Married or going to be married at Grand Palladium Punta Cana?

[Bride2B1130]

Your pictures look beautiful!! Thank you so much for posting your review! When you first arrived was everything set up for you at check in? Where did you stay within GPPC? Did you find that the restaurants were packed due to the renovations going on? What are your thoughts on that? I'm leaving for PC in 3 days and am so nervous and feel as if Im forgetting something. Also I know you were mentioning the weather but I can't help to notice that everyday has been showing rain. That's seriously freaking me out. Did you meet with DJ Mannia prior to the reception? We are in the process of bringing An iPod in the event something unfortunate happens. Oh man, this is so stressful. Did you find that once meeting with Carolina everything was smooth and you were able rest and relax. I've got friends that want me to do a tour but I'm not sure I want to leave the premises. Thoughts? Thanks for sharing!!!

[Jenn963]

hi!! I think i'm too late on replying to you ..so sorry!! i went away for the weekend so I wasn't able to check.  But just to answer your questions; check in was fine...we arrived at around 6pm on a MOnday evening and they had a sign with my last name for our group to check into...It went rather slow due to the fact that there were 26 of us and we all had to fill in some paperwork...but they served us some nice cold drinks so it was alright.  We stayed at the 4000 block of rooms (right in front of the lobby conveniently).   Restaurants....well the buffets (non a-la-carte) were fine...busy at times and waiters would sometimes forget that you had ordered a drink (1-2 times soemtimes)...and twice we ran into the problem that they ran out of cups so we had to wait on drinks....for the a-la-carte, i can't say much because I honestly didn't even have time to eat at them.  I only went to ONE (Mare Nostrum) and then the one we went to for our semiprivate dinner for the wedding (El Rodizio).  They are both really good.  I personally liked Mare Nostrum better.  The service was amazing. 

Please please please don't worry about the weather! it lies!! you will see once you're there.   It rains for literally 5 min and then sunshine again. I checked the app before leaving and it said rain ALL week.  It rained only 2 days and both days were for max 10 min and pure sunshine the rest of the day.  Trust me, it's beautiful!

We unfortunately did not meet with DJ Mannia before the party...I would have liked to.  Same with Pastor Mark Lykins.  I would have like to run through some instructions prior to the ceremony and party but I guess it couldn't happen.  Either way, it all went well.  I mean, they do these things on a daily basis so you are definitely covered We brought a USB with our songs...separated in folders ....one for ceremony and one for the beach party.  And I wrote out the list in order (for the ceremony) for Carolina and they played them perfectly. DJ mannia has a good playlist....you tell him what sort of music you like...but if there are specific songs u want played, then i'd suggest you put them on a USB.

Carolina is soooo nice.  and she def has a way of making you feel at ease. EVERYTHING i asked of her was done.  she is honestly amazing! 

I did the dolphin excursion AFTER the wedding day....I didni't want to leave before just in case of anythign lol ...

 

good luck! don't stress! TAKE LOTS of pics and just ENJOY it because honestly the week goes by WAY too fast : ( i miss DR  

[Bride2B1130]

*Cross Posting*

 

Well we are back from the wedding!  Everything turned out perfectly although I was stressed out the entire time and only realized (once I arrived) that I had nothing to worry about.  Carolina and Kenia are the best at what they do and are super professional at making your wedding perfect! Hopefully I cover everything in the review and if I haven't - feel free to shoot me a message.

 

GPPC & Renovations: The biggest thing I 'noticed' were the renovations that were going on at the hotel.  They are a bit behind with the building of the new villas but it doesn't really interfere with what you have to do.  There were a few restaurants that were closed so we were limited with the choices for the reception but that didn't worry us because everyone enjoyed the dinner (as we saw the empty plates).

