LaraJo

Definitely! If you friend me on FB (lara taibi) you can see a bunch of pictures my friends/family took over the course of our stay. I wanted the guests to have entertainment each night and to create a relaxed environment for the first two nights and to have the wedding reception. E the big celebration. I'll upload pics when I get home tonight. If you send me your email address, I'll email you the Front Page demo songs. Sorry I can't give you any feedback on MDC/Annie's. I would, though, recommend that you ask Kerry about the set up ideas you have bc they're pretty flexible. At least at the Villas. For example, a lot of the MDV weddings take place under flower arches but instead of doing that, we asked if we could get married under one of the trees on the beach. It was not a problem at all

PS- we really agonized over our playlist for Sound Illusion and shouldn't have. Just make sure you tell them what songs you want for cake cutting, father/daughter, mother/son, first dance etc and any other "must haves" ie mom/daughter, grandparents, MOH and lea e the rest to them because it seems to me they know what they're doing and they really didn't follow our request list aside from the major "must have" songs.

We used the mento band the coordinator at MDV recommended. They were amazing. Seriously. Front Page is a full reggae band whereas the mento band are acoustical performers who perform folky traditional Jamacian songs- and some newer stuff. I'll upload some pics of each so you can see the difference. We had Front Page play the night before the wedding. While they were great in their own right, if you have a party crowd that really likes to dance, I'd definitely get a DJ for the wedding reception. We used Sound Illusion, booked through MDV. They kept us dancing all night and even played for longer than we had planned when we asked them to. I know it seems strange, and I struggled with it too, but you really can book just about everything through the CO. I have some Front Page demos I can email to anyone interested. Just PM me your address. Also, I have some lanterns left if anyone wants to buy them. I bought them from Pearl River Mart in NYC. They're white and in great condition. I'll send pics to anyone interested.

I used Roxroy of RG Weddings for my 7/23/11 wedding at Moon Dance Villas. I don't have the DVD yet, but working with Roxroy was great. He was more than punctual, which is somewhat unexpected in JA, and completely unobtrusive which was important to me. I'm giving him a lot of leeway in getting the video to us because I know how busy he is. While there are a lot of photographers in JA, there seems to be a lack of videographers. I'll update y'all once I get the DVD. Good luck!

Here's the link to the slideshow. It posted on their blog yesterday! http://www.sungoldphoto.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/07/lara-lane-at-moon-dance-villas-jamaica/

Here is a link to our slideshow with Sungold. They were a joy to work with and I can't say enough positive things about them! I will post a full review of their work soon, but in the meantime... http://www.sungoldphoto.com/blog/index.php/2011/11/07/lara-lane-at-moon-dance-villas-jamaica/ Enjoy!

The woman I was dealing with is Alison Marsh and her contact info is: Associate e-Commerce Manager Alpargatas USA/havaianas 131 Spring Street, Suite 201E New York, NY 10012 P: 646-747-8512 F: 212-219-7675 E: [email protected] When she was not available I dealt with Alissa Cataldo: Alissa Cataldo Alpargatas USA/havaianas 131 Spring Street, Suite 201E New York, NY 10012 P:646-747-8534 F:212-219-7675 E: [email protected] They were really accommodating!

I used Rashel and her hairstylist, Fiona, for my wedding this past July. They were both fantastic and Fiona did an even better job than the woman I used on Long Island for my AHR. I was very VERY nervous because I didn't have a trial, but you are in good hands. I had asked Rashel about a trial, but with her crazy busy schedule, she didn't have time. You really don't need one though - and if you saw the look on my face when I was getting my hair done you can see how panicked I was- and I wish I would have just relaxed and enjoyed the pampering.

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.

My slideshow isn't on the Sun Gold website yet, but I did just get my picture CDs so I expect it will be up soon. I'd send a link to all of our photos on Pictage, but my husband wasn't so thrilled when I sent it to our friends/family because he was a liitle shy about the TTD pics. AWE!!!!!

If anyone is getting married and can take advantage of the offer, DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I used Sun Gold for my wedding at Moon Dance Villas this past July and couldn't be happier with their service and their work. They are committed to their brides and you just can't go wrong with Sun Gold!!! I can not say enough positive things about their photos or this lovely couple. They were a complete joy to work with... and I was one really anxious bride!

We collected all of our guests' shoe sizes and bulk ordered Havaianas in our wedding colors of pink and navy, labled them and left them in each guest's room along with a welcome note. They were a huge success and it was really cool to see everyone walking around the resort property wearing them. I have the contact info for Havaianas if anyone wants it

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!!!!!!!

