SPEAKERS
LOVE MERIDA 2026
Mel George | Master of Ceremonies
Mel George Weddings
(United States)
Mel George is a destination wedding planner and travel advisor who specializes in intercultural and multicultural celebrations. As the founder of a boutique travel and planning firm, she curates weddings that honor each couple’s love story and heritage. Her journey with IADWP has expanded her global reach and deepened her commitment to collaboration and excellence. Passionate about connection, Mel launched an initiative to support emerging agents, believing that empathy and teamwork create more meaningful, heart-centered service.
Arun Bablani
Bespoke Wedding Planning & Management - Vivaah Weddings
(Dubai, UAE)
Arun Bablani is the founder and owner of Vivaah Weddings, a premier luxury wedding planning company based in Dubai, UAE. With over 20 years of experience in the event planning industry, Arun is renowned for his ability to create extraordinary, bespoke weddings worldwide. Notably, he was responsible for the first-ever destination wedding at Disneyland Paris and the first fully sustainable wedding in the Middle East at Banyan Tree, Dubai.
As the founder Member of The Event Group (TEG), the first consortium of event professionals in the Middle East, Arun plays a pivotal role in shaping the regional wedding industry. His contributions have earned him recognition on prestigious lists such as the DWP Power List 100 and the 50 Most Influential People in the Events Industry globally.
Arun is also a Global Ambassador for Vow for Girls, where he actively advocates for ending child marriage through education and empowerment.
Cheryl Bailey
CEO of Yellow Umbrella Events
(United States)
Cheryl Bailey is the founder and CEO of Yellow Umbrella Events, an award-winning destination wedding travel agency specializing in all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and managing more than 600 travel groups to date. After transforming her own financial life - from living paycheck to paycheck with more than $100,000 in debt to building a seven-figure net worth - Cheryl became passionate about helping fellow entrepreneurs master their finances. Through her practical, systems-based approach, she teaches business owners how to keep more of what they earn, invest with confidence, and build lasting wealth.
Chris Dehner
Director of Marketing for Modern Travelworks
(United States)
Chris Dehner has over 15 years of experience in the romance travel industry, beginning as an advisor specializing in destination weddings and all-inclusive vacations. He played a key role in building Modern Destination Weddings into one of the industry’s leading agencies, blending a client-centered approach with a process-driven mindset for sustainable growth.
Now as Director of Marketing for Modern Travelworks, Chris leads brand strategy and advisor-facing content. He also hosts The Modern Travel Agent Podcast, a platform that shares insights and interviews to help advisors scale their businesses.
As the IADWP Chapter Head of Texas, Chris is excited to foster innovation, collaboration, and growth within the destination wedding professional community.
Nikki Hendrix
CEO and Owner of Favorite Grampy Travels
(United States)
Nikki Hendrix is the CEO and Owner of Favorite Grampy Travels, a family-focused travel agency she founded in honor of her father, “Favorite Grampy,” who taught her that life is about experiences, not things. Since 2019, Nikki has grown the agency into a nationally recognized brand with a team of over 70 Concierge Travel Advisors who help families create priceless memories around the world.
Leveraging her background in marketing and management, Nikki has built Facebook communities of over 800,000 members, generating 10,000+ qualified leads annually and driving millions in sales to her advisors. Her innovative approach earned her the 2024 TravelAge West WAVE Award for Best Use of Social Media.
A respected voice in the industry, Nikki is a member of the Travel ALLIES Society and Female Leaders in Travel. She mentors aspiring agents and agency owners, speaks on major industry stages, and has been featured on multiple podcasts.
Her greatest passion lies in equipping fellow travel advisors with the tools, support, and inspiration they need to thrive in a constantly evolving industry. Through her leadership, Nikki continues to raise the bar for travel advisors everywhere, fostering a culture of growth, professionalism, and shared success.
Pipe Gaber
Wedding Photographer, Creative Director & Speaker
(México)
Pipe Gaber is an acclaimed Mexican photographer, international speaker, and creative director with over a decade of experience in destination wedding and editorial photography. Since 2011, he has served as the director of Time Travel Photography and founded Gaber Studio, establishing himself as a benchmark for high-end wedding storytelling in the Yucatán Peninsula and beyond.
