everything they did for us because everything ran so smoothly, but know they helped set up centerpieces, light candles, direct vendors, refreshed the cake table, helped move guests through the guestbook/polaroid line, and helped keep the timeline in check. The only thing we wish we would have done differently was listen to their recommendation to keep them through all of the activities (speeches, first dances, etc.) because after they left there wasn't as much of a true leader of the timeline. Even my now-husband said hiring the Dawn to Dusk teams was one of the best decisions of the wedding planning process because he saw the value in having a true leader throughout the day witnessing their skills!
Response from the Vendor on 09/11/2022
Oh my goodness, Shannon. Your words means so much. Thank you Thank you Thank you!
I could not have imagined a better person to help my dream wedding come to fruition than Sam! She was so kind and wonderful to work with, and so flexible with our budget. I had a horrible cold the weekend of my wedding, and could not have pulled off my wedding day without Sam. Not only did she help everything come together, but she made me feel so sane/calm so I could truly just enjoy the day. I couldn't recommend her more highly! P.S. I live in Eastern Iowa and her travel fees are WELL worth it and very affordable to have her come over from DSM!!!! Thank you, Sam, for the most magical wedding day! We couldn't have done it without you!
Response from the Vendor on 09/11/2022
Thank you so much, Alyssa! You are so great.
We hired Dawn 'til Dusk for our wedding to help with day of the wedding coordination. The Dawn til' Dusk team went above and beyond to help make our day very special. As a perfectionist, it was very difficult to hand over "the day of" tasks and responsibilities to another person, however, Sam and her team exceeded my expectations. We appreciated their assistance throughout our wedding day and also troubleshooting a few problems that arose as well. We highly recommend Dawn til' Dusk for your wedding planning and coordinating needs.
Response from the Vendor on 05/16/2022
Handing over the reigns is never easy but I'm glad that it brought you peace of mind. That is what I'm here for! As a fellow perfectionist, I can definitely relate to the nervousness haha
Sam was lovely and very attentive. She made sure everyone was on the same page and was very patient with my (I got very scatter brained and stressed the closer the wedding got) She did a lovely job setting up my reception for me and made it so I could actually enjoy my wedding and didn't have to stress about little things. Even my now husband who didn't want to hire a planner admitted it was a good idea. Her rates are also super reasonable and she's very upfront with her pricing and doesn't try and pressure you to get the most expensive package. I appreciate all her hard work and was glad to have hired her.
Response from the Vendor on 11/04/2021
There is seriously nothing I love more in the world than a couple who does their wedding the way they want to. I can’t think of a wedding more filled with love than yours! Happy I could be a part of it :)
Samantha was so helpful, from the moment we signed the contract to the day after our wedding. She answered my questions, offered advice and made sure the whole day went smoothly. Each time I said, is this ok or what should I do, she responded with "It's your day, do what makes you happy". I appreciate all of her help & I'm so grateful she was there for it. If you're not sure whether or not you need a day of coordinator, I will say that you do and Dusk til Dawn is the right one to have there for your big day. Thank you Samantha!
Response from the Vendor on 11/04/2021
I still stand by my statement about every couple doing their wedding the way they want to! Throw tradition out the window and make it your day. You and scott were such a great example of that!
I recently used Dawn 'til Dusk as my day of coordinator for my wedding and I could not have gotten through my day without them. Sam and Claire were both professional, fun, and had everything down to a T! They did everything from coordinating the timeline/day of details, set up/overseeing the event flow, to being a bulldog if/when needed :) I cannot recommend this business enough and appreciated all of their hard work they gave from start to finish.
Response from the Vendor on 11/04/2021
Your wedding is one of those weddings I wish I could’ve been in attendance to! Everyone had such a phenomenal time and it truly was a FUN wedding to work!
I could not imagine a better day of coordinator than Sam at Dawn to Dusk! When we had an issue with our groomsmens pants, one was the complete wrong color. Sam came up with a solution, coordinated the new pants and called up our original place to figure out what had happened and wouldn't let them blow her off. Besides that she was extremely attentive and made pur day so special. My husband and I had zero stress or worries on the day of as Sam kept everything moving wonderfully. She also came in clutch with stain remover after I got a grass stain on my dress. If you are having any doubts or worries about your time line on day of take my advice and hire Sam you won't have a worry at all.
