Paradisus Punta Cana (PPC) Brides POST HERE!!

[maridr2012]

Yes, I visited in December.  I actually visited PPC and 3 other resorts to compare, and rest assured that PPC is the best of all to get married at!  While I was there I realized these folks can do just about anything to accomodate your needs.    The food is phenomenal.  We're going with a plated menu reception in one of the terraces behind the lobby which accomodates about 70 people but I'll need to pay extra for fans because it can get a little warm there.  I liked that space because it gives a more elegant feel.  I originally wanted the pool are area reception, but they will only do buffet menu since there aren't any kitchens nearby to do plated.  I liked the plated menu more, I tasted the food and I liked it better than buffet.  Also, it seemed that almost every night there was a reception in the pool area so you'll be able to see a few weddings before your own to get a feel of what it's really like.  The pool area is def more laid-back.  I didn't see any beach weddings take place - every wedding I saw was a gazebo ceremony, pool reception during my 3 day stay.  is a Make sure you give a rooming list to the wedding coordinator there a few weeks before your arrival, and let them know you wish to be upgraded (if you booked a standard room for yourself).  I am personally just booking a standard room, but am pretty sure they will upgrade me and I'm requesting the Reserve instead of Royal rooms.  I stayed in the Royal rooms, and they're nice but just not my personal taste.  I wasn't crazy about the decor, and frankly a bit small.  The Reserve is supposed to be for families, but its the newest section of the resort and the rooms are just gorgeous.  Plus, it gives you an your fiancee a bit of privacy away from all of your guests (unless they're staying in the Reserve too).  It's a bit further away from the beach, but it's not that far of a walk and the trolley comes by every few minutes anyway.  Regarding your actual reception, all of the packages are for a 3 hour reception, and honestly that's all you'll need.  Immediately after the reception, every wedding party I saw moved over to the main lobby to continue the partying with other hotel patrons at 10 pm.  They have a live band come in every night so there is plenty of dancing, that is for an hour, and then at 11 pm everyone moves over to the disco also in the lobby area, called Fuego.  You'll be partying with other hotel patrons, but its alot of fun!    If you and your guests get late-night munchies there is only 1 restaurant that is opened until about 2 am if I recall correctly, I think it's the Italian restaurant (the name escapes me right now).  Late night room service food is limited and its ok...I wasn't overly-thrilled with it but then again I prob shouldn't be eating at 1 am anyways, lol.   

 

I'm doing a rehearsal dinner only for the wedding attendants and our immediate family total of 30 people.  We are having 60+ people attend our wedding and it wouldve been too costly to have a privatized rehearsal dinner.  They will allow you to make a dinner reservation for up to like 20 people, and then anything over that they charge a small fee of like $10.  It's a semi-private dinner which means they will select a restaurant for you (you can request a particular restaurant you wish but not guaranteed).   They will give you a pre-selected menu and section off your dinner area for you & your guests for 90 minutes.  I think that's plenty of time for a rehearsal dinner.  I am in the process of negotiating a comp welcome cocktail party for all of my guests (in lieu of a welcome dinner party).  it will depend on how many rooms are booked which I won't know for several more months, but I think we'll get it since we will have over 30 rooms booked : )  Are you having a rehearsal dinner or a welcome dinner/cocktail party?

 

Not sure what info specifically you're looking for, so just ask away and I'm more than happy to answer.   
 

Originally Posted by cdc150 

I will keep you posted! 

 

You've visited?  What did you learn on your visit?
 

 

 

 

[cdc150]

Thanks, Marid!  That was great.  We are doing a beach ceremony and reception at the pool.  We did extend our reception by an hour at my FI insistence.   I tried to tell him we didn't need to but he pushed for it so I gave in.  We will head over to the disco afterwards, I don't see us going to bed until after 2a.  Our ceremony is at 6:30 though, so its a late start. We are staying at the Royal Service and made sure my travel agent didn't book anyone else there so we would have our privacy.  My dad is staying the entire time we are there so we need it!