 

Crystal Wedding Package & Planning: First things first - do NOT stress out about the planning and coordination.  Carolina is very busy and tries her best to respond to each and every response for folks that are interested in having their wedding at the Grand Palladium.  Believe it or not, it seems like the word of mouth is spreading fast and she is becoming extremely busy.  With that being said, I would utilize the "subject" line of your email to include the date of your wedding and your name(s) so it's easy for her to identify who is sending her messages and the priority of responses. If you're already scheduled to have your wedding there the response times in my experience were MUCH MUCH quicker.  As others have stated Carolina knows what she's doing however I needed to re-visit this board to remind myself that everything is under control (and I needed to calm down).  We had the Crystal Wedding package and as US Citizens we went ahead with the legal process to get married in the DR.  We also decided to get married in the beach facing gazebo which was absolutely BEAUTIFUL.  Now, when you arrive you will schedule a meeting with Carolina - when that takes place you will see how everything will come together and all of your worries will go away.  I hope this post will help future brides to not do what I did and stress out all of the time. 

 

Weather : This topic single handedly stressed me out for 72 hours prior to the wedding.  The forecast said that there was a 30% chance of rain starting at 4PM (which was the time the wedding started). I was so scared that my big day would be ruined by the rain however, it was a nice cool day with the perfect overcast for photos and other things.  There was a little sprinkle while we took photos on the beach but the photographers were able to catch the rainbow so we were really happy about that.  For those getting married between Dec - Feb I don't see you having a problem with the rain.  Main point is, it's the Caribbean and although the forecast had rain we didn't experience it and it held out.

 

Reception & Food: We had our reception at Arrecife and paid the extra 1K for the private dinner and it was the best decision we made although we had to put out extra money for this.  We rented out the entire space although we only had 20 people at the wedding and it was the right idea because of a few things: First Dance Importance & Intimate feel with attentive service.  I just couldn't imagine 'sharing' the space with others.  The restaurant was set up very nicely and to our likings.  We exceeded the 12 person threshold so we all had the same meal and everyone enjoyed it.  We had the French & Onion Soup, the Beef Tenderloins, and fruit platter because of the cake  Now, everyone enjoyed the food and we enjoyed the service that was provided to us.  It was on point. We were having such a good time that there were some people on the resort starting to walk in because they saw what a good time we were having and wanted to join the party! The cake was delicious and MORE than enough for our group and we wanted to give the rest of the cake to the servers and their kids/families.  They were great!  Everything really went perfect and we couldn't be more happy. 

 

DJ Mannia: First, we met with the Mannia group prior to the wedding so they could explain what they have seen, what works best, what doesn't etc.  It was perfect because the music is a HUGE deal for just about everybody and certainly my family. DJ Mannia and Elam had the crowd going all night.  Our crowd is a energetic crowd anyways and will get up to dance, and will take their shoes off when their feet hurt and are up late into the night dancing.  DJ Mannia sent a wedding information in a word document prior to the wedding and we filled it out.  Prior to the reception they pulled us aside to confirm the small details which made me feel even better because they were concerned with the little details.  I wouldn't have a reception in the DR without DJ Mannia.  They've got competitive prices and their reviews speak for themselves

 

HDC Photo: We used HDC Photo and WE LOVE THE WORK THAT THEY HAVE DONE!!!  Arnaud and his company are simply the best and I am the type to pay for quality and won't bat an eye when I do.  Your photos are your only tangibles from your wedding and you want to capture them as such.  I know some people have others in the audience that take "good pictures" but taking "good pictures" and hiring "professionals" is a big difference.We could see that from the experience and the confidence that they had with some of the photos that we are in good hands.  I remember doing a few photos and I was thinking "this is a strange position" and guess what?? That photo is my FAVORITE PHOTO.  I cannot recommend them enough and I am going to put their services on blast to anyone and everyone that has a wedding or special event in DR.  The photos are taken with such precision that it takes me back there once again.  We worked with Arnaud (prior to the wedding), Milijan (wedding), & Charly (wedding) for our wedding and they were the best to work with.  Those three know there stuff.  I am truly amazed and thankful that I hired them to capture my big day.  HDC are the best.

