LaraJo

Wow. They are both BEAUTIFULl, but so different. When I first started looking at dresses, I thought I was going to go for something short - thinking I was going to be getting married on the beach and that a full length gown would not be comfortable or practical. BUT when I was trying on the short dresses, they just seemed like very nice party dresses and I did not, in any way, feel like a bride. So, ask yourself this: Which of the dresses makes me feel more like a bride?? It may help you to sort things out. Now, that being said, I am partial to lace, so without seeing you in either dress, I'd probably pick #1. It's more wedding-ish and less red carpet. But really, it is up to you and I'm certain you will look radiant in either gown! I'll check back because I'm curious to hear what others will say/choose

Carrierae - I wasn't sure if you were talking about the flowers I'm using as inspiration for the bouquets (the pinks) or the ones I'm using as inspiration for the centerpieces (the greens), so here are links to both: Ginger Lily Bouquets: http://chelseaelizabeth.com/tag/barbara-and-jason/ Rockhouse White, Green & Purple wedding: http://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/2010/06/17/jamaica-destination-wedding/ I swear each one is more beautiful than the next! I'm so happy to finally be able to post pictures!

Hey Jacki - Send me an email or PM me. I wanna tell you something about the site visit - IMPORTANT! My email is [email protected]

I'm over or under or on target depending on who you ask! My parents are paying for the wedding, so my father would say we're waaaay over what he expected to spend ($25K-$35K), but my mom thinks I'm mostly on target, while I think I'm saving them money because I'm not getting married here in NYC where, as one would imagine, costs can be astronomical. I am having another reception/party here which is turning into a second wedding, minus the walk down the aisle, so that is certainly driving costs up. Here are some places I think you can probably save costs: Save the Dates - Instead of getting fancy with them, go to a site like Paper Culture: http://www.paperculture.com/ Not only do they have great eco-friendly stuff, but they have a FREE Mail & Message service (if you choose) where they mail your cards for you. You pay only the cost of the stamp. Pretty cool! Paper Goods - stationary and paper goods are expensive! I wouldn't spend a fortune on invites, itineraries for guests, menus, and the thank you cards. You can get great stuff, but really don't have to spend a fortune. Simplify the Flowers - Instead of carrying a bouquet, try carrying one big flower like a peony or, if you want a bouquet- just go with a single flower, like a small grouping of calla lilies (generally expensive) or ginger lilies: Keep the Centerpieces Simple - flowers can really run up the cost of a wedding, so try to incorporate other elements, like candles. Just arrange some decorative candles in varying height and a pleasing color palette together, group them in clusters. Or put the white candles in a mirrored holder or a beaded holder: Or, depending on how beachy you want to go, try something like shells or coral: You can get cheap candles and holders at: http://www.jamaligarden.com/index.php. Drinks - Instead of having an open bar with top shelf liquor, you might consider serving only wine and beer. Depending on your venue, you may/may not be able to save some money by limiting options. Or, instead of serving champagne, go with prosecco. The Cake - Again, keep it simple. Generally speaking, the more flavors you incorporate, the higher the price will be. So, if you have a 3 or 4 tiered cake, go with only 1 flavor. You might also consider getting a small cake for you and your husband-to-be-to cut and serving the guests cupcakes. It seems to me like a dessert bar isn't really an option for a destination wedding because you'd probably have to schlep all of the food/candy you'd serve. But maybe not, so check with your coordinator! Limit the Photographer - I know this sounds rough, but if you have a photographer for the "getting ready" and prep time, the ceremony, cocktails and to take some formal shots as well as some once the guests are dancing, you should be good to go. You may not need to have them there all night as the shots from the end of the night probably won't be as good - think sweaty, drunk... Hope this helps a little! Happy planning!!

Hey Kezmode - I don't have any pictures of my actual photos because I'm not getting married until 7/23/11, but I did post information about priciing, as well as the pics my flowers will be modeled after, in the Moon Dance Cliffs thread. I think other people were writing about Floral Fantasies in that thread too.

