LaraJo

Hi ladies!!! I'm getting married July 23, 2011 at Moon Dance Villas!!!!! Upcoming site visit on Jan. 7-9. Happy planning!

Hi OneLove420 - I helped my friend plan a wedding here in Brooklyn about a year and a half ago and they opted for cupcakes from a local baker I recommended (Mark Joseph Cakes). It really was a great option because we were able to estimate the quantity (2 per person) and do a really nice combination of flavors. They decided on 3 different cake/icing combos and, when placed on the cupcake stand, they looked fantastic. Also, the baker placed little sugar flowers (plum blossoms) on top of certain cupcakes (sporadically) which was a really nice touch. If I can find a picture, I'll post it. Soooo - I think cupcakes are a smart, trend and cost-effective choice!

@gpendleton, wow oh wow your wedding looks fantastic! It's made me get excited about being a MDV bride all over again!!! CONGRATS!!!

Hey everyone. Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. @dmbo, Really? You had all of your dinners with the other folks at the villas? That's a little disappointing since we will have all of the villas but the 2 bedroom and I was told that we could have a welcome cocktail reception and dinner as well as a rehearsal dinner. I'm okay with it being buffet, but would prefer if our group were able to eat in a more private setting. Did you have any similar events? Also, how was the wedding reception dinner handled in terms of the other MDV guests? Thanks!

Hi Meitra - Who is Cherry? I did a quick Google search using Cherry Cakes and Jamaica, but came up empty handed. Thanks!

Yay! I'm SO excited for you! We arrive on 7/20, the guests come in on 7/21, wedding is on 7/23 and we'll be heading home on your wedding day. We just booked our site visit for Jan 7 - 9 and will be staying at the villas because we thought it best to stay on site to see exactly what it is going to be like for our guests. If you could send some pictures, that would be fantastic!! I haven't started meal planning yet and am doing the buffet style. I didn't think they offered a sit down. Have you asked your coordinator? I'm sure they'll do it- but it may tack some extra $$ onto the per person cost. I've heard RAVE reviews of the pumpkin soup, so I'll have to try it myself. I wonder if it is served cold like gazpacho?? As for the alcohol- what were they serving when you were there this past October? I'd think they would be heavy on local brands for rum and think they have their own Baily's style liqueur called Blue Mountain Mist (I had it when I stayed at Rock House a few years ago - it makes a fantastic Dirty Banana!), but JD is pretty standard. If you want to email directly feel free: [email protected] Ciao!

Hi Ladies!! User name: LaraJo Location: Moon Dance Villas Wedding: July 21, 2011 - July 24, 2011 HAPPY PLANNING EVERYONE!!

Thanks wilsonj2. I keep second guessing and looking at other villa possibilities - there are so many choices and combinations, it's a little overwhelming. I've read a lot of good things about St.Lucia, so you too should feel good that you made the right choice. Best of luck with your planning and congratulations!

Hey wilsonj2 - Have you decided to go with MDV or MDC? I'm getting married there next July and going for a site visit in January. Send me a message if you want some details.

Thanks dmob! That's a really good suggestion! I already know what I want to walk down the aisle to - it's top secret, but I'll be happy to share it after 7/23 I haven't given much thought to what would be playing prior to my entrance... or for the recessional. Thanks! You are a great resource!

Here are some suggestions for photographers: Photographers Paula & Damian--- www.sungoldphoto.com Stacey Clarke -- www.staceyclarkephotography.com Diana Campbell-- www.digitalmemoriescollection.com Forrester Gayle--- www.fgphotosnegril.ning.com Brian Nededley - www.briandesign.com Michael Saab - www.saabweddings.com www.wpajamaica.com ( Sungold Associates) Hope this helps ya!

Thanks dmob. I initially contacted Sound Illusion directly and got a response which included the fact that in order to get pricing, I'd need to go through Oneika. A bit circular, but that is fine. LOL. I was also quoted $200/hour. Kevan of JA Weddings quoted $170/hour. It also looks like Kevan offers different packages whereas Sound Illusion only has the hourly rate. I also plan to have steel drums for the ceremony and cocktail hour. Do you recall who you used and were you happy with them? The rate I have been quoted is $250/hour. Last - How did you handle tips for the steel drummers and/or DJ?