 

 

I'm hoping I'm covering as much as I can about our big day and I'm hoping this will help out a future bride just as this forum has been tremendously helpful to me.

 

*Oh, I just remembered - for Brides getting married at the Gazebo - those cobblestones are spaced far apart so if you're wearing heels and having the camera man there try to look up without falling.  We noticed those that didn't have a groomsmen/usher to hold onto were looking down.*

[Meandhim]

*Cross post*

 

Any other brides or past brides have to pay a deposit to book a date? I'm trying to book a specific date of April 1st 2015 at The Grand Palladium Punta Cana. They want me to pay a deposit of $300 USD just to hold the date...is this normal because I have no idea? They said its a new policy and the WC is on vacation so this is info from her assistant.

 

I also asked for their 2015 pricing, but they said it's not out yet. I thought you just pay a deposit once you sign a contract. Is it wrong to think if I book a date and pay a deposit now that I should be able to lock in the package and price that's available now? They also sent me the deposit credit card form to fill out but still have said if my actual date is even available.

 

I want a symbolic wedding and they also said they require a marriage certificate. I was hoping to get married legally at home after Punta Cana so my Nan could be involved, if I do it before she can't go.

 

Any advice or thoughts?

 

 

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[jaj1230]

I am having my wedding at GP in just a bit under a month. When i first started chatting with Carolina she assured me many times that we did not need to leave a deposit. This seemed weird to me as im from NY where everything requires a deposit. Since i felt so worried about this, i would randomly ask her and about 2 months ago she notified me that starting this year they changed their policy and they do in fact require a deposit to secure your date. From what i hear that have gotten very busy with weddings so maybe that is why.

 

For any other past brides out there... did you get your hair and makeup down at the spa? im a bit nervous about that!

[1BeachBride]

I thought no deposit was weird too.

[1BeachBride]

Were any of you given different prices other than what the website says?

 

We just looked at the prices Carolina had quoted for our wedding, reception, and extras. They are off from the website prices for 2014 weddings. Off by over 500 dollars. I can put that elsewhere... The discrepancy is somewhere in the prices for extra guests. (We have a large group) but we can't figure out why the prices per person don't match up...

 

I do know that it's not my math. She's quoting every extra person between $5-$8 more than the web lists.  Doesn't sound like a lot but it adds up fast.

Example, extra wedding guests are $20(website price) not $25(wedding planner) per person. Beach bash extra people are $30(website price) not $38(planner)...

 

I haven't had any issues so far so I'm hoping Carolina is busy and simply made an error when giving me prices. I did email her and we sent a screen shot of the web page with the amount it is quoting us for 50 people and all our extras. Guess I have to wait.

 

Double check your numbers ladies!  

[Meandhim]

When I asked about the difference Carolina told me that the website prices are wrong and only the prices she sent me are valid ... The website says $20 per person extra and I'm getting charged $22 I did however get the package price of $730 for the silver renewal package same as the website

 

Let me know how it goes for you! I was told by my photographer that they will sometimes just make up prices as now I'm worried/ freaked out. I haven't really decided too much else regarding my reception or flowers or any extras so I would be interested to know what others were priced at.

 

 

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[1BeachBride]

The website says 2014 wedding packages and last year when I booked it said 2013 wedding packages with different prices. It had to be updated. I don't think it's fair for them to change prices whenever they feel.

 

I was told the same thing about website prices are wrong... however, she is giving us the website price.

I think the threat of loosing my business helped with that decision. (Large wedding with many guests = $$$)

 

@himandme $2 difference isn't that bad.

[Meandhim]

No I agree the 2 dollar difference isn't bad... And I confirmed with her that I would be guaranteed that price once I paid my deposit no matter what the 2015 prices were. Now I'm just worried about the prices for everything else I guess I should nail them down soon and have that out of the way...

 

 

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Edited April 29, 2014 by Meandhim