mzthan6

Congratulations and Happy Planning

beautiful dress

thank you for sharing

hey crasht1224, love this idea. thanks. have to keep this in mind

We passed by this place on our way to Negril coming from MoBay.

I'm so glad i found this thread!

Hi - can you send post the etsy link please? I'm interested

Thanks for the review! I'm glad your friends were able to take pictures.

Hi NJKinNegril, your post is a big help for me. I'm currently planning our wedding in Negril, we chose Villa SurMer. Are Andrea and Mauvette the wedding planner for Catcha Falling Star? Quote: Originally Posted by NHKinNegril Hi ladies I am newly returned from my April 9 wedding at Catcha Falling Star in Negril. I haven't posted much on this board, but I used it a lot in my wedding planning, so hopefully this recap will help some of you as well. When my (then) fiance and I began looking into sites in Negril for our wedding (I won't go into how we came to settle on Negril as the location!), we knew right away that we wanted a smaller boutique hotel rather than a large all-inclusive. We only anticipated around 25 guests, and we wanted a more intimate setting and to be the only wedding of the week--not one of several that day. We looked into Rockhouse and Tensing Pen, but they were already booked for our wedding date. We then came across Catcha Falling Star and fell in love with it immediately! The reviews on Trip Advisor speak for themselves--this is a small, intimate resort with superb personal attention from the staff. Its location on the stunning cliffs with beautiful landscaping made it an ideal location for us. Below are my comments on the resort and the various vendors we used for the wedding. Also, here is a link to some photos so you can see the flowers, hair, makeup, location, etc. https://picasaweb.google.com/nimiesque/WeddingRecapCatchaFallingStarNegril?authkey=Gv1sRgCJr99Ibm-u-zOA# Resort: Catcha Falling Star (http://www.'>http://www.'>http://www.'>http://www.'>http://www.catchajamaica.com/) I simply cannot say enough positive things about them. From the moment we arrived, we were treated as though we were the only guests there. Every staff person greeted us by name every time we saw them ("Good morning Miss Niki!"). They were genuinely happy and eager to make us comfortable. We did not book the entire resort for our wedding as it was already partially booked when we scheduled our wedding. Half of our guests stayed at Catcha, and others stayed just down the road at other small resorts or all-inclusives. We weren't planning any group activities or scheduled events other than the wedding day, so this worked perfectly for us. The grounds of Catcha are stunning and the cliffs were so much fun to jump off! The on site restaurant, Ivan's, is #1 on Trip Advisor for a reason--the food was amazing and the drinks are strong!!! In planning my wedding, Andrea and Mauvette took care of almost everything for me! They booked the officiant, I asked for a Steel drum band and they took care of it (they were fantastic! See below), they recommended a cake maker, and all I did was choose the flavors (again, see below). They did not have any hidden fees, in fact they didn't charge extra for anything! They set up the chairs, decorations, tables, and handled all the logistics. I didn't have to worry about anything. They also had extra staff on hand for the cocktail hour and dinner service, and didn't add any fees for that. I can email anyone interested in more specifics of food, menu, costs, etc, but basically this is what we did: Post-ceremony champagne reception with appetizers: We paid by the bottle for champagne, and $16/pp for appetizers. We chose 3 appetizers, and they prepared them basically planning on 2 of each per person. We had some leftover (I think they made more than they actually charged us for!). Dinner: $55/pp + wine. We got a 4-course dinner including chocolate cake (OMG so good!). Open bar at reception: they either do a per person fee, or you can just request an open bar and pay for what is ordered, which is what we did. This was smart for us as most of our guests had very little to drink, as we were full of wine and champagne already! Again, they were super flexible in tailoring the package for us. There is, in fact, no set package. You tell them what you want and they make it happen. No fees for every little thing you want to customize. Florist: Floral Fantasies (http://www.floralfantasiesjamaica.com) 100% thrilled with them! I ordered the "Regal" bridal bouquet ($150), flower girl's hair wreath ($35), two ceremonial tripods ($85/each), and table centerpieces (I requested that they be kept to $40/each). They did a fantastic job. All the flowers were fresh, bright, fragrant, and well put together. For the tripods and centerpieces, all I told them was that I wanted predominantly red, orange, and purple flowers and they did not disappoint. They used high-end flowers and everything was exquisite. My husband and I stayed at the resort through the following