Response from the Vendor on 11/04/2021
Thank you so much, Terrynn! You and Jesse are amazing and I am completely humbled to have been a small part of your day. You were a STUNNING bride.
Having worked in the film\TV and entertainmet business, I am very familiar with people who can go the extra mile to make sure the client is well taken care of. Something I was not expecting to see at the last wedding I attended.
Most of the time the wedding planners are not as hands on making sure everyone is taken care of, that things are running smooth and people are enjoying the day. Samantha and her Crew were as good as personal assistants on any set. They made sure all the vendors knew the plans for the day and people were in the right places at the right time. Even helping with the setup and getting things where they were needed.
They were going non-stop for the entire time we were there and never once quit checking with people to make sure they were taken care and smiled constantly. I would highly reccomend them for your wedding day just to help make sure not only are you and your Wedding Day plans taken care of , but that everyone who attends is also taken care of with the level of service, attention to detail and respect this crew provides.
Response from the Vendor on 11/04/2021
Oh my goodness! As a coordinator just starting out, your words mean more than you know! I may not have the vast years of experience but my heart is 1000% in it. I sincerely appreciate you acknowledging my hard work.
SAM IS AMAZING!! I am so glad we booked with Dawn til Dusk! She is the easiest person to talk to! When I first met her it felt like we had been friends for years! She was always there when I had a question about anything! She was on top of everything and made sure we had everything in line to have the perfect wedding day! Thanks to Sam we had the best day ever and it ran so smoothly! I didn't have a worry in the world because I knew Sam was there making everything run perfectly! I would recommend her to anyone!
Response from the Vendor on 11/04/2021
Bridget! Oh my goodness. Your wedding was a blast and I completely agree that it felt like a friendship the whole way through!
We had the opportunity to work with Dawn til Dusk as a fellow vendor. They are so awesome. Kept the schedule on time, great personality, willing to help when need. We would be excited and relieved knowing Samantha is in charge of any wedding we are working.
Response from the Vendor on 11/04/2021
Thank you Holleen! If only I could work weddings with you as the photographer all the time! We would be such a dream team👏🏼
Sam. Was. Awesome!!! So personable yet so professional!! She went with my husband and me to look at venues and thought of so many great questions (that would have never occurred to me). She also worked the day of my wedding to ensure everything went smoothly. I felt like I could focus on being a bride on my wedding instead of worrying about set up/tear down and everything in between.
Response from the Vendor on 11/04/2021
This is what I love the most! I have done many weddings and know the questions to ask! This is (likely) your first and only wedding so coming up with the timeline is virtually impossible without help!
My overall experience with Samantha has been wonderful. She has gone above and beyond throughout the entire planning process and I couldn’t be more thankful for her insight and support. She has extensive knowledge in event planning and the wedding industry overall, which has proved essential especially during a pandemic. She has the organizational tools/resources to make sure nothing gets missed and overall has a passion for customer service. Above all, Sam is flexible and so easy to work with – she will cater to your needs and ensure your day runs smoothly. 10/10 recommend Dawn ‘til Dusk!
Response from the Vendor on 11/04/2021
Thank you for the amazing review, Katie! Above and beyond is something I strive for every wedding and I am so incredibly happy that it was noticed.
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Central Iowa
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Meet the team
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- Dawn til DuskOwnerHi there! I'm Lydia, the owner of Dawn til Dusk. I strive to bring your vision to life. Dawn til Dusk offers 3 planning services: Day-of Coordination, Partial Planning, and Full Service Planning. No matter what your needs are, I can help facilitate your dream wedding day.
- Samantha HockerOwnerHi there! My name is Sam and I graduated with my Event Management degree from Iowa State University in 2015 and have a passion for all things events and weddings! I have over 5 years of experience planning events including 3 years of venue management. My strengths are organization, detail, and the ability to think on my feet. Once I started planning events, I knew this was my dream.
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Dawn til Dusk
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