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Hi Michelle, I got married in the garden gazebo which was very private, cocktail in the flamingo foyer (behind the main staircase to the left) and the reception in the apollo foyer (behind the staircase to the right - the whole foyer). The beach ceremony is right in the middle. they do make an effort to make sure on lookers dont get too close. i think your idea for the olympic terrace is great. it is really pretty I stayed at the Reserve and I was glad I did. It has a slightly different feel (decor) and there are a couple other restaurants and bars to go to, but it's farther from the beach. I've heard different things about the royal service. some negative and some positive, but if you dont think youll need a butler I would save that $. I got my hair done in the reserve spa and loved it. I did my photos with HDC Photo for both video and photos and LOVED them. can't say enough great things about them. I actually didn't leave the resort bc we were just enjoying each other and relaxing so I can't give you any advice for off site make up. your wedding sounds beautiful! good luck! kari

Avong1228- I can answer a few of your questions. 1- Diana Landgraf [email protected] 2- I don't have a current price list, sorry, but they can send you one easily. 3- Ceremony locations: Naos Beach or Garden Gazebo. Reception locations: beach, Gabi restaurant (have to rent the whole thing out though for about 9K), Olympic Terrace (it overlooks the pool and is outside), Appolo Foyer (covered outdoors), ballrooms, Olympic theater (its a really big space so use it if you have a lot of guests). I got married in April this year in the garden gazebo bc i wanted privacy. we still had onlookers but not as many if we were on the beach and to be honest, I didn't notice. 4- Our ceremony was at 6pm on April 2. It was a VERY short ceremony, maybe 15 min tops and then we did pictures for an hour and by the time we were done it was dark. For more daylight, maybe do a 5pm wedding. But, it can be HOT then, so if you're outside remember your guests will be sitting and sweating in the sun 5- there are fees for using outside vendors. you have to pay a day pass ($120 i think) per person and if you have guests staying at other resorts there is a $25 event pass they will need to get. 6- I didn't work with a TA. Our guests booked their own rooms. I am not sure if they do a room block or not, or you might have to commit to a certain number of rooms. Good luck! Kari

Chell2BMorrell - I stand corrected- the Olympic Terrace is the photo you have the link to above, and it is mostly private. The entry is roped off so other guests aren't walking through your area. Gabi is $$ and I can't remember what that includes. We had our ceremony in the garden gazebo and our cocktail reception in the flamingo foyer and our reception in the apolo foyer, all outside, but covered (except the garden gazebo). I didn't want our ceremony on the beach though, so that is why I chose the gazebo. On the beach everyone stops to watch, which is ok, I just didn't want photo's of people in their bathing suits, ya know? Also, it can be really hot out there bc there is no shade. It can also be really windy so you are hooked up to a microphone. We had 58 guests, which I thought was a great number. We did the Aqua package, which had the plated dinner and our 2011 package included alcohol. I think your idea of having your ceremony on the beach is beautiful. If you privatize Gabi, I would just recommend having your cocktail hour there, too bc in my mind it doesn't make much sense to walk to the Olympic Terrace for one hour, and then all the way back to Gabi for the reception - especially bc Gabi has a bar already, so the set up transition would be seamless, and they have a hard surface so you don't have to rent the dance floor. OR you could just do your cocktail in the center of the resort - by the big main fountain (forget the name - and they rope it off so random people don't walk through), and then have your reception on the Olympic Terrace bc it's also mostly private and doesn't cost as much as the Gabi. It also overlooks the main pool which is lit up at night, and the beach, and you have the cool breeze. Remember you're not going to be present for the cocktail reception - you'll be taking pictures, so you'll want some daylight left during that time so all your photos aren't at night. Have you decided which wedding package you're going with? I mentioned we picked the Aqua package bc I wanted a plated dinner instead of a buffet. I asked for the Chill Out Chic linens though bc aqua and white were not my colors. We picked The Reserve to have some privacy from my MIL. Some of our friends and some of my family stayed there too and it was really great. I reserved that room, which wasn't an upgrade. If you get the wedding package and you stay 7+ nights then they will upgrade you to the next room level at either part of the resort. If proximity to the beach is important to you, you might want to consider staying at the regular part of the resort bc you either walk 10 min or take a golf cart ride every time you want to get between The Reserve and the regular part of the resort. I didn't mind and knew I wanted to stay at The Reserve, so it wasn't an issue for me. They also have their own restaurants/bars/pool/spa/gym, etc. I got my hair/make up done by Claudia at The Reserve spa and she was amazing. I didn't do a trial, just walked in with a pic of the type of make up I wanted and she did it and told her how I wanted my hair, and she made it happen. I used HDC Photo for our photographers and I can't say enough nice things about them. I didn't particularly like the guys that are on the resort, so I did a little research on here and found HDC and really couldn't be any happier. If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!! Best, Kari

