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This week's topics: Mexico destination weddings, Cabo weddings, destination wedding planning, Mexico wedding venues, destination wedding planners, local wedding vendors, wedding vendor relationships, plated wedding dinners, paper wedding RSVPs, live wedding entertainment
In this episode of Wedding Day Podcast, Iron Diamond Media owner Sonja Babich, Dan Riggs of Dan Riggs Films and Alexis Sanabria, publisher of California Wedding Day, Washington Wedding Day and Oregon Wedding Day, sit down with Michelle Garibay, owner and planner of Michelle Garibay Events, to discuss destination wedding planning, the professional relationships behind a seamless celebration and the choices that help couples create a meaningful guest experience. Recorded at The Havens Country Club in Southern California, the conversation draws on Garibay’s nearly 20 years in the wedding industry and her experience planning celebrations throughout California, Hawaii and Mexico.
Garibay’s destination expertise began while she and her husband were living on Oahu during the final years of his Navy career. Although she had already worked in hospitality, corporate events and social events in San Diego, her position at the Pacific Club gave her valuable experience with food and beverage service and the behind-the-scenes operations of a private club. After launching her own company, Garibay began working with couples traveling from the mainland to get married in Hawaii. Because she lived on the island and developed relationships with local wedding professionals, she could help bridge the cultural and communication differences that sometimes surprised couples accustomed to a faster pace. Learning to respect and embrace the local culture allowed her to serve as an informed liaison rather than approaching the destination as an outsider.
While Garibay still maintains relationships on Oahu, her destination work has gradually shifted toward Mexico, particularly Cabo. She points to the weather, hospitality and overall value as some of the most compelling reasons couples choose to marry there. Cabo is also approximately a two-hour flight from Southern California, making it relatively accessible for many of her clients and their guests. But planning destination weddings requires far more than choosing an attractive resort online. Garibay believes planners must invest their own time and money in visiting a destination, learning its properties and building trusted relationships before presenting themselves as local experts. She travels to Mexico regularly and works with area professionals whenever possible, from florists and musicians to gifting companies. Those connections give couples access to a team with firsthand knowledge of the destination while keeping their wedding experience rooted in its setting.
Building those relationships begins with approaching prospective partners from a place of generosity. Rather than simply asking a venue to add her to its preferred list or send business her way, Garibay starts conversations by asking how she can help and how they might work together. Events organized by the Los Cabos Tourism Board introduced her to properties and representatives from throughout the region, while her involvement in wedding-industry organizations has allowed her to bring other California professionals on familiarization tours. By connecting venues with a wider network of potential collaborators, she helps create value for everyone involved. Garibay applies the same philosophy to professional networking closer to home. She advises wedding professionals to give an organization at least a full wedding season before evaluating its value, noting that relationships require continued participation rather than a single meeting.
For couples, those professional connections can offer useful insight into the planner or vendor they are considering. Garibay calls relationships the lifeblood of the wedding industry, especially in a field where contacts at venues and companies can change frequently. A planner who remains involved in the wedding community is better positioned to stay current and assemble a team of trusted professionals. Alignment matters just as much as familiarity: Garibay looks for creative partners who share her goals, serve similar couples and understand the aesthetic and experience she wants to create. The most recognizable or expensive vendor is not automatically the right choice if that professional’s priorities do not complement the couple’s vision. Garibay has also expanded the ways her companies serve couples through West and Madison Events, which provides wedding management for those who do not require the full-service planning and design offered through Michelle Garibay Events.
When asked to choose between several familiar reception options, Garibay reveals how each decision can shape the atmosphere of a wedding. She prefers cake over a dessert bar because a beautifully designed wedding cake can become an artistic focal point, although she believes couples should decide whether a public cake cutting feels comfortable for them. She gravitates toward plated dinners because guests can remain seated, enjoy their conversations and experience a customized menu inspired by places the couple has traveled, but recognizes that family-style service can complement a more relaxed celebration. Garibay also favors paper RSVPs because invitations provide the first impression—or “handshake”—of the wedding, suggesting a two-sided card with both a mail-in option and QR code as a practical compromise. For entertainment, she loves the energy of a live band and often designs a progression of sound across the event: romantic live music during the ceremony, background music through cocktails and dinner, a band for dancing and a DJ for the after-party. From the first invitation to the final song, Garibay’s approach demonstrates how thoughtful planning can transform individual details into a celebration that feels cohesive, personal and effortless for the couple and their guests.
This episode is powered by Dan Riggs Films, Michelle Garibay Events and California Wedding Day.
