IslandGirl808

What can I say about HDC - WOW!! My husband and I got married at Paradisus Palma Real (+ dinner/entertainment at Jellyfish) in May and were considering different photo companies serving the area. We made the right choice with HDC. From the beginning Arnaud was professional and prompt with communication, answering all my questions and replying to emails within 24 hours... often times right away or within a few hours. This reassurance and professionalism gave me peace of mind and made contracting with this company easy. Then there was the photographer - MILJAN VASOVIC... omg AMAZING!!! We love him!!! Our wedding was a small family affair, and Miljan captured all the emotions, special moments and joy of our entire day/night. From the time Miljan arrived for the getting ready session he was ON IT - clicking away, beautifully arranging rings, dress, shoes, etc. and giving our small group much needed direction. My family and friends rave at his beautiful artistic shots and the way he captured awesome shots of all of us. At the resort, Miljan knew EXACTLY where to go, where the best places for photos were and posed us in ways that were just AWESOME at those places. With great energy, confidence, experience and knowledge, he took fabulous shots of us with our families and led my husband and I for "couple" sessions at the resort, in the garden and on the beach. We have such awesome photos of our ceremony, dinner, toasts, crazy hour.. everything! On top of it all, Miljan was so nice and personable, our families thought he was awesome and it truly was a pleasure working with him. We are IN LOVE with our photos. We knew that the pictures would be amazing just based on how how Miljan was working, but when actually saw them (Arnaud brought them to us only TWO days later! amazing!) we were beyond happy. We relive the moments and emotions of that day through those beautiful shots - they truly are lifetime treasures, beautifully captured memories of our special day. Our families and friends are very impressed with them. We paid the obnoxious $1000 vendor fee that the resort imposes, but it was worth it. HDC is one of the best choices we made for our wedding!!

Quote: Originally Posted by angelnjewels Any PPR brides around? Yup, still hanging around Your wedding is less than 5 months away, my wedding is 6 months away... time is counting down!! Hope all is going well. Things are going smoothly for me so far.. only thing is that this vendor fee we're going to end up paying for outside photographers/videographers is so annoying. Sucks that these resorts try to force you to use their vendors by implementing astronomical vendor fees - especially for photos/videos, which are so important. Anywhow, right now we are deciding on the fire show and looking into other entertainment options. All else is so far so good! (knock on wood)

Quote: Originally Posted by Krisod Hey Girls, i've been trying to jump on the forum but i guess my last post never got put up. i am new to the planning process. i just put my deposit down for our wedding in august 2014 paradisus palma real. i have a few questions and im sure i will have a ton more as the planning process begins. does anyone know where they move your wedding to if it rains? we are having the beach ceremony and was planning the terrace for our reception. i dont know if this is going to be really cheesy and cheap looking. we hare having lots of guest come from all over and i just can't see having a wedding and then it rains right in the middle of things. What would you do if you were having dinner and it started to pour? has anyone had their reception at Gabi Beach Club? im thinking to pay this extra upgrade fee. also, does anyone know if there is an additional charge for the wedding coordinator that is on site? thank you, cant wait to hear more feed back Congrats on picking your date! I can't answer your questions since I haven't been to PPR yet, but the terrace seems to be a popular option for PPR brides, as is Apollo ballroom if you want the reception to be completely indoors. I agree with angelnjewels - if you can afford Gabi Beach, the feedback on that space is fantastic as well. Best thing is to browse other brides' pictures and maybe look up "palma real wedding highlight" on google video search to get more glimpses of the spaces. I think you picked the right resort if you are concerned about not having your wedding "cheesy and cheap looking"... from reviews I've read from other brides, PPR is probably one of the nicest resorts in the area to choose for your wedding. Good luck w/ planning.

