Moon Dance Cliffs

[dmob]

For the rehearsal dinner we did Jamaican specialty foods, curried goat, jerk chicken, etc. Wedding reception was grilled lobster, beef tenderloin. MDC and MDV were very accommodating with our menu selections.

[Jacki7896]

Hey all!  No activity on this threat in awhile.  How did the summer weddings go?  Any new reviews or advice for future brides?

[HMM 01282012]

Where's all the brides at??

 

Jacki, I'm so jealous you executed the resort takeover!  That was our plan, but our guests apparently think otherwise.  Are you excited?  You are just over a month out!  You must be in the throes of planning.   Any advice?  Anything you left out of planning earlier that you realize now? Anything you wish you'd done earlier?  Anything you wish you hadn't fretted over? 

 

We just got a price and flavor list from Noida Cooke last week.  We like her work better than the other (Marjorie? I can't remember) name that was given to us by Kerry the WC.  But it took FOREVER for her to send us a list and everything - island time.  She quoted us $430 for a 3-tier cake (10", 8", 6" rounds; 35-40 ppl).  Is this standard? It seems a little high.  >$10/slice.  Anyone else have an idea?

 

Also, we have been planning for this tent the entire time and now that Kerry and I are in closer communication, with the date only 3 mos. away.....she is asking us whether we want it or not.  So...now I'm confused, because for the past 6 mos. we have been thinking it was mandatory.  We didn't really want it, but because it was "forced" on us we came up with tent lighting/decoration ideas and warmed up to the concept.  So now we're stuck - ball lanterns and capiz shells or open air?  Especially because having the tent means the reception is on the lawn, not on the deck of Annie's. Who wants to dance on the lawn in high heels? Has anyone else found that they are able to choose the tent or not?  (Jacki?)  I wonder if it's because we are right on the cusp of 30 guests, which is the # where the tent becomes mandatory?

 

Anyway, good luck Jacki!

 

And girls, let's get this thread back up and running!!

 

[Jacki7896]

Argh, I just typed out a big long thing and then my computer froze and I lost it!  AHH!  We will see if I can recapture.

 

Yes, I was SOOO happy to get resort takeover.  I felt like a salesperson trying to get those last few rooms booked, but so relieved when it was done.  That was my biggest stressor.  

 

As for planning, the best thing I did was do a site visit.  Kerry had arranged for us to meet with the vendors, so we knocked out a lot of the planning early.  The second best thing I did was promise my FI that once we made a decision on something, I would not stress about it anymore and try to go back and change it.  I am not doing really anything over the top, so I did not have a lot of details to worry about.  I did spend a lot of time on the welcome bags and welcome letter, so I am glad I got those done early and put some time into them.  

 

As for the tent, I booked before the tent became mandatory.  If you can avoid the tent, I suggest you do so.  Part of Annie's is covered (not where your tables will be, those are on the deck), but my understanding the "dance floor" is under the covered, but open air, portion of Annie's. Can you use your decorations there?   I am bringing paper lanterns and lights, and plan to put them there as well as in the big tree on the deck.  

 

I will let you know if I think of anything else....but in the mean time if any summer/fall brides have pictures or tidbits of wisdom to share, it would be very much appreciated!

[Jacki7896]

Oh, and we are using the M lady for the cake.  We met with her and tasted her cake.  It was delicious.  I agree that Nodia's work LOOKS better, but we are doing a very simple cake and so I figured it was easy to go with the M lady since she was the one we were able to meet with face to face.  We are paying $300 for a cake for 40 people.  

[LaraJo]

Hi Girls - I got married at MDV this past summer and it was absolutely amazing! We had all of the villas except for the 3 bedroom which was being used by a couple that got married the Wednesday that my husband and I arrived. Our guests arrived the next day, Thursday. We had a mento band perform for the welcome cocktail reception before dinner on Thursday evening and they were better than my husband and I expected. They really played to the crowd and even got my 90 year old grandma up on the dance floor. I highly recommend them for some entertainment on one of the nights before the wedding. They sang local folk songs, loads of Bob, some newer reggae and even "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse. They were completely adorable.

 

I agree that if you can go for a site visit before your big day, do it. It really helps to have a sense of the place before you try to plan for decor. I also met with vendors beforehand- the florist (met with Floral Fantasy even though we ultimately went with Tai), the DJ from Sound Illusion and the baker, Margaret Myrie. Margaret's prices are completely reasonable and her cakes are delicious. The photos of her cakes does not do them justice. We originally were going to have a fondant cake, but after seeing how poorly the fondant stood up to heat, decided to go with a butter cream icing. We had a 4-tier cake, a separate "grooms" cake and we got another "top tier" so that we could eat our real one and take the extra home with us for our anniversary. All this for ~$300. Fantastic deal. The cake was GORGEOUS and tasted phenomenal, too!! It was a fairly simple design, but it was exactly like the sample picture I sent to her.

 

I'm waiting for my professional pictures from Sun Gold and will post them as soon as I have them. I'll also post some of the photos our guests took in the near future.

 

Any specific questions? I'd be happy to answer!

 

Happy planning to all you brides to be!!!!!!! 

[Meitra]

HMM 01282012,

  I got married at MDC last December, and I would 100% recommend having your reception at Annie's without the tent.  There's something about the open air reception that is just magical!  You can hang your shells and anything else you'd like in the covered portion of Annie's which also is your dance floor.

Have Fun!

 Meitra

[Jacki7896]

Glad to hear about the mento band!  We also hired them to play before the welcome dinner, which I thought was going to be a bit of "who knows if it will work" thing, but soooo great that they are great!  I only have them for an hour before dinner.  Should we do longer? 

[LaraJo]

We originally booked them for an hour, but people were having so much fun with them that we decided to ask them to stay for an additional hour. Assuming they aren't booked for another party, I'm pretty sure they'll stay as long as you will pay them. My cousin bought their CD and listens to it in the car whenever I'm with him. Haha. It was definitely an authentic Jamacian experience!! I will eventually get around to posting some photos and I'll make it a point to put up some of the mento band. It was a great way to kick off the festivities.

[Jacki7896]

Thanks LaraJo!  That is good to know!