 

We are doing a rehearsal dinner as well, thanks for the heads up, I think we have slightly over 20 people.  I am having the rest of the guests meet us in the lobby afterwards for drinks. 
 

I am officially at the less than 2 month mark, I am getting really excited! 

 

Originally Posted by maridr2012 

Yes, I visited in December.  I actually visited PPC and 3 other resorts to compare, and rest assured that PPC is the best of all to get married at!  While I was there I realized these folks can do just about anything to accomodate your needs.    The food is phenomenal.  We're going with a plated menu reception in one of the terraces behind the lobby which accomodates about 70 people but I'll need to pay extra for fans because it can get a little warm there.  I liked that space because it gives a more elegant feel.  I originally wanted the pool are area reception, but they will only do buffet menu since there aren't any kitchens nearby to do plated.  I liked the plated menu more, I tasted the food and I liked it better than buffet.  Also, it seemed that almost every night there was a reception in the pool area so you'll be able to see a few weddings before your own to get a feel of what it's really like.  The pool area is def more laid-back.  I didn't see any beach weddings take place - every wedding I saw was a gazebo ceremony, pool reception during my 3 day stay.  is a Make sure you give a rooming list to the wedding coordinator there a few weeks before your arrival, and let them know you wish to be upgraded (if you booked a standard room for yourself).  I am personally just booking a standard room, but am pretty sure they will upgrade me and I'm requesting the Reserve instead of Royal rooms.  I stayed in the Royal rooms, and they're nice but just not my personal taste.  I wasn't crazy about the decor, and frankly a bit small.  The Reserve is supposed to be for families, but its the newest section of the resort and the rooms are just gorgeous.  Plus, it gives you an your fiancee a bit of privacy away from all of your guests (unless they're staying in the Reserve too).  It's a bit further away from the beach, but it's not that far of a walk and the trolley comes by every few minutes anyway.  Regarding your actual reception, all of the packages are for a 3 hour reception, and honestly that's all you'll need.  Immediately after the reception, every wedding party I saw moved over to the main lobby to continue the partying with other hotel patrons at 10 pm.  They have a live band come in every night so there is plenty of dancing, that is for an hour, and then at 11 pm everyone moves over to the disco also in the lobby area, called Fuego.  You'll be partying with other hotel patrons, but its alot of fun!    If you and your guests get late-night munchies there is only 1 restaurant that is opened until about 2 am if I recall correctly, I think it's the Italian restaurant (the name escapes me right now).  Late night room service food is limited and its ok...I wasn't overly-thrilled with it but then again I prob shouldn't be eating at 1 am anyways, lol.   

 

I'm doing a rehearsal dinner only for the wedding attendants and our immediate family total of 30 people.  We are having 60+ people attend our wedding and it wouldve been too costly to have a privatized rehearsal dinner.  They will allow you to make a dinner reservation for up to like 20 people, and then anything over that they charge a small fee of like $10.  It's a semi-private dinner which means they will select a restaurant for you (you can request a particular restaurant you wish but not guaranteed).   They will give you a pre-selected menu and section off your dinner area for you & your guests for 90 minutes.  I think that's plenty of time for a rehearsal dinner.  I am in the process of negotiating a comp welcome cocktail party for all of my guests (in lieu of a welcome dinner party).  it will depend on how many rooms are booked which I won't know for several more months, but I think we'll get it since we will have over 30 rooms booked : )  Are you having a rehearsal dinner or a welcome dinner/cocktail party?

 

Not sure what info specifically you're looking for, so just ask away and I'm more than happy to answer.   
 

 

 

 

[lmazz729]

Hi cdc150 and maridr2012,

 

I posted this before about the rehearsal dinner. I couldn't understand why we should pay extra for a dinner at an all-inclusive resort when we were already paying extra for the wedding itself. We didn't plan the rehearsal dinner until we got there, and had the woman who made dinner reservations arrange for our party (37 people) for the first seating at dinner - 6 or 6:30. We made the arrangements for dinner Thursday and the rehearsal dinner on Friday, in the afternoon on Wednesday. We were told that we would have a set menu, but the servers gave us the regular menu. Since the wedding reception on Saturday was the Under the Sea buffet, we chose the Terra restaurant for the rehearsal dinner because they had steak.It was delicious and we did not pay anything extra.