Quote: Originally Posted by IslandGirl808 CONGRATULATIONS angelnjewels! 6 months is just around the corner So many decisions to make, and it's a destination wedding which is supposed to be easier lol. My mom and I looked at wedding venues back in my hometown and the details to keep track of as far as catering, florists, decorations were a bit much. Unlike majority of women who see wedding planning as exciting (including one of my best friends, who pulled off an amazing fairy-tale wedding), I see it at work At least there should be less stress I'm hoping anyway with planning a destination wedding. Well, I'm hoping anyway. Which photographer/videographer did you and your fiance decide on? The company that the resort works with or a different one? That $1K surcharge is nuts. Ok, "I see it at work" should be "I see it AS work." Oops.

Quote: Originally Posted by Asia Pimentel Hello lovely brides, its been a while since last time, a lot of thing has happenedd in the meantime resulting in the evolution of my brand and my art. Asia Pimentel begins a new stage and I feel so proud to introduce my brand new website www.asiapimentel.com Please be welcome to discover my passion, browse around, and enjoy the galleries filled with some of my work. Don’t forget to find out what people are chatting about on the blog, and don’t be shy to contact me if you have any questions!! A warm greeting from Dominican Republic! Asia Pimentel Nice pics Asia Pimentel. Can you pls msg me a price list of your wedding packages? I'm in the midst of deciding on a photographer.

Quote: Originally Posted by angelnjewels Ladies I finally chose a package. My fiancé and I chose it because with the changes that best fit our wedding weekend. We have arraigned to have the Welcome BBQ the night before on the beach. We are debating wether or not to have the photographer and videographer that night as well to capture such an important time of our wedding. We are also planning on having the fire dancers That night because it will give a great feel and leave more room for dancing at the reception lol... Everything is still in the works but as I get closer I feel this knot in my stomach I think it's my anxiety. I have 6 months to go... yay! CONGRATULATIONS angelnjewels! 6 months is just around the corner So many decisions to make, and it's a destination wedding which is supposed to be easier lol. My mom and I looked at wedding venues back in my hometown and the details to keep track of as far as catering, florists, decorations were a bit much. Unlike majority of women who see wedding planning as exciting (including one of my best friends, who pulled off an amazing fairy-tale wedding), I see it at work At least there should be less stress I'm hoping anyway with planning a destination wedding. Well, I'm hoping anyway. Which photographer/videographer did you and your fiance decide on? The company that the resort works with or a different one? That $1K surcharge is nuts.

Quote: Originally Posted by shaeshae18 I have created a FB group - Paradisus Palma Real Brides. Please find it and join! Awesome idea shaeshae18! Will check it out!

Hi ladies, just a little input regarding payment. My experience the sales dept in Miami is fine when it comes to easy questions. Ask them something that requires a bit more thought and they disappear for a while and you hear crickets chirp. I had to chase them via phone to get clarification and even then they didn't seem to have a firm grasp on answers. In case anyone reading this thread is wondering about payment, here is what I recently confirmed with them: The initial deposit (this deposit amount can be the required $500 or up to $10,000) paid via credit card will NOT be charged the 5% admin fee. Anything you pay for via credit card after that initial deposit will be. So one advantage, for example, is if your wedding package costs $8,000 - you can put $8,000 on your credit card as your INITIAL DEPOSIT, and this amount will not be charged the 5% credit card admin fee. This is all confirmed in writing and in my personal email record. If you add any extras, or if more people come to your wedding and this adds to the cost of your package, Ask Me LLC (Miami sales office for Paradisus resorts) will later accept payment of this balance via personal check, wire transfer, or certified check. Any check payments just have to be in their hands no later than 45 days before the wedding date. Their contract is kinda wack... the first page says personal checks are accepted and the 2nd page says only certified checks are accepted. The office confirmed that they do accept personal checks - NO FEE - so long as it is submitted no later than 45 days before the wedding. If you are a bride wondering about forms of payment, don't just rely on my feedback above as policy. Definitely have them confirm this with you in writing and keep all your emails with the office on file - who knows what they explain to different brides.

