Michelle Lord Rago is the Founder of Michelle Rago Destinations, an international planning and production firm established in the year 2000. Her company is based in New York City, but her client base is global. Michelle graduated from the New York Restaurant School in 1988 and most recently the Little Nell Wine Academy in Aspen, Colorado. Rago has recently been named one of the best wedding planners by Martha Stewart Weddings, Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue Magazine.

Approximately half of the events Michelle produces annually are for philanthropies such as Variety The Children’s Charity of St. Louis, the American Cancer Society, Nurses for Newborns and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Many of Michelle’s events are also with repeat clients, including the Steward Family for whom she has produced events for the past 12 years. Other long term clients include the Bissell Family and the van Beuren Family.

Michelle’s greatest strength lies in interpreting the client’s preferences, assessing the possibilities and translating them into well-planned and well-designed affairs. The company has produced events in over 20 countries, most recently in Italy, France, Antigua and Amsterdam. In addition, Michelle typically has 3-5 speaking engagements per year and can be found quoted in Bloomberg, Bride’s Magazine and The New York Times.