The Wedding Authority

Carla was AMAZING!!!! She brought everything that was in my head to life and my wedding would not have been as amazing as it was without her. If you need a wedding planner you cannot get anyone better than The Wedding Authority.

Dawn Walker with the Wedding Authority was my wedding planner for our April 5th wedding. She did a great job! This was a destination wedding for us. Dawn was local and already had established contacts for each service we needed for our wedding at a beach house (catering, photographer, floral, cake, lighting, table rentals, pastor, etc...). She did the planning and coordinating for me. This made my wedding day a lot less stressful!!

If you are considering getting married in north Florida, you HAVE to hire the Wedding Authority. I worked with Dawn Walker but Carla was also extremely helpful, stepping in for Dawn at times- they really work as a team. Being an out of town bride, it was crucial for me to have a coordinator who I could really rely on and Dawn at the Wedding Authority was just that person for me. Dawn is an expert on venues and vendors in her area and was able to make recommendations for us with absolute authority based on our personalities and goals for the wedding. I also liked that she didn't take over planning and try to plan HER dream wedding, which is how I felt about other planners who I interviewed. A couple of months before the wedding, my dad passed away unexpectedly and I was able to rely on Dawn to make decisions on our behalf, knowing that we didn't have to worry about her making the right choice. Dawn was also a lifeline the day of the wedding. She took care of my and my bridal party the day of the wedding and made sure every detail that we planned was executed. She really went above and beyond with coming through on some of our requests as well. Our wedding was everything that we wanted and more and it would not have been possible without Dawn walking with us every step of the way.

I have been to many wedding over my years, in church and out. This ceremony was beautiful. It was so personal and sentimental. This was not in a church, but it was as close as it could be. We heard many comments from our guest how much they enjoyed his words. Thanks so much

I cannot express how absolutely amazing Dawn was, her help planning our wedding was invaluable. We were planning a destination wedding and relied on Dawn for vendor recommendations and overall advice. She listened to everything we wanted and made our vision become a reality. The day of the wedding went so smoothly, we did not have to worry or think of anything because we knew that Dawn already had it covered. So many of our guests commented on how wonderful our wedding was and we know that it would not have been possible without her help and guidance. I don't think words can do justice to just how amazing it was to work with Dawn and everyone at the Wedding Authority. Their help truly was priceless.

I would recommend Dawn Walker (and the Wedding Authority) to everyone and anyone! My husband and I live in Atlanta and decided to have our wedding in St. Augustine at The River House. Since we were out of town, we decided to enlist the help of a wedding planner to make the process run smoothly. The first time we met Dawn, we knew that she was the one. Dawn is professional, extremely organized, prompt at responding to my questions/concerns, well-connected in this industry, and overall a fantastic wedding planner.

When I was planning my wedding, I was in my last year of law school and didn't have a lot of free time to plan the wedding. Needless to say, I needed a lot of help finding vendors, coming up with ideas for the reception and ceremony, and virtually everything else that ties into a wedding. Dawn walked my husband and I though the entire process. She sent us lists of vendors for everything from flowers, to DJs, to decorators and more. She also coordinated our appointments and made us time-lines for us to ensure we were on track with the planning.

Although the job description of a wedding coordinator entails many of these functions and responsibilities, Dawn can be set apart from the rest for 2 reasons. First, Dawn's (and the Wedding Authority's) prices for her wedding planning packages are very reasonable. Many wedding planners charge ridiculous amounts of money for the same services. Dawn's services - in my opinion - are worth significantly more than what she charges. And as an added bonus, she is accessible at virtually every hour of the day. There were many times when I emailed her at 11pm and she promptly responded by 1am that same evening. Second, (and most important of all) Dawn is essential to having your wedding day run smoothly. There were absolutely no issues on my wedding day - which is rare - and it was all thanks to her organization and planning! Overall, I would absolutely recommend her to...

Dawn:

We cannot think of an adequate superlative to describe your excellent managment of our daughter's planning activities, rehearsal, and wedding ceremony. Your attention to the smallest detail, all carried out with a smile and consideration to all involved, made the experience truly memorable.

You have our deepest gratitude and if you ever need a reference, please do not hesitate to call.

