vendor interview

How Amy Abbott Events Has Lasted Over Two Decades

Learn how this business thrives in Los Cabos and beyond.

Credit: Amy Abbott Events | Pictured: Amy Abbott

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TL;DR: Amy Abbott has spent over 20 years building a destination planning team in Los Cabos, growing from a single tiger lily into a 10-person co-op that produces weddings across Mexico and beyond. Her playbook: treat vendors like family, serve clients like a concierge, stay authentic on social, and approach a new destination with humility rather than ego.

When Amy Abbott landed in Los Cabos in August 2001, she wasn't planning weddings. She was a Seattle school teacher taking what was supposed to be a one-year break with her husband and children. Then September 11th happened two weeks after they arrived, followed almost immediately by the worst storm the region had seen in a century. As she puts it, her start was rocky.

More than two decades later, that rocky start has become one of the most established planning operations in Mexican destination weddings (and beyond). What began with “one little orange tiger lily and a little piece of leaf to wrap around it” in 2005 has grown, slowly and organically, into a 10-person women-led co-op that now travels throughout Mexico and has produced weddings everywhere from Cartagena to the Amalfi Coast.

This is the story of how she did it, and what other vendors can take from a career built less on disruption and more on showing up, watching closely, and earning trust.

1. Photo: Lucy Muñoz, Little Black Book Event Planning and Design: Amy Abbott Events, Little Black Book Event Planning and Design: Del Cabo Events, Little Black Book Floral Design: Pinacate, Little Black Book Production: Stage Pro Cabo

A Team That Takes a Bullet for You

Ask Amy what matters most in this business and she doesn't hesitate: vendor relationships. For a team that travels constantly, the ability to identify the strongest local vendors and build trust with them quickly is the whole game. That means watching their work, asking the right questions, and setting clear expectations from the start.

In her home base of Cabo, those relationships run deep. She describes her go-to production company as family, the kind of partners you can count on for anything.

“We have vendors that will take a bullet for you.”

That, she says, is what makes Cabo so busy and so successful. The relationships are the infrastructure.

2. Photo: Los Ebano, Little Black Book Event Planning and Design: Amy Abbott Events, Little Black Book Event Planning and Design: Del Cabo Events, Little Black Book Venue: One & Only Palmilla, Little Black Book Rentals: Cristina Gonzalez, Little Black Book Entertainment: Smart Music

Coordinator and Concierge

Over the past year, the biggest evolution in Amy's client experience has been leaning fully into a concierge model. Her team is more than design, logistics, and planning. They're advisors, activity planners, and, when needed, something close to therapists.

She's candid that this is a shift from how she started. Early in her career, the industry preached boundaries, and while her team still keeps them, they now open up their hearts and their resources to make the entire weekend work, from the moment a guest steps off the plane to the moment they board the flight home.

“We want these relationships to last, and thankfully they really do.”

3. Little Black Book Photography: Hayleigh McKay Photos, Little Black Book Event Planning and Design: Amy Abbott Events, Little Black Book Venue: Esperanza, Little Black Book Production: Stage Pro Cabo, Little Black Book Rentals: Cristina Gonzalez (Florals & Rentals), Little Black Book Rentals: YAYA, Little Black Book Entertainment: Smart Music, Little Black Book Beauty: Piel Canela

Attracting the Right Clients with Style Me Pretty

When asked how she attracts clients who align with her brand values, Amy's answer was immediate:

“Style Me Pretty, baby.”

Beyond the shoutout, her real point is about visibility. She and her team pour time into social media and their website because in this business, being unseen means being unhired. As she puts it, if clients can't see you, they're not going to use you. The work is making sure people know exactly who Amy Abbott Events is.

Want to join the Style Me Pretty vendor directory for just $99, or ready for the Little Black Book premium membership?

Authentic by Default

In an era where many planners lean on styled shoots to fill a feed, Amy takes the opposite approach almost by necessity. Her team produces enough real, beautiful events that they rarely need to manufacture content.

“Everything we produce, everything you see on Instagram, that's us. And that's what we do.”

She extends the same honesty to the AI conversation with clients. Whatever a rendering shows, she tells them, the real thing will look even better in person.