Hey Joanna12! So far, so good! My FI and I are planning a trip to MDV for early January and I'll give you more feedback afterward. I've already started planning with the MDV coordinator, Oneika, but my guess is that MDC has its own designated coordinator. Oneika has been great and I'm inundating her with emails/photos of things I like. What's your wedding date?? Thanks dmob! I'm so excited, I can barely sleep at night - my head is spinning with ideas!

THANK YOU!!!!! It worked!!!!

Thanks dmob! I got an email from Sound Illusion right away. However, it seems like I won't be able to get any pricing information unless I go through Oneika. Did you encounter the same thing? My FI and I are planning on going to visit in January and hope to meet with some DJs as well as other vendors (florist, baker, etc.). Did you/your daughter do something similar? Otherwise, I just won't know how to choose. Any suggestions/recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!!

Hi Meitra - How were you able to view Moon Dance on Twitter? I logged on and searched for them, found them but then got a message that a request was being sent to Moon Dance to allow me to see their tweets. I thought that was kind of bizarre. I don't tweet, but logged on using my FI's account. Thanks!!

Hi dmob and wilsonj2 - I'm getting married at MDV in July 2011 and am having a TERRIBLE time communicating with Oneika. I responded to her initial email and haven't heard a thing since other than for her to resend me the Word document to fill out to get the marriage license going- and it's going on 15 days! Did you have similar experiences at first? It is really starting to concern me, especially since I've previously told Oneika that my FI and I would like to schedule a trip for this coming January to meet with her and potential vendors (flowers, cake, decor, music). I can't schedule anything without her confirming that she will be able to make arrangements for us to meet with vendors. Very frustrating. How did you two pick from the list of potential vendors? Any help/advice/recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks!!!

Hey Girls - Anyone use Noida Cooke?

Has anyone heard of, or tried, "Love Cakes Jamaica"?? I saw them on FB, but not too much else out there.

Hi there- I'm getting married at Moon Dance Villas in July 2011 and am looking into DJs. Did any of you ladies hear the DJs you used perform before hand or did you sort of just roll the dice?

Hi Negrilbridetoo and Jodyann08!! I'm SO happy to hear that you were pleased with your wedding!!! All of the photos I've seen on different photographer's websites look A.Maze.Ing!!! Would you mind sharing some of your recommendations for vendors? I'm leaning (heavily) towards Sun Gold for photos, but could use some suggestions about music (steel drums for my walk down the aisle, cocktail hour, a live reggae band for the rest of the reception, etc.), flowers and other decor, cake... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks SO much!

Hi Ladies! We booked 5 of the 6 villas at MDV (all but the 2 bed room) for our July 2011 wedding and were able to get a 3 night minimum stay. Also, we are planning on visiting in January and are getting the cost (I believe it was a 1/3rd off discount with a max stay of 3 nights - maybe 2?) credited toward the total cost of the wedding. I think there is some flexibility in rates depending on the time of year and how busy they are. Hope this helps!!!

Hey SunnyDBride! I am getting married at MDV in Jul 2011 and have rented out 5 of the 6 villas. The "all inclusive" is an extra $115 per day per person, so calculate that into the nightly room rates for the villas and guests. To your point about the all inclusive being like guests paying for the wedding, I don't really think that there is one way of doings things for a destination wedding that is viewed as being proper etiquette. From what I gather, most people attending a destination wedding assume that they will be paying something. Because we don't want our guests to feel like they are paying for our wedding, and because they are not being given the option of staying at a lower priced resort, we are paying for the majority of the stay (and have chosen the AI option - because really it would be impossible to keep track of what ~40 people eat and drink over the course of 4 days), but asking that the guests pay a portion of the cost. Specifically, guests will be quoted a rate of $250 per person for a 3 night stay, all inclusive. That helps defray part of the cost, but is what our families have agreed upon. If you're having your wedding at MDV, you also have to remember that things like decor, including tables and chairs for the reception and chairs and tie backs (should you want them) for the ceremony, are EXTRA. Estimated costs are on the MDV website. Hope this helps!!

Hey there - I'm new to the forum, so hopefully I'm doing this correctly. I'm getting married at Moon Dance Villas in July 2011, but did want to respond with something that will, hopefully, be helpful. Have you looked at the Sunvillas website (http://www.sunvillas.com/) yet? They have a map of Jamaica where you can click in Negril and then see all of the villas that are available. You might also want to look at some of the local photographers' websites to see where they've been. As for planners, Negril-Jamaica Wedding Planners seem to be highly regarded. Ciao, Lara