Blending the sophistication of fashion photography with the authenticity of photojournalism, Pipe creates timeless visual narratives for couples worldwide. His early career in the fashion industry allowed him to work with renowned global brands and fashion houses such as Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Dice Kayek Paris, Fashion Week México, and Pantene. Throughout his career, he has photographed high-profile celebrities including Bárbara de Regil, Camila Sodi, and Cristian Castro, with his work featured in prominent international publications such as Vogue México, Food and Travel, Grupo Expansión, TVyNovelas, and Caras Argentina.
Recognized internationally for his artistic vision and technical mastery, Pipe won the Riviera Maya International Destination Wedding Photography Contest in 2014, the Skin Photo Contest by ViewBug in 2017, and both the Sensual Portraits and TopShot awards in 2022. He was nominated as Revelation Photographer of the Year by BodaF Latinoamérica in 2015 and was officially named Tourism Ambassador Photographer for Yucatán by SECTUR (Ministry of Tourism) in 2021.
Beyond his work in Mexico's iconic haciendas and coastal landscapes, Pipe regularly captures destination weddings across Latin America and Europe in locations such as Paris, Béziers, and the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. Known for his authorial style and creative innovation, he also leads mentorship programs, speaks at industry conferences, and explores conceptual visual projects integrating fine art and modern tools.
Alain Martínez
Alain Martínez Studio
(United States)
Alain Martinez is a luxury visual director and photographer whose career began in the world of weddings and high-end private events. Over the course of two decades, his work has taken him, alongside his family, to more than 200 destinations around the world photographing royalty in the Middle East, professional athletes and discerning clients who expect the highest standards of quality and discretion. He is renowned for his refined eye, his calm leadership on set and his ability to create images that feel both sophisticated and deeply authentic.
Today, Alain works with luxury brands and hotel groups through Alain Martinez Studio, producing sophisticated visual content for premium hotels and destinations. He is also a Marriott Luxury-approved content creator, a distinction awarded only to a select group of photographers worldwide. Beyond the lens, Alain is developing AI-powered systems and agent architecture to scale how his brands operate applying, behind the scenes, the same standard of precision and discretion for which his visual work is recognized in front of the camera.
Michele Schwartz
Founder of Jet Setting with Me
(United States)
Michele Schwartz is the founder of Jet Setting with Me, a U.S.-based luxury travel design agency established in 2020, specializing in experiential and group travel.
Prior to launching her agency, Michele founded The Modern Jewish Wedding, which held a page one, number-one search position on Google for many years. This made her one of the most widely read and credible voices in the Jewish wedding space. At Love Mexico, she brings both bodies of expertise into the room with her session, "From Chuppah to Check-In: Designing Destination Jewish Weddings."
A recognized industry voice, Michele has been featured in Travel Weekly, Travel & Leisure, and Destination I Do, and has spoken at Engage!, one of the luxury wedding industry's most prestigious conferences.
Rui Mota Pinto
Author of Experiential Weddings / Mentor and Director at the IADWP Academy
(Portugal)
Rui Mota Pinto is a visionary wedding designer, planner, mentor, and educator who has been transforming and challenging the romance industry for more than three decades. His work is driven by emotion, intention, and experience, designing celebrations that go far beyond aesthetics and are deeply rooted in storytelling, culture, and human connection.
Known for his bold, creative, and often provocative approach, Rui is frequently described as a "rebel" or even an "anti-wedding planner." He questions conventions, redefines the concept of luxury, and firmly believes that true elegance lies in meaning, not excess. His distinctive style merges design thinking, emotional intelligence, and experiential storytelling, creating weddings that are felt just as much as they are seen.
In 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, Rui was named one of the 50 Most Influential Wedding Professionals in the World and one of the 50 Most Influential People in the Event Industry in Europe by EVENTEX; a recognition that reflects not only his visibility, but his long-term impact, consistency, and contribution to the industry. He has also served as a jury member for the Eventex Awards in 2024, 2025, and 2026, solidifying his role as a trusted voice in global event design and innovation.
Rui is the only Portuguese professional certified as a Wedding Tourism Specialist and the only Master Wedding Planner in Portugal. With over 30 international awards in concept, design, and creativity, his work has been featured in leading media outlets such as The New York Times, Gazeta de São Paulo, Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, and Le Figaro. Despite this, his focus remains steadfastly on process, purpose, and people, rather than trophies.
Education, leadership, and mentorship are central to his mission. Rui serves as the President of the Portuguese chapter of the IWPA, where he fosters collaboration, raises professional standards, and shapes the future of the industry in Portugal.