David and Ellen Edmonds

My wedding planner was Dawn, and I cannot say enough nice things about her. After beginning our planning with one of her associates, we switched to Dawn because we had met her several times and thought she would be a better fit for us. We were right! She could not have been more helpful! My wedding was a dream come true and so much of that was because she was in control of the situation at all times. Having never planned a wedding before, my parents and I needed to make sure that no detail would be overlooked, and Dawn was able to alleviate all our worries because she was so on top of things from the very moment she took over our planning. Fantastic job!!!!

When I began the wedding planning process, I knew I was going to need someone that would listen to my ideas and help make my vision come to life. I researched companies online and read reviews and was extremely impressed with The Wedding Authority. Upon setting up an appointment and meeting Dawn Walker, I was blown away by how quickly we meshed and I knew I had to work with her.

Dawn is the sweetest southern belle you will ever meet and she is has a God given talent to plan weddings. It was because of her that our wedding was flawless! I truly couldn't image things being any more perfect than they were. She is the best package: a kind-hearted individual and a rock star wedding planner. I highly recommend The Wedding Authority and specifically Dawn to anyone!

Thank you again Dawn for all of the time and devotion you put toward making our wedding a fairytale. I still can't believe at how amazing everything turned out. You are extremely talented at what you do and a pleasure to work with.

Dawn was the wedding planner I had from the Wedding Authority. She was amazing in contacting vendors, setting up blocks for hotel rooms, and arranging everything for our wedding day. The day went smoothly with no glitches. She is such a sweet person. Before we had even hired her and were venue shopping, she took us to a venue to check it out. She knows most of the vendors in the St. Augustine area and was very helpful in selecting vendors that suited our style and budget.

We had the ceremony at the Lightner Courtyard on the bridge, it was a interfaith ceremony, featuring a Rabbi and a Reverend, an uneven amount of groomsmen and bridesmaids, a little support animal in a dress and a few physically challenged fathers and a nervous groom and bride with little coordination and the beginning of shoe pain. Fortunately, we had Carla who is best described as the extremely important sticky stuff on the envelope of wedding ceremonies. She stuffed all my hard wedding planning work and totally sealed the deal ! I wish I could explain to you how she did it other than she was the glue and just made it happen and it was unforgettable !

Overall, I was quite disappointed. Our wedding did not go as smoothly as I had hoped, and our Centerpieces were not displayed the way we asked them to be. I feel that our money would have been better spent elsewhere.

Rev. Bill Young officiated our ceremony and did a wonderful job! He had already incorporated many things that we wanted in our ceremony that he was already doing. He was very informative and really helped us personalize our ceremony for us! It was beautiful and everyone thought that he did a great job!

Dawn was a lifesaver. Our daughter and her husband chose to have a a "Destination Wedding" on the beach. We had a modestly priced contract with Wedding Authority. Dawn went far "above and beyond the call of duty". She handled much more than we expected and played a major role in making the wedding a super success. She was exceptionally professional, pleasant and a pleasure to deal with. We all HIGHLY RECOMMEND DAWN AND THE Wedding Autority.

Dawn with The Wedding Authority was with us from the beginning til the end. Extremely positive and organized. Wonderful experience that led to a stress free day. Can't say enough about her.

After reviewing a bunch of different venues, The Wedding Authority was the place that provided everything that I dreamed for my wedding. What was perfect was that it was in our budget and all of the fine detailed were taken care of. I highly recommend anyone that is planning a wedding to check into them first as you will not be disappointed.

The Wedding Authority was the first place we looked at for our wedding planning and venue. We loved the Lightner Museum, and were very impressed with the services they offered, and all of the information Carla and Bill provided. We were ready to sign a contract right away, but thought we should explore some other options. No one compared to them. We knew exactly were we wanted to be married. Dawn was our wedding planner, and she is absolutely wonderful. We live in Orlando, so most of our contact was via phone and email. Dawn was there with us every step of the way. She was always very prompt in getting back to me whenever I had any questions. She really put me at ease. She gave me wonderful recommendations on different vendors to use for cake, flowers, photographer, etc. On my wedding day, she convinced me everything was ready to go and the reception hall looked beautiful. She did an amazing job! I didn't have to worry about anything! She gave me notice before the parent dances, when our dinner was ready, when it was time to cut the cake, etc. She had everything ready to go and the whole evening went so smoothly! I received many compliments on what a good job she did. I am very grateful to Dawn and all of the Wedding Authority for making this a wonderful experience and giving me a perfect wedding! Nothing went wrong! It was the best day of my life and I will be forever grateful to them!