week, and the flowers were still alive and beautiful for most of the week! We moved the tripods to our balcony, and the resort kept the centerpieces on the dinner tables for quite some time. They clearly used healthy and fresh flowers. Hair and Make-up: Debra/Queen Bee (http://www.salonnegril.com/index.htm) $180 for hair and make-up, which included the pre-wedding trial at her salon. Loved Debra! Super friendly, listened to what I wanted. I did airbrush make-up that stayed on all day/night through the heat and humidity. She even airbrushed my chest area a bit to hide my slight burn! She was on time (even early!) and came to my resort to get me ready in my hotel room. 100% happy! Officiant: Rev. Campbell $300 (plus the resort added $35 to FedEx us the certificate) I don't know how many of you have to book the officiant on your own, but Catcha recommended Rev. Campbell so we went with him. We asked for a non-religious ceremony, and it was short, simple, and elegant. There were a few mentions of God, but nothing overly religious. If you're curious as to the wording, send me a PM and I'll send you a link to a brief video so you can see some of the ceremony. Cake: We just went with Catcha's recommendation for cake maker and told them what flavors we wanted (they can do basically anything!). We did a pineapple cake with coconut custard filling and vanilla buttercream frosting, decorated with fresh flowers. I am not exaggerating when I say that this was the BEST wedding cake I have ever had. Our guests could not stop telling us how delicious it was. I was worried since I am picky about cake and would not have an opportunity to do a cake sampling, but I was so happy with it I ate two pieces that night (plus stole the frosting from my brother's piece!). I'm sure if you email them they can put you in touch with the bakery they use (they said they always use this baker unless a bride prefers her own choice). Steel Drum Band: $280/hour - 4-person band. Again, I just asked Catcha to find a steel drum band, and they scheduled them for me (they use this band a lot). They played as guests arrived for the ceremony, during my flower girl's and my walk down the aisle, then through the champagne reception. I had wanted to walk down the aisle to Canon in D, but they didn't know it, so they played "Here Comes the Bride" which to be honest I wasn't thrilled about, but when I heard it in steel drums it was actually beautiful and I didn't mind! They played "Stand by Me" while my husband and I signed our paperwork, which I thought was perfect! Overall, they were fantastic. Song choices (I didn't make any specific requests) were great and they added the perfect ambiance to the wedding and festivities. Bonus: they were an hour early!!! Super professional We tipped them $100 and they were obviously thrilled about it! Sorry I don't have their contact info, but if you email Catcha I'm sure they'll put you in touch with them. Photographer: Diane Campbell/Digital Memories (http://www.digitalmemoriescollection.com/) I posted a separate review on them. HUGE disappointment. We contracted them from 2:00-8:00 for $900, with our ceremony starting at 3:00. We got Diana and her son to do a video and photos. They showed up an hour late, just minutes before 3:00 and so I have no photos of me getting ready, and I was frantic that whole time wondering if they'd show up at all. I requested candid, casual shots, and they kept trying to pose me and my husband in awkward, cheesy poses that just look stupid. My husband and I had to direct THEM as to what to be doing so we could hopefully get some shots we liked. Out of over 200 images on the disc that Diana threw together, half are out of focus, either me or my husband have our eyes closed, and there is not ONE spectacular image that we would enlarge. They did no photo work to fix dark or overexposed images, and they didn't weed out the clearly bad ones (probably because there'd be no images left to give us!). I am beyond disappointed. Our guests took better photos with their point and click cameras. Huge waste of $900. See my post on them for more details: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/forum/thread/72018/digital-memories-diana-campbell-photographer-in-negril Wedding Favors: We brought favor bags with us and planned on buying local gifts in Negril, since we would be arriving 3 days before the wedding. We took a cab to a shopping center and bought Appleton Rum (not the tiny mini bottles, but I think 12 oz bottles), mini rum cakes, blue mountain coffee, and jerk seasoning. Plenty to choose from at the Hi-Lo shopping center! Again, feel free to PM me or ask any more questions. I have tips for navigating and eating out in Negril in general (For example: cars with red plates are taxis. Do NOT accept a ride from any car without a red plate! Also, I got a minor ear infection (!) and went to a local Dr. who only charged me $50!) Good luck to all you brides planning your dream weddings...may it be as wonderful as ours was!