Hey Girls - YES! A site visit is COMPLETELY worth it!!! It was extremely helpful for me to get a sense of the space, accommodations, talk to the coordinator, Oneika, in person (very reassuring and a complete delight), meet vendors and just generally get a sense of the beach, etc. I was able to meet with Paul Dillworth from Sound Illusion, Miss Myrie of Miss Myries Cakes, Rosemarie and the Floral Fantasy crew as well as some of the villa staff. My FI and I tasted about 5 different cakes, looked at flowers, talked about our preferences for wedding day set up etc. It was just very helpful for me to be able to show the vendors pictures of what I like, don't like and for them to be able to get a sense of my tastes. I'm very visual, so for me, the site visit made all the difference. We are doing the AI option - I think it's a little different at the Villas because they come prestocked with food/drinks and because we are paying the majority of the costs for all of our guests (they're each being asked to pay $250 toward the stay and food/drinks). I just can't see my father paying the bill at the end of the trip and trying to figure out whether or not people actually consumed what he was charged for. It just seemed simpler for us to go with the AI, but I have read many reviews on Trip Advisor where people recommend skipping the AI. I decided to go with Floral Fantasy because I found some pictures of centerpieces from a wedding held at Rochouse that I really liked and it turns out that they did them. So it was easy for me to say "like this, what you've done before, but with different flowers." I found the actual bouquets from a different wedding. Here are the pictures: Here are 2 more shots of the bride's flowers: The centerpieces from this wedding looked like: I would like ours to be a little simpler. Not nearly as much green, NO PURPLE and no star fruits. I'm concentrating our colors on navy and pink. I envision our centerpieces as looking more like the green/white Rockhouse centerpieces. I just would like them to incorporate these flowers: ginger lily, anthirium, heliconia. Here are the green/white Rockhouse centerpieces: Rosemarie was great to deal with and very knowledgeable about what will/won't hold up and what will make for nice combinations. Her info is: Floral Fantasy Tel:(876)957-4887 Fax:(876)957-3771 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.floralfantasiesjamaica.com Truthfully, I would not judge by their website Hope this was helpful! Lara

Hey Sarah - I don't know how extensive your flowers are going to be, but I just met with Rosemarie from Floral Fantasies and was quoted the following: Maid of honor bouquet: The m.o.h bouquet will consist of kimi pink ginger, regular pink ginger, heliconias , green cymbidium orchid and green variegated leaf, stems wrapped with white satin ribbon & push pin tucked. U.S $ 45.00 3 boutonnieres: Best man- using kimi pink ginger only Father – using kimi pink ginger only @ $5.00 x2 = $10.00 CEREMONY ? chair décor: Using a single kimi pink ginger lily on a palm leaf backing @ $10.00 x ? ……..to be decided on RECEPTION 6 table centerpieces: The centerpieces will be done in a 5-6†cubed vase with the inside of the cube wrapped with a dracaena leaf. The arrangement will consist of kimi pink & red ginger lilies, orange heliconias, pink anthuriums, anthuriums with white and pink veins, white dendrobium orchids and green foliage. @ $50.00 x6 = $300.00 The bride and groom's flowers are included and we're not having much in the way of a bridal party, just a best man and a MOH and we're getting a boutonniere for my dad, since he's walking me down the aisle, and we're keeping the centerpieces pretty simple, but still, it's nowhere near the prices you were thinking. The prices do go up if you want calla lilies. I can send you pictures of my bouquets and centerpieces if you'd like. It may help you get a handle on what I'm getting for the prices. Hope this help!

The pricing info I received from Roxroy is: Bronze - $750 for 3 hours of coverage Silver - $1250 for 5 hours of coverage Gold - $1750 for 7 hours of coverage Each additional hour of coverage is $200 and prices are in USD. The Bronze and Silver packages come with 1 DVD and the Gold comes with 2. The DVDs are 16:9 standard definition (I have no idea what this means). There are some other seemingly minor differences in the packages, but those are the major points. I couldn't get the sample video to work either. Hope this helps!