Quote: Originally Posted by EVKnowsitall That is incorrect. We had the option of a bank wire transfer, certified bank check, or credit card. The 5% charge is on the total package and the wedding extras- so lets say your entire wedding cost is $10,000- that's what the 5% charge is on- the entire amount of the balance- not just the deposit. The cheapest way to pay is a bank wire transfer. We calculated each form of payment. The most expensive is paying by credit card because depending on your package- that price can soar. Sending them a bank certified check- you have to fed ex it and fed ex charged us $60 to send our documents to the church- and they were lost along the way. The wire transfer depends on your bank- but I was able to submit it online through Chase- I don't remember but the charge was less than $25 I believe and the resort also assesses a $25 fee to accept- so we ended up paying $50 as opposed to all the other options which were far more expensive. EVKnowsitall you are a godsend to these Palma Real discussions. Thanks for the info. I was simply going to do payments with credit card and yup, 5% of $10K+ will end up working out to a huge "admin fee." We also bank with Chase so great to know there is an online wire transfer option... we will take this payment route.

Quote: Originally Posted by EVKnowsitall That is incorrect. We had the option of a bank wire transfer, certified bank check, or credit card. The 5% charge is on the total package and the wedding extras- so lets say your entire wedding cost is $10,000- that's what the 5% charge is on- the entire amount of the balance- not just the deposit. The cheapest way to pay is a bank wire transfer. We calculated each form of payment. The most expensive is paying by credit card because depending on your package- that price can soar. Sending them a bank certified check- you have to fed ex it and fed ex charged us $60 to send our documents to the church- and they were lost along the way. The wire transfer depends on your bank- but I was able to submit it online through Chase- I don't remember but the charge was less than $25 I believe and the resort also assesses a $25 fee to accept- so we ended up paying $50 as opposed to all the other options which were far more expensive. EVKnowsitall you are a godsend to these Palma Real discussions. Thanks for the info. I was simply going to do payments with credit card and yup, 5% of $10K+ will end up working out to a huge "admin fee." We also bank with Chase so great to know there is an online wire transfer option... we will take this payment route.

Hi ladies, I'm about to turn in my Romance Contract and put a deposit down for a date for May of 2014. There was one thing that was concerning me though, and I haven't heard back from the Romance sales person about it. It's on the 2nd page, 2nd Paragraph: "For weddings booked and/or paid to directly with the Resort: Initial deposit not exceeding USD$10,000.00 are accepted with credit card. Subsequent deposits are accepted only with wire transfers or certified check. Additional payments made with credit card after the initial deposit will be subject to a surcharge of 5% administration fee. This will be absorbed by the client. Please note that in some cases your local bank my charge an additional fee in accordance to the Exchange rate. We encourage you to check this in advance as the hotel will not be responsible for any charges." For those who have already turned in their contract... does the above mean that when you pay for the balance of the wedding package with the same credit card that you put the deposit on, that balance will be subject to a 5% admin charge? I want to make sure this is NOT the case. My interpretation of above is that anything I plan directly with the resort APART from what's included in the wedding package (i.e. Aqua, Fantasy, etc.) is subject to that 5% admin fee. Now when my balance for the original wedding package is due, Ask Me will NOT charge me 5% for that package. Is this correct? Please can someone clarify!!

Hi ladies, I'm about to turn in my Romance Contract and put a deposit down for a date for May of 2014. There was one thing that was concerning me though, and I haven't heard back from the Romance sales person about it. It's on the 2nd page, 2nd Paragraph: "For weddings booked and/or paid to directly with the Resort: Initial deposit not exceeding USD$10,000.00 are accepted with credit card. Subsequent deposits are accepted only with wire transfers or certified check. Additional payments made with credit card after the initial deposit will be subject to a surcharge of 5% administration fee. This will be absorbed by the client. Please note that in some cases your local bank my charge an additional fee in accordance to the Exchange rate. We encourage you to check this in advance as the hotel will not be responsible for any charges." For those who have already turned in their contract... does the above mean that when you pay for the balance of the wedding package with the same credit card that you put the deposit on, that balance will be subject to a 5% admin charge? I want to make sure this is NOT the case. My interpretation of above is that anything I plan directly with the resort APART from what's included in the wedding package (i.e. Aqua, Fantasy, etc.) is subject to that 5% admin fee. Now when my balance for the original wedding package is due, Ask Me will NOT charge me 5% for that package. Is this correct? Please can someone clarify!!

