Moon Dance Cliffs

[Meitra]

December 4, 2010 -- under two months now!  eek!!!

[lisa203]

I'm so excited for you, Meitra! Hopefully everything is coming together nicely for you!

[LoveJA]

I sent an email to MDC and this was the response.

 

 

Jiovanni,

 

If the weather is questionable then the tent is needed for larger groups.  We do not have a large enough covered area for groups over 30.

 

Kim

 

From: Jiovanni [mailto:[email protected]] 
Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2010 7:40 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Request Information

 

Information requested on 10/10/2010 7:39:51 AM
Name:	Jiovanni
Email:	[email protected]
Comments:	Why is there a tent required for weddings 30 or more all of a sudden? What if you do no want a tent ? I have seen many weddings at your location without a tent and its open and beautiful. This a $500 expense that is hard for couples during a worldwide recession. Ive heard on the forums that it might be a deal breaker for some brides.
Page:	http://www.moondanceresorts.com/cliffs/weddings/

[LoveJA]

She made it seem as only if necessary will the tent be used. I guess its not mandatory! If this is the case GREAT!

[awilk99]

my concerns is that they say if they see its necessary..so if it calls for rain that day you have to get a tent, shell out 500 bucks and what if it never rains! and I dont know how they think you can just get a tent last minute or we have an extra 500 bucks to give out last minute.  im getting very nervous since we are getting married in april...ugh

[L&J]

My wedding isn't at Moondance but the $500 charge for a tent if it rains sounds crazy.  The resort should be prepared for rain anyway and not pass that cost on to brides. Having an extra $500 to worry about would definitely have swayed my decision against Moondance if I was still deciding on resorts. I hope, for their own sake, they take off that charge.

 

[Meitra]

Has anyone heard if MDC was affected at all by Tropical Storm Nicole?  I saw on another thread that Tensing Pen sustained damage.

[L&J]

I've been following damage posts on other boards and there hasn't been any mention of Moondance so I don't think they recieved any serious damage.  Tensing, Ivan's at Catcah and Ricks Cafe were the worst hit but I've heard Tensing and Catcha should be done with repairs in the next few weeks.  From what I hear, Ricks is closed for at least a month for repairs.

[nleblanc00]

Hello MDC ladies!

 

Today is my first day home after two glorious weeks in Jamaica. I figure this post might be a good way to get me out of my post-wedding funk. :-)

 

All I have to say to all of you who are worried, concerned and full of uncertainty -- RELAX! You all are going to be blissfully happy with your decision to get married at Moon Dance Cliffs. I don't even know where to begin. This was my first trip to Jamaica and our ride to MDC was nothing less than a complete culture shock. I found myself thinking many times during the drive, "Oh my god, what have we done?" And then as we drove through Negril and past all the hotels we were looking into before deciding on MDC, I again thought..."THIS is hotel X? THIS is hotel Y? they look nothing like what I thought! What if MDC is the same way??" Then we arrived at Moon Dance, were greeted by Richard and the rest of the staff with smiles and rum punch, walked through the lobby...and saw the paradise that is MDC. We were lead to Poinciana Villa (the honeymoon suite) by Kerry, our butler. This is the point where both my new husband and I started to get teary. It was just too much! You won't be disappointed!

 

We had a night of just close family around and then the next day our guests started to arrive. We had 50 guests at our wedding, so we basically had the entire resort to ourselves. The staff, ALL OF THEM, were beyond amazing. They were helpful and fun and gracious and just wonderful. Any request we had, they tried their best to fulfill it. The bartenders and waitstaff were wonderfully entertaining for my guests and put everyone at easy. Richard and Matthew always were inquiring to see if they could do anything to improve our stay. Kerry the butler was an absolute dream. It was a foreign concept to us to be waited on like that, but she put us right at ease. For example, she would come over to the villa check on us and would ask us if we wanted a refreshed drink. I'd say, "We can get it, the bar is right there!" and she'd say, "Don't you dare, that's what I'm here for!" I maybe cried the day I said goodbye to her. :-)

 

Then there is Kerry the coordinator. I've read the posts by other brides who are worried that Kerry hasn't been in touch or that you are worried that you are asking too many questions, too early on, etc. I must admit, I was one of those brides too. It is your wedding after all! My advice to you, again, is RELAX. Just keep on sending Kerry your ideas, keep asking her questions and trust that when it gets to be about 6 weeks before your wedding, Kerry will be at your beckon call! What you might perceive as inattentiveness is just the Jamaican laid-back way. I was concerned too, but everything came out perfectly...even though it RAINED on my wedding day! it rained and still I have no complaints! Kerry was wonderful and went above and beyond all of my expectations.

 

I've seen some posts regarding the tents and having the reception in the lobby in the case of inclement weather. Here's how it worked for us:

 

As Kerry promised, the rains stopped just in time for the ceremony, so we were able to get married in the gazebo. It was MUGGY, but it's Jamaica! I had rented a tent because I wasn't sure where I would want the reception in the case of inclement weather. Kerry kept suggesting that we have the reception in the lobby, but I just wasn't sure. But she took some pictures for me (I was in hiding in the villa that day!) and explained to me the layout. I was sold. So we ended up having the cocktail hour under the tent (and they set it up like a cool lounge and I had a steel drum band playing) and the reception in the lobby. If any of you are curious, I have pictures for you. There was a great crosswind in the open air lobby and there were also fans in case that wasn't enough. We fit 50 people with no problem.

 

Other vendor reviews:

 

Floral fantasy: AMAZING flowers. Rosemarie fulfilled my vision to a T.

Wedding guitarist: I didn't even get his name...nor did I really hear what he was playing (brides, you will understand this on your day!)...but he got rave reviews from guests.

Fire dancer: (we used him for the rehearsal dinner, also at MDC) he was super entertaining, a hit with the crowd!

Ronald "Romi" with Sungold Associates: I have yet to see the pictures he took, but on a personal level he and his team were wonderful to work with. They put us at ease and we had so much fun with them. I got the gold package which gave us two extra hours of shots on an day we wanted. I originally had asked to have the rehearsal dinner shot, but Paula at Sungold suggested we take photos the day after. THANK GOD! The day after the wedding was the sunniest day all week, so we got some (fingers crossed!) great shots.

Front Page band: They were amazing. A great sound and an authentic reggae band. we all LOVED them!

 

I don't know--do you think I had a good time at my wedding?? If you can't tell, maybe this will help: My husband and I are making reservations at MDC today for our 1-year anniversary. :-)

 

So to all you MDC brides out there, just breathe, enjoy this time and rest assure that it will work out beautifully! If you have other questions, feel free to shoot me an email.

 

Good luck!

 

p.s. I forgot to mention, no damage from Nicole at MDC!!

[lisa203]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love that you took the time to write this and so grateful! Congratulations on what sounds like an AMAZING wedding! I'm so happy for you and I absolutely CANNOT WAIT to see pics!