Wow!! congratulations and happy planning

hi red ginger, yes i'm hiring a wedding coordinator. Villa Sur Mer is beautiful! Which hotel did you pick?

My fiancé and I took a trip to Jamaica in the beginning of this month to scout some places for our upcoming wedding and also to meet with the wedding planner. My heart was really set on MDC. Just by looking at their website and posts from other brides on this site, I told my fiancé that this is the place! It’s a beautiful place. With that said, we made sure that in this trip we have to stay at MDC to try it, see how it is. I made sure when I book our stay that there is a wedding going on so we can check it out. We booked our stay at MDC for 3 nights and 2 nights at another hotel on the cliffs. While staying at the other hotel I met up with the wedding planner and she showed us places (but at that time my heart was set on MDC) to have our wedding, she then took us to MDC to have a look. As soon as we stepped in to the lobby my jaw dropped instantly! My reaction OH MY GOD! MDC is absolutely GORGEOUS! Yes MDC has that WOW factor you and your guests would be amazed! Since my fiancé and I will be meeting with Kerri the next day, the wedding planner and I just took a quick tour of the place. The next day my fiancé and I (along with two of our friends) went back to MDC for our meeting with Kerri. I’m not sure whether Kerri was notified with our meeting but she wasn’t there when we got there. We were told she will be back soon. We then asked the concierge if we can meet with Kerri at Annie’s restaurant so we can grab a drink or two. 20 minutes later Kerry showed up. My first impression of Kerry- she is very pleasant and friendly individual. Below is the quote of what Kerry gave us: Tent $500- A MUST!! If you’re having more than 20 people! Understandable, just in case it rains. Annie’s Restaurant and the sports bar can only hold no more than 20 people including the bride &groom. Tables and Chairs Rental- $3 each plus transportation costs. (J$700) Table & Chairs Cover - $3 each plus transportation costs. But you can bring your own vendor for these items except for the food. The food that they need to serve has to be from their restaurant. Kerry also quoted us $150pp day of the wedding, if we decided to do their EP plan. This include - for the people that are staying in the hotel- b’fast, lunch and dinner and unlimited drinks until 11pm. For the people who are not staying in the hotel it’s also $150pp includes lunch, dinner and unlimited drinks until 11pm. Fast Forward to being the guests of MDC (our last 3 days in Jamaica) — upon check in Richard greeted us (with rum punch) and helped us check in. Unfortunately we missed the wedding ceremony. We still got to see how they set up the gazebo for the ceremony. It was a small wedding approximately 25 people. They had the cocktail hours by the cabana near the pool area which was set up nicely. I didn’t get a chance to see how the reception was set up, I feel kind of funny going in there to take a peek. Also, MDC let our two other friends who are staying in another resort use their facilities, i.e. swimming pool and the pool at the sports bar. ROOM— We stayed in the Caribbean view room. Very clean, bed is comfortable. The room itself is very comfortable it is huge!! I love the fact that our room is over-looking the pool and the ocean. FOOD- I’m not too crazy about their food. Our first meal my fiancé ordered filet mignon and I ordered the fettuccini alfredo with chicken. The food that I ordered was good however the steak was dry and stringy. For $24 for a steak we thought it’s going to be decent size. The steak must have been a 3 oz. The fiancé wasn’t too happy with his food. I would not pay the all-inclusive price, as the selection of their food was very few. All in all the food was alright, nothing to write home about. The swim-up bar we didn’t get a chance to enjoy it because the entire wedding party took the entire pool area. Maybe next visit. Spa Service- Get LANCE! He’s the best and highly recommended by the wedding planner that we are working with. The fiance and I got the no worries massage, it was the most relaxing massage i've ever had. Did I decide to have my wedding at MDC? The answer is No. The place is beautiful, but not the place that I would have my wedding. It’s too resorty for me and my fiancé. We both want somewhere that is really intimate. We're having our wedding in a private villa

I love it!! I love the bag Wedding Survival Kit.ppt imodium AD envelopes.ppt imodium safety info.ppt survival kit bag.doc pashminalabel.doc

wow template heaven! now only if i can put enough post to open them hehe

Hi Stacey, who is your wedding coordinator. I'm also planning our wedding in Negril next year

soontobemrsg, i'm on the same boat as you. my fiance and i decided to go for villa wedding. we chose villa surmer in Negril. We both wanted our wedding to be more private and intimate. The place that you picked out looks really good! Happy Planning

me too please [email protected] Thank you Happy Planning All!

Yikes!!.. I'm actually doing a site visit 2nd week of May and have an appointment to meet with the MDC wedding coordinator now i'm having second thoughts about Moon Dance Cliff . I didn't know that they are nickeling and diming for every little thing. I thought they offer free shuttle service to and from the beach since Moon Dance Villa/Cliff are the same company? The last time I checked their website the all inclusive rate includes pickup and drop off at the airport as well.

Congratulations!!! I love your centerpieces!

I love this your invitations and reply card!!! I'm also thinking of doing a passport invite and boarding pass save the date.

Hi... congratulations!! MDC is on top of my list. Thank you for the review. Just a question, did you have to pay the mandatory $500 fee for the tent. I asked Kim about this and i haven't received any response. It's kind of ridiculous to pay for something that you wont use.

Congratulations on your engagement and Happy planning, my fiance and i are planning our court wedding on 11-11-11 but the ceremony and reception will be in May of 2012 in Negril, Jamaica

I love this idea thank you for posting this!

Hi Jacki7896 there are lots of things to do in Jamaica, if you have guests staying for a full week, I suggests to stay in Montego Bay for a couple of nights and check out Dunns River Falls in Ocho Rios. We usually stay at the Wexford Hotel (MoBay) it's basic hotel just to crash for a couple of nights is tolerable plus it's walking distance to Doctor's Cove Beach and Aquasol Beach (they do charge entrance fee btw). The hidden gem of MoBay is the Pork Pit, good cheap eats. They serve the best jerk Chicken and Pork. In Negril, the best way to travel is to rent a scooter especially if you're staying on the cliff side, there's no need to haggle with taxi drivers just to go to the beach. Perfect spot on the beach is Alfred's it's restaurant during the day turned bar/club at night. If I'm not mistaken they have a live reggae show (and Fire Dance) on Fridays. There are a lot of things to do on the beach side it's always happening down there. Cliff side is on the quiet side, more chill, relax.. but there's Rick's Cafe it's always happening in there too.

Thank you for posting this. I am also thinking of going for Moon Dance but the cliff side