Quote: Originally Posted by EVKnowsitall We chose PPR for the same reason. While doing our TTD, our photographer took us to another resort my husband and I were considering in our initial search and we looked at each other and made that "ugh face" and shook our heads no and knew exactly what each other meant. Any resort can look nice in photos, but PPR impresses just as much in person and I think that is the key. The resort looks EXACTLY like it does in pictures. Where we did our TTD- it looked amazing in pictures but I can tell you from being there in person it did not impress in the least. My husband said he would have been pissed had we booked that resort. We wanted our guests to have the luxury experience too and PPR definitely does not disappoint. We had 2 bridal party members stay at Catalonia and while they said the service was nice, when they came to PPR they said they regretted not splurging a bit and staying with us. Yes PPR is probably one of the most expensive resorts- but you get what you pay for. We considered staying somewhere cheaper for guests but look- even our guests wished they had spent the extra money for the extra luxury. There are MINOR glitches- that someone picky like my mother complained about. To me- they were things that happen everywhere, I have been to several all inclusives and know what to expect so they didn't bother me. For example- making a reservation for dinner and getting to the restaurant to be told you aren't on the list. Even in the event that happened- we ended up being seated or we just went to the buffet. You're on vacation! Who cares about silly little things. I took a TON of pics of the various locations- Apollo ballroom, Apollo Terrace, the restaurants, the beaches, the rooms etc- to give you girls some insight but my phone was stolen at my AHR I have a few of the Chill out chic ceremony set up on the beach and the Aqua reception set up on the beach (from our wedding)... : ( I am planning on writing my review shortly and I will come back and post a link so you ladies can see it. I took a ton of pics- 1,000 to be exact and then my phone was stolen. I still have from my guests though, so I will definitely post for you girls. The resort photographs beautifully. You are all going to love it! You did not make a mistake choosing this resort. It is SUCH a relief to read this. The last thing I want after getting to the resort is to be disappointed and regret choosing PPR. I've combed the internet for reviews of this place, and while I did come across some not so great ones, the great majority of feedback was really positive and the non-professional pics look great. I agree that a photographer can easily make a not-so-hot place look amazing... but I don't want my wedding destination to just look good in pics, I want to also feel great about it when we're actually there along w/ everyone else. As for the price... I figure since we're going all the way there and spending all this money, may as well make sure the resort we stay at is something special, right? As far as rooms we've chosen to stay The Reserve w/ both our entire fams. There's never going to be a place that is like 100% perfect 100% of the time. I agree about choosing your battles when it comes to glitches - put your foot down for what's important but don't sweat the small stuff. Congrats to all the brides, future and past!!!

Hi ladies, I just finished reading this entire thread from page 1 to here, and it has been such a valuable source of information and feedback. After entertaining different options including having the ceremony in my home town (we've since moved away but family is still there), I've come to a decision that doing a destination wedding is our best option and that this is the resort for us. I hope to pick a date by the end of this week. My wedding will be small, but I can see how planning the logistics of a larger event and juggling that with budgeting, work and other commitments can be a lot of pressure, so I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to all the brides who took time to contribute to this thread. I really appreciate reading your stories, the trials, tribulations and joys you went through making it all happen, and seeing the amazing photos and videos that were shared. Such a huge help in the planning process, and keeps me excited especially when doubts creep in about having a DW. I am happy that despite hiccups, the general feeling seems to be that Palma Real (and The Reserve, where we plan to book all our family) is a great and memorable (in a good way, haha) choice for our special day.