The Event Planning artists
& designers
about us
Claire Durán
Claire Durán has made a name for being the master designer and orchestrator of visionary weddings in over three dozen cities around the world, but there is much more to her. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic and classically trained in ballet and piano, Claire Durán is no stranger to chartering unknown territories. She moved to California in 2008, where she earned a master's degree in international public policy studies from Stanford University and then a Ph.D. in the same area of study from the University of Maryland. She worked for several years on research related to democracy and development in Latin America, as a consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank and the Brookings Institution, and then radically changed her career.
Claire realized that her soul was missing what it was meant for - arts and creativity. In an attempt to stay true to her purpose, Claire decided to radically leave it all behind to pursue a career that better aligned with her passion of creating - this time curating unforgettable moments for couples, breaking into an industry that still struggles to elevate diverse voices.
Claire founded Claire Duran Weddings & Events in 2014, a luxury wedding agency recognized by some of the most prominent publications in the industry. She was named as a Top Planner by Martha Stewart Weddings and her work has been published in Vogue, BRIDES, Carats and Cake, Style Me Pretty and many others.
Claire is married to a fellow Dominican; together they have a 10-year-old daughter and reside in the suburbs of Washington, DC.
President and Principal planner
Maja Lama
Maja is Claire’s right and left hand, and she has been part of the business since 2015. She’s the ultimate troubleshooter. Calm, confident and in possession of the kind of witty charm that effortlessly endears her to clients and vendors alike, we like to joke that Maja could be shipwrecked, yet still be utterly stress-free. (And oh boy, would that shipwreck be organized!).
Maja's favorite part of her job is the day-of execution. Seeing the ideas and dreams of her clients come to life in an event they’ll cherish forever? Priceless.
Prior to being part of the CDWE family, Maja was directing big budget PR campaigns for companies like Nestlé, L’ebel and United Airlines.
Maja loves to fill her life with travel adventures. Being able to explore new countries and create new memories fuels her and inspires her event design style.
Principal planner
Eli Bernabel
Eli is our design master. Eli first met Claire in a masterclass Clarie taught a few years ago. She then started working with her as a set-up auxiliary supervisor. Because of her great potential and always-on-point design judgment, she was officially asked to join the team permanently.
She is a really passionate young woman who pours her heart into everything she does. And you can confirm this as it shows in the results of her creations, designs or basically anything she touches (kind of like Midas).
Her favorite part of the job is obviously accounting. Just kidding, of course her favorite thing to do is designing and taking important decisions as the creative person she is.
Prior to joining CDWE, she had experience in event planning and design through her own event and interior design companies (she really likes to keep herself busy). Eli is one of the most hardworking people you will ever meet who truly takes pleasure in making her clients dreams come true.
principal designer
Rafa Milanese
Rafa is the newest member of the family. He had worked with us previously as an auxiliary in a couple of weddings, but then got officially signed as part of the team in early 2022.
Like the “little” brother of the team, he is most of the time electric and full of energy; he is caring and always willing to help (even if it's carrying boxes around).
Rafa loves both the design process and the day-of execution. He is kind of a people pleaser and a perfectionist, so he finds joy not only by satisfying our clients' needs, but also by working as hard as he can to execute their vision down to the last detail.
Before joining us, Rafa used to work as the lead architect in a furniture and design studio where he made use of his creativity to project and materialize design proposals according to their clients' spatial demands. Rafa is an adventurous and social young man who has found the perfect way to combine his skills and the things he is passionate about: outdoor experiences, design and customer service into his dream job.
principal designer
Michelle Arthur
Michelle (or as we love to call her, Michi) is our Office and Content Manager, but what that truly means is that she’s our Jane of All Trades! From handling behind the scenes administrative processes of the business, to securing inventory, creating content for our social media, booking flights and hotels (making sure Claire ALWAYS gets an aisle seat), and blogging our weddings, the list is one we are all so appreciative about. Moreover, she’s the one who always energizes the group on wedding weekends, making sure we’re all fed and well hydrated.
She turns into an event execution master during our wedding weekends, joining our setup team and being one of the most efficient busy bees in our staff. Leave it to Michi also to use her creative skills to save any last minute seating changes with her spot on calligraphy!
Before joining CDWE, Michi used to work at the prestigious and renowned Cervecería Nacional as a brand lead. She now divides her time between CDWE and Nateevos. The latter is a company she co-founded that promotes and facilitates responsible, empathetic and ecological tourism as a way to bring economic resources to both service providers and their users. When she’s not busy with all these, find her doing a yoga class or leading a meditation exercise. There’s nothing that takes this beautiful lady away from her zen.
office & Content manager
on instagram
@claireduranweddingsandevents
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