My wife and I were a little hesitant to pick a planner/location so far from home but Dawn and co. handled everything with great professionalism. By the day of the wedding every detail had been taken care of and the ceremony/reception went off without a hitch! I would definitely recommend their services to anyone :)

Dawn and the whole team at the Wedding Authority was AMAZING from start to finish! We happened to walk by their office and just stopped in to see what it was about. We were so surprised!! We were welcomed in and given such amazing service! We didnt give them much time to plan (only 3 months) and it was SO beautiful! The entire process was stress free, fun, and perfect. I could not have pulled off such an amazing wedding without the assistance of the Wedding Authority. The actual night was incredibly romantic, beautiful, extremely fun, and just perfect. Did I mention, STRESS FREE?! Everything was taken care of! I HIGHLY recommend Dawn's services. She still keeps up with us today! We consider her and all of The Wedding Authority great friends! Thank you for making our night PERFECT!
Love, Layla and Andy...

My sister used the Wedding Authority to plan her wedding. She lives in Boston and I am here locally, so I was the main person to meet with Dawn and go over details for the wedding. Dawn and the whole team were so great to work with. Very professional, organized, enthusiastic, etc. I was married a few years ago and wish that my wedding planner was as fabulous as Dawn. She had every last detail covered. She helped my sister set up appointments with vendors when she came into town, picked up wedding favor samples, took care of all vendor contracts and worked with the reception banquet manager. She responded to emails and all phone calls/questions quickly. Dawn was truly a joy to work with and made my sister's day so special. She was with us every step of the way from the first day we chose the Wedding Authority until the end of the reception. Our parents were so impressed with Dawn at the reception - she made sure all the guests were where they should be, the wedding party was around at key times and the parents/grandparents were there for all the 'big' moments (first dance, cake cutting, etc). We grew attached to Dawn too - she's such a fabulous person. Anyone would be lucky to have her plan their wedding! I can't say enough about our experience with the Wedding Authority!

Barbara and the rest of the staff at the wedding authority were awesome! She kept us on track, coordinated the vendors, and reassured us that the decisions we made would work out great! Most importantly, we never knew anything was less than perfect on our special day because she handled everything! Do not hesitate to use the WEDDING AUTHORITY!

Words cannot describe how amazing Dawn, with the Wedding Authority was. She was definitely the key to making our wedding day a day to remember!!!! She was well-organized and provided the comfort and guidance that we needed. Our St. Augustine wedding was a “destination wedding” as I live in Cocoa Beach and my family is all in Atlanta, so it was very difficult for us to plan and handle things from there. Dawn’s attention to all the details gave us the fairytale wedding we had dreamed of!! No detail was too small for her to handle. (I had a lemonade stand for guests as they came in, and she even took care of making sure that was all set up.) She was there throughout the reception until the last guest had left – handling everything from helping to seat the guests all the way through – even making sure our horse and carriage was on time for us to leave.

Using the Wedding Authority as our planning service allowed my husband and I and our parents to have a stress free day. My mother was able to spend the day with me, never once having to worry about or handle any of the details. Dawn was with me throughout the entire wedding process and I can honestly say I don't know what I would have done without her.
I truly believe that she was as excited about our wedding as we were!

Rev Bill Young officiated our beach ceremony for us. He was so kind and really listened to what we wanted in our ceremony.
Thank you for helping to make our ceremony so meaningful and beautiful!

All the staff at The Wedding Authority are delightful. Barbara was our actual planner. She was great! Always on top of things. She knew the boundaries of our venue and was upfront about them. There were no empty promises. The day of our wedding, she handled all of the small glitches- most of whom I didn't even know occured until after the wedding. Having a planner really made things less stressful. I would certainly recommend The Wedding Authority.

Carla was great. We chose to go with a venue not owned by them and they were so great about it. She really worked with us to make sure what was going to happen and. I would highly suggest to get a planner for the day of your wedding because there is just SO much to do. Carla got it all done and kept my venue on time with everything. She was wonderful and Reverend Bill Young was great. He was one of the great compliments that everyone gave us about the wedding his service was definitely above and beyond and he was so personal without getting all up in our business. I would highly suggest them to anyone getting married in St. Augustine whether or not you use their great properties.