I used Rashel for my makeup (and her co-worker for hair) after the woman I originally booked (Loni Jones) cancelled last minute. SHE WAS AMAZING!!! You could not ask for a better, more professional or more highly skilled makeup artist than Rashel. My makeup lasted all night and we partied - HARD!! It lasted through the next day and the TTD despite the fact that I got completely soaked. Rashel did an incredible job for me, my MOH, mom and aunt. I emailed her some photos of the look I was going for and she did it masterfully. Everyone was happy and thought our hair in JA was even better than what we got in NY for the AHR. Trust me and go with Rashel, et al.!!!!!

Hi girls - I've been trying to open the steel drum list, too, but without success. Can someone who was able to open it PM it to me?? Thanks!

Thanks very much Redginger. You'll find a lot of helpful reviews and information on this site, so hopefully that will make selecting a resort a little easier for you. If you want to do a villa style wedding, you can check out villas at www.sunvillas.com. From everything I've read/heard about Sound Illusion, you really can't go wrong. Happy planning! Lara

Hey Redginger - We met with Paul from Sound Illusion when we were at a site visit at Moon Dance Villas and he was fantastic. We've decided to use him for our wedding reception in July. From what I saw, I'd recommend him, but I'll write a post-wedding review, so check back in August.

Thanks for the response. Better late than never We met with the DJ (Sound Illusion), Margaret Myrie and Rosemarie of Floral Fantasy when we were in Jamaica in January. I'm sure things will work out at the actual wedding, but I'm just a little frustrated because I really don't want to be doing things 6-8 weeks before the wedding that I can be doing now, 3 months in advance. Having been a wedding planner here in NY I would NEVER think to get back to someone after 2+ weeks. I just think it's poor practice.

HMM - I just checked my confirmation from when my FI and I went to MDV this past January. The transportation to/from the villas was $60 each way. MDC is about 10 minutes away from the villas (further from the airport) (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl), so there is absolutely no way they should be charging you $80!! And I don't know why they'd say a max of 4 people when the van that picked us up was just that - a full sized VAN. You can easily fit 6 people, even 8. 10 would be a bit of a squeeze.

HMM - I booked in October or November of last year and am doing the AI at Moon Dance Villas. My FI and I went for a site visit in January and they did NOT include the transfers which I thought was really REALLY cheap of them considering we will be dropping major $$ on a wedding, but it is what it is. Aside from that, the stay was amazing! As for the band, Oneika, the coordinator at the villas, also said that a DJ would be better for a younger crowd which is why we booked the reggae band for the rehearsal. We have a mento band booked for the first night guests arrive as we are having a "meet and greet" cocktails and dinner. I don't know the name of the mento band, but I really only need them there for some background music and to give my guests a sense of traditional Jamaican music. I thought it'd be a nice touch. I don't know the name of the mento band, but trust Oneika's judgment in this regard. As for the DJ, we went with Sound Illusion and met Paul Dilworth while we were in JA. We're using Floral Fantasy for our flowers and I'm waiting on a mock up of our centerpieces. I've seen their work on some other websites and it looks much nicer than what they have on their website which seems like it could use some revamping. Who have you been in touch with?? I'm going to PM you now and hope that the clips attach without too much trouble. -Lara

I booked Front Page for my rehearsal dinner. I have a few of their demos, so if you want me to send them, just PM me because I don't think I can attach them to a response in the thread. I haven't found anything much about them despite multiple google searches. I am using the transportation provided by the MDV to get my guests to/from the airport in Montego Bay because it's free!!

Hi Heidi - Glad to see there's some activity on our thread again! I'm getting married at the villas this July and booked my photographer (sungold) last November and the DJ, the cake and the florist this past January during a site visit. I locked in the videographer around the same time as the photog and recommend that you do that first after looking at the different options (check out the blogs, websites and slide shows for each). Like Jacki said, the photogs seem to book pretty quickly. Happy planning!

Hi there to all my fellow July 2011 Negril brides!!!! I just found out that ATI weekend in Negril is July 30 - August 2 2011. I thought I'd give you all a heads up because I almost had a heart attack when I heard. I love to party as much as the next girl, but am also looking for something calmer and more reserved for my wedding!!!! Not sure if the resorts disclosed the dates or not... but you can google it or check it out at this website, among others: http://www.blackbeachweek.com/negin.html

If you were to go with the fuchsia belt, you could go for the same color shoes. I'm mildly obsessed with this wedding from Style Me Pretty:

Thanks for getting the resorts listed, Lisa! You rock!!