Hi Carrie - I'm getting married at MDV about a month before you! It is beautiful! We booked all of the villas except the 2 bedroom. We're also having a party/reception here in NY, but are still going all out for the wedding reception. The $500 tent is NOT in my contract and, after having just met with Oneika, the coordinator, in person, understand that the tent is there for MDV, not the guests, so there is no chance that I'm paying for it. I'd prefer not to have it at all. If it rains, we will have the reception in one of the villas. As it was explained to me, the tent is set up so that the tables for the reception can be set (place settings, napkins, centerpieces, etc.) and "stored" out of the way so they can then move the tables to the "dining area" when the guests transition from ceremony to cocktail hour to reception. As for pictures of MDV weddings, check out the Sungold posting on this site. You'll have to search for it, but when you find it, you'll see that there's a section reserved for MDV weddings. Also, do a Google image search for "Moon Dance Villas" and you'll see some shots from photographers other than Sungold. If you go to the "Style Me Pretty" website and search for "Moon Dance Villas" you'll see pic from what appears to be a laid back MDV wedding. These links should work as well: http://www.megphoto.com/blog/index.cfm?postID=359 http://www.sandymayphoto.com/2010/06/12/moondance-villas-negril-jamaica/ http://caribbeanjourney.blogspot.com/2010/01/moon-dance-jamaica-wedding-by-heather.html I've got some pictures of the villas and the beach and can email them to you if you'd like. Have you been in touch with Oneika yet? If not, will soon be emailing you some information regarding the costs for tables, chairs, DJ, bands, etc. If you want to PM me, I'll give you my email and then forward you the information she gave me so that you have something to look at in the meantime. As for activities, the beach has pretty much anything you could want in terms of water sports in that there are jet ski rentals, parasailing, snorkeling boats that pull up right to MDV, etc. There are a few hobie cats on the MDV property and a water trampoline a few yards down the beach at Jimmy Buffet's. Keisha with MDV can arrange for day trips to the waterfalls, the Appleton Rum factory, deep sea fishing and other day trips. The MDV site lists activities and I'm sure Onekia can put you in touch with Keisha if you ask her. She'll be able to give you information on pricing. Sorry, but I didn't buy travel insurance - we're going rain or shine. Welcome to the forum, a million congrats and happy planning!!

Have you considered Rockhouse? My FI and I went there on vacation a few years ago and loved it! They don't have a beach as it's on the cliffs in Negril, but it is out of this world - especially if you get one of the private villas. It was fantastic! While we weren't on our honeymoon, we did meet a couple that was. The pics on the website are true to what it is in real life!

I booked Paula and Damian for my 7/23/11 wedding this past November. The deposit was $500. Paula got back to me right away and has been really helpful in answering all of my questions.

Hi Girls - Congrats to everyone! We're getting married at Moon Dance Villas on July 23, 2011. We're having a sunset ceremony, I think around 5pm. Happy planning!

Hey Mallory - I was just i Jamaica seeing the villas and went to the cliffs. It's just like the pictures. Actually, it's even better in person! Thanks for posting!

Glad you like it, Robin! As for the welcome bag, I'm skipping those because we're going to be in the villas and have gone for the all inclusive option. The villas are pre-stocked with food and drinks (alcoholic and non) and I plan to put in some special requests that are villa specific. For example, my cousin loves cheddar cheese Goldfish, so I'm going to ask that they have them in the villa he'll be in. And we're going to bring bug spray, sunscreen etc. to put in each of the villas, sooo pretty much everything that I'd put in a Welcome Bag will already be taken care of in one way or another. It's also a bit of a cost saver for us since my parents (who are being really generous) are picking up the bulk of the cost for the accommodations and the AI option. Your ideas for the bags sound fantastic though! Depending on how much you want to spend, you might include a pair of flip flops for each guest? My now FI and I got them at a destination wedding we went to and it was a nice touch. Keep us posted on what you decide to do!! Lara

Hi Ladies - For anyone looking for votives, lanterns, glass vases, etc., definitely check out Jamali Garden: http://www.jamaligarden.com/index.php. Although my florist will charge $3 per votive, I think I'm going to order the square votives from Jamali Garden because the centerpieces are going to be in cubed vases. They also sell hanging votives which I plan to hang in the trees on the beach.

Wow, okay so having people travel from such a great distance does certainly put a different spin on things. Have you looked into Sandals as an all inclusive resort where you could stay and have a wedding? I'm getting my cake from Margaret Myrie. I believe her bakery is called "Miss Myrie's." I met with her while we were in Jamaica and her cake was fantastic! We're going for a very simple cake, so I hope she can pull it off. I know that the a planner, Helen G, posts on the forum a lot. She seems to be helpful. Maybe contact her for resort info? Helen Graham Helen G Events Our goal is simple: exceed all expectations http://www.helengevents.com http://www.helengweddingflowersanddecor.com

Love cymbidium orchids and will have some in my bouquet! I've see that MDC decor picture and think it's delightful. Better to have too many candles/tea lights than not enough, in my opinion. Have you done a google image search for "Moon Dance Weddings"? You might try that and/or a more specific for Moon Dance Cliffs Weddings" and see if you find things you like. BTW- How did you get the picture embedded into your reply? Each time I've tried, I can't my response to post.