4. Photo: Bruno Rezza, Little Black Book Event Planning and Design: Amy Abbott Events, Little Black Book Event Planning and Design: Del Cabo Events, Little Black Book Rentals: Cristina Gonzalez, Little Black Book Production: Stage Pro Cabo

The Tools That Actually Move the Needle

Amy's most underrated growth tool isn't necessarily a tool at all. It's word of mouth, still number one after 20 years.

But the operational backbone is systems, specifically a strong budget tracker that lets clients see costs and watch their budget shift in real time, day to day. Her team shares documents anyone can understand, so a client who wakes up at 3 a.m. with a question can pull up exactly where things stand and bring it to the team the next morning.

“A very strong budget tracker, where people can see the costs, they can see how their budget is changing in real time.”

5. Photo: Sandra Aberg, Little Black Book Event Planning and Design: Amy Abbott Events, Little Black Book Floral Design: Malafronte Fiori, Little Black Book Beauty: Alessandro Mancino, Little Black Book Entertainment: Wedding Music

Humility Goes a Long Way

For new vendors trying to break into destinations, Amy has pointed advice: a little humility goes a long way. The biggest mistake she sees is people arriving convinced they'll reinvent the place.

She's literally heard someone announce they were going to become “the queen of rentals.” Her response is blunt: it's hard to come in and be the queen. Charging in to reinvent the wheel doesn't get you anywhere.

“You have to really be willing to strap your boots on and get out there in the thick of it.”

6. Little Black Book Photography: LA76 Photography, Little Black Book Event Planning and Design: Amy Abbott Events, Little Black Book Rentals: Cristina Gonzalez (Florals), Little Black Book Rentals: Yaya Rentals, Little Black Book Beauty: Piel Canela, Little Black Book Cinematography: Hera Cinema, Little Black Book Entertainment: Smart Music, Little Black Book Stationery: Hyegraph, Little Black Book Production: Stage Pro Cabo

Obsessed With AI (in the Right Way)

Amy isn't bracing for AI to ruin the industry. She's embracing it as an asset. She's used it to clean up contracts and catch grammar, to help with design, and even to discover beautiful venues she'd never heard of.

“I focus on how I can use it as a tool to best serve my clients. I'm obsessed with it.”

Millennials vs. Gen-Z

On the generational shift she's noticed, Gen Z clients want more access and more guidance. They want her to steer the ship while staying involved in the choices. Rather than resisting the change, she welcomes it.

“It's a brand new start every single day. I'm always open to change.”

7. Photo: Meraki, Little Black Book Event Planning and Design: Amy Abbott Events, Little Black Book Event Planning and Design: Del Cabo Events, Little Black Book Floral Design: Pinacate, Little Black Book Beauty: Piel Canela, Little Black Book Production: Stage Pro Cabo

A Long Relationship With Style Me Pretty

Amy has loved working with Style Me Pretty for roughly 15 years, calling it her go-to publication for its authenticity, clarity, and the genuine fun of the collaboration. She gave a shoutout to the Style Me Pretty team, and noted that even as new players try to enter the space, the handful of publications that have held their level are the ones that last.

After 20 years, a 10-person team, and weddings across multiple continents, her story still comes back to the same foundation: relationships, humility, and showing up authentically every single day.

8. Photo: Bruno Rezza, Little Black Book Event Planning and Design: Amy Abbott Events, Little Black Book Event Rentals & Decor: Archive Rentals, Little Black Book Beauty: Zoe Elizabeth

Additional Credits:

3. Carolyn & Ivan
Welcome & Rehearsal Venue: Maravilla | Videography: Victor Green | Music: DJ Ale Cabo Events | Transportation: Impala | Bride's Makeup: Hailey Hoff

How Amy Abbott Events Has Lasted Over Two Decades

A Team That Takes a Bullet for You

Coordinator and Concierge

Attracting the Right Clients with Style Me Pretty

Authentic by Default

The Tools That Actually Move the Needle

Humility Goes a Long Way

Obsessed With AI (in the Right Way)

Millennials vs. Gen-Z

A Long Relationship With Style Me Pretty

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