First Light Events
Service levels: Full-service planning
Team size: 1
About First Light Events
First Light Events
After “retiring” from a career as a lawyer, Dawn joined the restaurant industry to learn everything she could about fine food, wine & cocktails and excellent hospitality. Now, with over three years of experience with events of all types and sizes in Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, Dawn is eager to bring event planning services to a wider audience. With a keen eye for detail, nerves of steel, and expert organizational skills, you can trust her to manage all aspects of your event with professionalism, precision and a bit of sparkle.
First Light focuses on smaller scale events where Dawn can bring personalized event planning services to everyone looking for help. First Light serves all couples in love in Philadelphia and the surrounding region.
In three words: Calm, Flexible, Organized
Services by planning level
Full-service planning
Pricing starts at $3,000
Partial planning
Pricing starts at $2,000
Day-of coordination / wedding management
Pricing starts at $1,500
Elopement / microwedding
Pricing starts at $1,000
A la carte
Pricing starts at $500
Reviews
Write a review5.0 out of 5
7 reviews
- OD
Olivia D.
Hands Down The Best
Dawn is truly the best!! We originally hired her for day-of coordination, but she went so far above and beyond what we ever expected. From the very beginning, she was quick, communicative, organized, direct, and incredibly thoughtful. For the three months leading up to our wedding, we were in constant communication, and she eventually took over all of our vendor communications, making the final weeks leading up to the wedding completely seamless and stress-free. She was also there for our rehearsal, and thank goodness she was! She helped run the entire rehearsal, made sure everyone knew where they needed to be and what they needed to do, and ensured that everyone was aligned, prepared, and ready for the big day. On our wedding day, Dawn was an absolute lifesaver. She not only helped with setup and breakdown, but she made sure my husband and I were at the forefront of every decision and always at the top of everyone’s minds. She could tell when we needed a break, kept our wedding party organized and on track, and made sure we were fed, comfortable, and actually able to enjoy our day. She also made sure all of our personal touches were accounted for and taken care of at the end of the night, which meant so much to us. Dawn is thorough, detail-oriented, dependable, and genuinely cares about her couples. She anticipated our needs before we even knew what we needed and handled everything behind the scenes so we could be fully present and enjoy every moment. She made our wedding day feel effortless, and we truly don't know what we would have done without her. If you are getting married, you NEED Dawn. She is someone you can completely trust, and she will go above and beyond to make sure your wedding day is everything you dreamed it would be. We cannot recommend her enough!
- AH
Alivia H.
The best coordinador
Working with First Light Events was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. Dawn made it so easy to talk to her about what we wanted for our day. She took so much stress off of our shoulders by handling all the little details and making sure nothing slipped through the cracks. Every concern we had was addressed right away, and she went above and beyond to ensure all of our needs were met. We trusted her completely to take care of everything, and she delivered on every single thing. At my wedding in specific. My ceremony and reception were at two different locations. I didn’t have to lift a finger or worry about placement of decorations, set up and so much more,Dawn handled everything Beautifully. We can’t recommend first light events enough.
- GC
Gess C.
EXCELLENT planner!
Dawn is fantastic. She’s prompt, organized, friendly, and intuitive. She figures out what needs to be done and she does it. We had such a wonderful experience with her—she helped us coordinate everything starting a few months before the wedding and I was so glad we hired her. I would’ve been absolutely underwater without her help. She’s got an aesthetic eye too, she made such beautiful charcuterie spreads for us at one of our other events, and she did perfect cake flowers. She helped us make the centerpieces with bulk florals as well. Her rates are more reasonable but she knocks it out of the park. You’ll be thanking your lucky stars you went with her and not some generic 15k package through some bigger or more “luxury” planning company. She knows what she’s doing. Would recommend her to anyone. Thanks Dawn!!!! ️
- GK
Gina & K.
The Best Wedding Ever? We Have Dawn to Thank
We got engaged in late December 2024 and knew we wanted to get married in October 2025. With such a quick turn, coupled with the fact that both of us have very demanding jobs (and no idea how to plan a wedding!), we knew we needed a planner. We also had a vague sense of our budget and quickly found that many planners have minimum budget requirements before they even speak to you. We also found that many planners are unreliable and don't return calls. Not Dawn. Dawn got back to us immediately and was interested in working with us regardless of our budget. Choosing Dawn as our wedding planner was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. Dawn has a ton of contacts and we were able to secure phenomenal vendors through her. Dawn also made herself extremely available--she will take, or cede, as much control as you want. Even if you have a crazy idea (and I'm sure we had a few!), she will do her best to make it come to fruition. Our wedding turned out exactly as we imagined and many of our guests said it was the best wedding they've ever attended. For this, we have Dawn to thank. Coming from two people who never write reviews, we were happy to write this as we really can't say enough good things about Dawn. If you're looking for an organized, adaptable, unflappable planner, reach out to Dawn. You won't regret it!
- KS
Katharine S.
Perfect planning
Working with Dawn of First Light Events was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. Her communication style was prompt, thorough, patient, and highly professional, which put us at ease throughout the entire wedding planning process. The quality of her work and the value she provided was truly outstanding - she was extremely knowledgeable about all parts of our wedding day - from ceremony details to food to rentals. She was thoughtful, supportive, and ensured every detail was taken care of, allowing us to enjoy our special day without a hitch. She turned our blank wedding venue into a beautiful ceremony area and elegant reception. She handled the nitty-gritty so we did not have to lift a finger the day of our wedding. We could not have asked for a more well-rounded and capable person to bring our wedding vision to life. We are so grateful to Dawn and First Light Events for making our wedding day absolutely perfect.
Dawn Sawyer•Sep 22, 2025Thank you Kate! I absolutely loved working with you and Paul, and I am grateful to you for introducing me to such a gorgeous venue. I appreciate the kind words and wish you and your family all the best!
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