Hi Kezmode - I'm getting married at Moon Dance Villas in Negril this coming July. Definitely not too early to start planning - especially because it will give you enough time to put down the down payment and make a site visit to ensure that the place you choose is to your liking and is what it is portrayed to be on the hotel's website. A word to the wise, though. As you're planning, your "vision" for your wedding may change. For example, I always knew I wanted a villa setting (as opposed to a larger hotel), but I originally thought I wanted an arch made of palm leaves, but then, after looking at pictures of other weddings at my location, decided I want to get married under a tree on the beach. Another example: I thought I wanted centerpieces of orchid branches with hanging tea lights, but after seeing MDV in person and searching the internet, decided I wanted more tropical and lower centerpieces. So, in a nutshell, plan away, but don't be freaked if your ideas change. Or it could just be me - I'm very indecisive!! If you look at the post by Sungold Photography, you'll get a good idea of the different resorts and decor. As for a resort to host 50-60 people, what about Moon Dance Cliffs? Their max capacity for a resort "take over" is 66. However, you can have additional guests stay off property if you have some overflow. They have premium liquor, wine, soft drinks, etc. As for the time cut off - I know there is a noise ordinance for the Negril beach, but I believe it is 11pm. Not sure if it changes at the cliffs where it is more isolated and the change of disturbing your neighbors is much lower. You might also want to check out Rock House Hotel, also in Negril. I was there with my now FI for a vacation a few years ago and we LOVED it. They host plenty of weddings too. Happy planning!

Hey Spring-Bride - I don't know about a caterer, but I do know that Noida Cooke is a baker located in Montego Bay. She was one of the options my resort (Moon Dance Villas in Negril) provided. Her email is: [email protected]. Last I checked, she did not have a website, but she did do the cake at one of the Moon Dance Villas weddings in this slide show: Picture #127 on the following website : http://www.scphotographyslideshows.com/Marc_Zuhairah/ Hope this helps!

Hey JayKay - See that you're thinking about dress shopping, but think it might be too soon. I definitely don't want to alarm you, because there's no need to be alarmed, but I did just want to tell you that you'll likely need to order your dress at least 6-9 months in advance of your wedding. I got engaged in September, picked a wedding date in July and started looking for gowns in late October. It was only then that the salespeople told me that while I had time, I didn't have much. It's a bit of knowledge I wish someone had shared with me

Hey Lisa - I think the number of candles will depend on a few things: 1. Are you using round or rectangular tables? and 2. How big are your centerpieces? I'm only having 36 guests and will have the tables arranged into 3 rows of two tables, each with 6 people at a table. Picture 2 rectangular tables put together. I'm also going for low centerpieces for ease of conversation. My centerpieces are going to be based off the idea for the wedding seen at this link, but we're using more tropical flowers, like ginger lilies: http://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/2010/06/17/jamaica-destination-wedding/ The wedding was at The Rock House Hotel and Floral Fantasies did the decor. We're going to have 1 floral arrangement on each table (6 i total) and because of the size of the tables and centerpieces, I'm going to keep it simple and put 2 votives on each side of each centerpiece. I hope this makes sense - I know it's hard to visualize.

Hi Lisa - I was just in Negril and met with Rosemarie of Floral Fantasies. She'll be doing my wedding and quoted me $3/each for votives for the tables in the event that I do not want to bring my own from NY. I'm sure you can work out something similar with your florist. I know it's more $$, but it also save some packing room, fear of them breaking, etc. In all likelihood, they will have larger candles as well, but for a greater cost.

Hi Robin - I'm getting married at MDV on 7/23/11 and was just in Jamaica for a site visit. Saw MDC and it is beautiful. There was a wedding the weekend we were there (they used Paul from Sound Illusion who we had met earlier in the day at the villas - he's a doll), but I did get a chance to look around and to meet your coordinator, Kerri. If you live in NYC or are coming to NYC for The Running of the Brides, which I think is on 2/18/11, I 100% recommend that you make an appointment at Modern Trousseau. I ended up getting dress there after looking at Saks and a few other places. Modern Trousseau and April, the showroom manager, blew the other places out of the water. All the dresses are custom tailored to your exact measurements, something I found very appealing given that I'm just about making the 5 foot mark. And I really can't say enough nice things about April who gave me such personalized attention and all the time I needed to find "the dress". Nothing at all in it for me, I just saw that you were thinking about going to NY and think it will be completely worth your while to stop by Modern Trousseau if you're going to be in town. Happy planning ladies!

DJ Vaun is actually slightly cheaper than Sound Illusion. I have a site visit scheduled for a week from Friday and plan to meet with them both to talk about what we'd like for our rehearsal dinner. I'll keep you posted!

so sorry