Hi! I got married in April 2011 at PPR. The Olympic Terrace is the main central terrace of the hotel - the place with the fountains and giant blue statue of a "person" sitting. That's on their website, and it's very nice, but not terribly private because it's by the main pool, and in between the restaurants, etc. It's very beautiful and there is plenty of seating, and the view can't be beat, over the pool to the beach, and the fountains themselves. I'm not sure where Naos beach is - could you be thinking of Gabi beach? To put it this way, the beach, if they are named differently, are all a short walk away - Gabi being the furthest, is probably at the very most 5 min. And, I might add that the walk to the beach is on a hard surface. There might be a couple steps involved if you are in fact thinking of Gabi, but I think your Granny will be fine - plus there is seating all along the way if she needs to take a break. I did not have my cocktail reception and wedding reception in the same place - so i'm sure they can arrange for you to have it wherever you want. I purchased the lanterns for our reception and they were $350 and they were really pretty and I just put the price out of my mind. If you have your own lanterns, bring them, but there isn't really a place to hang them from in the Olympic Terrace bc the whole thing is open- there is no roof to hang it from, There are plants, etc, but i'm not sure you would hang lanterns from them. Might I suggest the faux candles? That might look pretty on the tables and then you wouldn't have to worry about hanging them anywhere. You might be able to use the lanterns at the reception? Hope that helps! And, congratulations!!! ps- My husband and I stayed at The Reserve at PPR and I am so glad we did. It gave us just enough privacy from his overbearing mother who wanted to spend each and every moment with him. She stayed at the regular part of PPR and wasn't allowed onto The Reserve, which was exactly what I was looking for...ha. We spent time with our friends and family but then could spend some alone time too and not have to worry about imposing family members. Just a thought. I thought it was worth ever penny!

I agree with Diana about making dinner reservations - they are a pain, so try to hammer them out as soon as you can. I think you can make reservations two days in advance. I had better luck making large reservations through the Romance Coordinator and it worked out well. They were a little late (8:45pm) but we were all together. Any number over 16 they charge you - FYI. I got married at PPR on April 2, 2011 and did not have a problem with the make up or hair. I got mine done in The Reserve by Claudia and she was awesome! Now that you mention it Diana, I didn't get my breakfast in bed either - but didn't even remember i was supposed to have it until just now. We did get the bubble bath with roses. I really wouldn't worry about anything. The staff at PPR is amazing and they know what they are doing. A little patience goes a long way and trust that your day will be wonderful. -Kari

Hi There, We got married on April 2, 2011 and we used HDC Photo, too and they were great! Arnaud and Milan were our videographer and photographer. I reached out to HDC about two months before our wedding and booked them. They were quick to respond and very friendly. The pricing structure at PPR where we were getting married was very strange and HDC's costs were very reasonable. They arrived right on time and immediately put us at ease. I wasn't sure what ind of photos I wanted and let them do most of the directing. We were laughing within minutes. Both are so friendly and very professional. After the reception was over they we were told Arnaud would come back to the resort to drop off the photos and video - and they were amazing. I was stunned at how pretty they were, and that they were able to get some of the shots they did. AND that everything was done in two days! I highly recommend HDC Photo and hope you have an amazing day! Best, Kari

I put up my review here: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/paradisus-palma-real-resort-all-inclusive/reviews/4443 -kgb

Hi again, I've put up my long review in the "proper" location as Tammy removed it from this forum the other day. You can find it here: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/paradisus-palma-real-resort-all-inclusive/reviews/4443 Hope it helps reduce a little stress. Have a wonderful time in the DR!! best, kgb

I highly recommend HDC Photo. Arnaud and Milan worked with us at our April 2011 wedding and they were amazing. The photos are outstanding and the two of them made our day relaxing and fun. I looked into Arrecife Studio, but I wasn't thrilled with their pricing structure an I think the photo quality of HDC is superior. Email exchanges are easy and they are very responsive, competitive and professional.

Hi there, I just got back from my wedding at PPR and wrote my review herer: http://www.bestdestinationwedding.com/products/paradisus-palma-real-resort-all-inclusive/reviews/4443 I tried to post it in this forum bc it wouldn't let me create a new thread, but it was removed by Tammy. If you have any questions, please don't hesistate to ask. I loved my experience there and would recommend it to anyone. Best, Kari

Hi there, I recently got back from our wedding at the Paradisus Palma Real and we used HDC Photographers. Arnaud and Milan were outstanding and I would highly recommend them. From the very first email exhange to picking up our photos just two days after the wedding, they were great. We had one photographer and one videographer and they were with us for 5.5 hours. I received all of the photos and the video two days following the wedding, as well as a link to the website where family and friends could view them. Both Arnaud and Milan were kind, funny and patient with us and really made stunning phots. We laughed a lot with them and our guests thought they were very charming. The prices were very reasonable and thye accept payment via paypal, which made paying from the US a breeze. If you ahve any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. Best, Kari

Hi there, I just got back from our wedding at PPR (4-2-11). It was stunning and everyone was beyond helpful. I need to write my reivew of our wedding and the photographer we used. Diana was very helpful and very busy. Jennifer was my coordinator and she was divine! So happy/helpful/calm and wonderful. I can't say enough great things about the staff and the resort and our wedding day. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them. I know the feeling of not being in control bc you depend solely on emails to correspond with the Romance Team there, but they do this day in and day out and have everything under control. Once you are there it seemingly falls into place. And, if you change plans along the way they seemed to be very receptive to that. I was supposed to do welcome bags, and at the last minute decided not to, and we then put all the favors at the reception tables - Jennifer took that in stride and didn't hesitate to do it for me. Again, if anyone has any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them. Best, KGB

Thanks so much for posting your wedding/resort review. I can't find your photographer review though - can you please tell me where it is? I need to find a photographer for our April 2011 wedding bc the one that partners with the resort charges you $10 per selected picture!!! That is outrageous. Thanks!!

What is the new package? How is it priced differently from the previous ones. I'm getting married April 2, 2011 and would be interested in seeing it. thanks!

Hi there, I visited PPR in July and got a walking tour of all the possible ceremony/reception locations. That would be my best suggestion to you. You can meet up with one of the girls on the romance team and literally ask them to show you everything. I had them show me the whole resort, including the handicap-accessible rooms. It really varies as to what you are looking for. You can have the ceremony/reception on the beach, garden, covered foyer, ballroom, large terrace, or rent a larger space that is covered but open to the beach. Good luck with your trip! KG