I am so happy that I picked the Lightner Museum to have my wedding. Carla and Barbara with The Wedding Authority took my vision and made it a reality. This company provided all seating, table cloths, did all of the set up, handle centerpieces and decorating the entire venue (reception and ceremony), coordinated the entre ceremony and really assisted in making my dream come true. Reverend Bill Young was the officiant who married us and he was so personal and endearing. The value for the services I received was definitely amazing. I would recommend anyone to them because they were
beyond words wonderful. Thank you to the team for making my day so special!

THEY MADE EVERYTHING WORK PERFECTLY!!!!!! I hired them because I'm a student and completely unable to plan the wedding. I got the unlimited package and they really did handle everything. I told her what I wanted and she made everything possible. She was very mindful of who I was and what I wanted my wedding to look like. I love that she had an opinion without stepping on toes. I am so happy that I hired them. This day would not have happened without them!

On November 6 our daughter Jackie and now son in law Mike, got married in the Courtyard of the Lightner Museum and I cannot rave enough about the professionalism of the Wedding Authority team (Carla, Bill, and Barbara). We started working with them a year prior to the event and they were very flexible with the choices we made for the photographer Addison Fitzgerald (Matthew and Veronica), our Cake Designer Jesse Tryon (Creative Cakes by Jesse), who drove all the way from Orlando to complete one of the most beautiful cakes we have seen, our DJ Joe Firrantello, Publix Apron's Events in Jacksonville for the flowers, and Tracy from A1A Ale Works who also own the Sala Menendez Room and did a WONDERFUL job with catering our reception. Everyone who attended the event is still talking about it! Reverend Bill Young was so kind and warm and all felt blessed with his words. We never expected to leave all decisions to be made by our wedding coordinators, they did what we expected of them recommend, coordinate, and make sure that everything looked exactly the way we wanted until the end. They are the best!

The Wedding Authority was great! I would highly recommend them especially Bill Young as an officiant. We got so many compliments about Bill's ceremony. It was spiritual and beautiful.

They were helpful and prompt about timing for the ceremony and music during the ceremony. Carla was compassionate towards me when I was ill before getting married. She was a great facilitator and kept everyone on task.

I would recommend Carla as a wedding planner and my advise is to meet with her as much as you can to plan out what you want.

Wonderful to work with. Made our ceremony great!

These people do it all! They really made my day perfect and hassle free. I would recommend the Wedding Authority to anyone getting married in St. Augustine.

The Wedding Authority is definitely on my "favorites" short list of wedding professionals in the St. Augustine area. I have worked with/for them for over 12 years now and they are the best! Carla and Bill Young make you feel right at home with their southern hospitality from the moment you walk into their office, located within the Lightner Museum. The Wedding Authority staff is top notch and doesn't miss anything, even down to the smallest details of your wedding. Reverend Bill speaks from the heart and really connects with couples as an officiant. I also really enjoy the sacred aspects of his ceremonies, which go beyond the standard pomp and circumstance provided by many notaries. I love working with The Wedding Authority!

These ladies are on top of it all!! Carla, Dawn and Barbara are just a few of the gals I have had the pleasure of meeting from Wedding Authority. Professional, take care of details and hold your hand with the most nervous of couples. Can't say enough about these people! Would definitely recommend!

Everything you need in one place! Great location with plenty of charm and history. You have to check out all they offer!

Getting married in St Augustine? The Wedding Authority is located in the Lightner Museum complex and they manage the courtyard which is a wonderful venue for your wedding ceremony! Carla, Bill and the rest of the staff can make planning your wedding day worry free. They can provide everything you need for the perfect wedding day. The Wedding Authority can provide the venue, a wedding officiant, photography, music and more. The Wedding Authority - one of the top wedding professionals we have worked with in our over 25 years in the industry. Try them, I know you wll be pleased

What can I say about the Wedding Authority other than that each and every bride I have worked with has nothing but wonderful things to say. I have personally met the staff and I am grateful that there are such great wedding professionals to collaborate on events with in our beautiful wedding destination town of St. Augustine, FL. Looking forward to a healthy and successful 2012!