Through WeddingLab by Rui Mota Pinto, he provides mentorship to wedding planners, designers, and venues, sharing insights built on real-world experience, critical thinking, and an honest vision of the sector. Additionally, he serves as a mentor and director at the IADWP Academy, contributing to the development of the next generation of destination wedding professionals worldwide.
His international journey began at a very young age, organizing weddings starting at age 19 and later refining his professional path in New York. In 2015, he launched Pop-Up Weddings Destinations, an international project currently operating in 17 destinations, reflecting his belief in accessibility, creativity, and new celebration formats.
Rui is a highly sought-after international speaker, regularly invited to industry congresses and forums worldwide, where he presents on topics such as design as emotion, leadership, sustainability, ethics, and the future of weddings. He actively collaborates with social and environmental initiatives, integrating responsibility and awareness into both his projects and his teaching.
Designing and planning destination weddings in locations such as Portugal, Italy, Dubai, and Mexico, Rui Mota Pinto continues to create meaningful, immersive, and soulful experiences, always guided by a single principle: weddings are not products; they are memories in the making.
Judy Karwacki
Founder Small Planet
(Canada)
Judy Karwacki brings more than 45 years of experience in the travel industry, with a unique perspective shaped by both traditional tourism and sustainable destination development. For 40 years, she has owned a travel agency that has arranged thousands of travel experiences, including all-inclusive wedding and romance celebrations throughout Mexico and other destinations.
She is also the owner of a sustainable tourism consultancy that has worked in more than 50 countries. Her work with Maya communities in Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala has given her firsthand insight into how authentic culture and local experiences can create greater value for destinations and travelers alike.
Mexico holds a special place in Judy’s heart. She founded Travel Agents Selling Adventures in Mexico (TASAM), a private Facebook community dedicated to helping travel professionals discover, understand, and promote regenerative and experience-based travel opportunities.
Judy is also the co-creator of the Market Ready Tourism Model, a consumer-focused, experience-driven approach to sustainable tourism development. Based in San Cristóbal de las Casas, the model has been applied in numerous states across Mexico and in other Latin American countries.
Bringing together decades of experience selling travel with deep expertise in sustainable and community-based tourism, Judy offers insight into how destinations like Merida can meld the traditional all-inclusive model with local cultural experiences to generate more value, more emotion, more revenue and more meaningful benefits for both visitors and local communities.
Lisi Korn
Creative Director of Lisi Korn Signature Events
(United States)
Lisi Korn is the founder and creative director of Lisi Korn Signature Events, a Miami-based luxury planning, design, and production firm known for creating highly considered weddings and celebrations for discerning private clientele around the world. With more than 18 years of experience and an early career shaped by internationally recognized fashion houses such as Burberry, Lisi brings a distinctive point of view rooted in fashion, hospitality, understated luxury, and a deep understanding of how people experience a space.
From intimate destination gatherings to complex, large-scale, multi-day productions, her work is defined by layered design, thoughtful detail, and a sense of effortless refinement. Lisi is known for creating environments that feel sophisticated yet personal, balancing strong creative direction with the precision and orchestration required to deliver an exceptional guest experience. Her work has earned international recognition, including being named among the World’s Best 100 Planners and one of the 20 best planners in the U.S.
Roslyn Ranse
Founder of Travel Agent Achievers
(Australia)
Roslyn Ranse is an Australian travel business strategist, international speaker, and founder of Travel Agent Achievers. Backed by 17+ years in the travel industry and a corporate background as Director of Sales and Marketing, she empowers travel professionals to scale their agencies through education, coaching, and automation. In addition to mentoring through her Achievers Mastermind, Roslyn remains active in the field as a Virtuoso-certified luxury and corporate travel advisor with itravel Australia.
Roberto Solís
Chef Huniik Restaurant
(México)
A Yucatecan chef dedicated to honoring the ingredients and produce of his homeland through a cuisine that revives and evolves traditions. Free and playful, his kitchen travels the world—always in motion, exploring the boundaries of what Yucatecan gastronomy can become.
Driven by a passion for his land and its people, Solis Azarcoya has devoted himself to sharing his identity through unique experiences crafted with a global perspective, yet firmly grounded in his roots. In doing so, he has helped establish and define a traditional yet evolving Yucatán—one with deep, solid roots, and a canopy that continues to rise, endlessly toasting to the region's culinary heritage.
