How we work
and how we make a living.

Who is behind miboda

miboda is run by a small team based in Las Terrenas, Samaná:

• Marvin (founder). Comes from the hospitality world on the north coast. He's a partner in several local businesses — we list them below under "Conflicts of interest" because they matter.
• Ana (operations director, partner). Coordinates vendor verification, couple support, and the follow-up on every request. More than 20 years in events and hospitality.
• Camille Rivera (editor · wedding planner). The editorial voice of the Journal. Coordinates ~25 intimate weddings a year on the peninsula. Lives in Cosón.

The operating company is registered in the Dominican Republic. For formal or legal contact: hola@miboda.do.

How we (don't) make money today

Today, miboda charges no one. Not couples, not vendors. We mean it:

• Couples: using the directory, sending a request, receiving quotes, comparing and booking — all free. There is no premium tier.
• Vendors: appearing in the directory is free. We charge no listing fee, there is no paid placement, no per-lead commission and no fee on a booked wedding.
• Affiliates: we don't use affiliate links. When we link to the JCE, MIREX, gosamana.com or any external page, we receive no commission.
• Advertising: we don't sell ad space, not now and not on the immediate roadmap.

This is deliberate while we validate the model. The metric that actually matters to us is how many weddings are confirmed through the directory — not how much we bill. Once that metric is clear, we'll define an economic model that makes sense for couples and vendors. We'll say it here first.

So how do we cover costs today?

Honestly: today miboda is a bet. The team covers operating costs with other projects (see "Conflicts of interest") and with the founder's capital. It's deliberately pre-revenue. If we don't validate in 12–18 months, it will be obvious and we'll say so.

Conflicts of interest (declared)

The founder is a partner in several local businesses in Las Terrenas. Some could eventually appear as vendors in the directory. We declare it in the open:

• Sienna, ETNO, Atlantique Sud — hospitality projects connected to the founder.

How we handle it: if any of these businesses enters the directory, it goes through exactly the same verification process as any other vendor (see /en/methodology). The listing carries a visible "Team business" label at the top of the vendor page. If a couple sends a request that ends up going to one of these businesses, the lead is handled with the same criteria as any other — no preference, no priority discount against competitors.

What will happen when we start charging

At some point, miboda will have to sustain itself. When that moment comes, here is what we promise:

• We'll say it here, on this page, before anywhere else.
• Curation cannot be bought. Even if one day we charge to appear, the four-step filter will still apply equally to everyone. A vendor who pays does not skip verification.
• There will be no unverified "basic listing." If a vendor appears, it's verified. Period.
• Editorial content is not for sale. The Journal's guides will remain independent of the commercial model. If we publish sponsored content, it will carry a visible label ("Paid content") — our editorial policy says so too.

Whose data is it? And whose leads?

When a couple sends a request, the data travels to our team (to coordinate forwarding it to the vendor) and to the chosen vendor. We don't sell that data to third parties, we don't share it with advertising networks, and we don't use it for remarketing. The full policy, with legal basis, retention periods and your data rights, is at /en/privacy.

Anything else we should be publishing here?

If there's something about how we work that you think we should be stating in the open and aren't, write to us. We take transparency seriously; if we forget something, we want to know.