Hope this helps.

 

[Oct 2012 Bride]

Hello PPC Brides!!!

 

I'm really excited. We just send in the payment to book our wedding. Our date is October 15, 2012.

 

I have a few comments based on some of what I've read in the previous posts. I noticed a few people are upset about the new fee. There is a way around it. You could alway have the photographer stay one night as your guest. It will be waaaay cheaper than using the Resort's photographer. And as I've been reading for the past week the outside vendors take better pictures. I really like what I've been seeing for HDC. The website is nice. The price is decent and a lot of brides like them. So they sound good in my book. There are a few incentives that can be taken advantage of. For every 5 rooms book you get one free. with a maximun of 3 free rooms. I plan on using that to offset the price of the vendor staying one night. I have been working with Cemone out of the Miami office. She sent me a website that has pictures of all the different options that they have for weddings. Of course I know the better it looks the more it costs. For the DIY brides you can bring some of your own items and they will set it up for you for a fee of $100. Or you can have maybe a relative or friend that is with you do it for free. Just an option to keep in mind. I might be bringing my own fabric and ribbons to give me some add lare but have them set it up for me.

https://picasaweb.google.com/romancebyparadisuspuntacana

 

 

I also plan on doing a site visit around May some time. I need to confirm the date with my future Mother-in-law. Initially I was not going to do a site visit. But with the Love at First Site package, what you spend on your room is credited towards your wedding. So I see as making an additional payment to my wedding. The cost of the flight is not included. However it does include the following below:

 

LOVE AT FIR S T SI T E

{PRE-WEDDING VISIT}

For many, wedding planning begins long before the proposal and Paradisus’ romance offerings allow for the ultimate

fairytale wedding. Our Love at First Site Package invites those planning a wedding to visit the resort and see the space firsthand

prior to the big day. In turn, guests of this package are then able to receive the value of their stay as a credit* towards

their wedding day. The package includes accommodations, 15% savings on all spa treatments, and an in-room VIP welcome

fruit basket and champagne.

PACKAGE INCLUSIONS:

• Up to a 3-night stay in a Deluxe Jr. Suite – Double Occupancy

• Upgraded room to Royal Service or The Reserve area {subject to availability, upon request}

• VIP welcome {fruit basket and champagne delivered in-room on the first night}

• 15% discount towards spa treatments {not applicable towards spa products}

• VIP site inspection of ceremony & reception locations with a member of the Romance Team and menu tasting

• Romance Showroom set-up for the Bridal Couple’s viewing

DOMINICAN R E P U B L IC | P UNTA CANA P E R P E R SON/ P E R NIGH T

Paradisus Punta Cana Resort USD 120 PP/PN

Paradisus Palma Real Resort USD 175 PP/PN

MEX ICO | P L AYA DE L CARMEN P E R P E R SON/ P E R NIGH T

Paradisus La Esmeralda Resort USD 185 PP/PN

Paradisus La Perla Resort {Adults Only} USD 210 PP/PN

T E RMS AND CONDI T IONS *

• Valid for traveling 120 days before the Wedding date

• Only one {1} Love At First Site Package per wedding

• Maximum stay of 3-nights – additional nights can be reserved at the best available rate at time of booking.

• A credit will be applied towards the bride/groom’s final payment on the wedding package selected. This credit will be

equal to the cost of the site inspection package and limited to the value of the first 3-nights of their stay.

• In order for the credit to be valid, clients must reserve a wedding at the same hotel as which they stayed for their site

inspection package.

• When upgrading to The Reserve or Royal Service – clients will be accommodated in the entry level room category.

• Package Inclusions have no cash value, there are no refunds for unused elements/events and items/inclusions are not

interchangeable for others.

• Client must submit a completed questionnaire 1-week prior to arrival, in order to ensure the Romance Team is aware of

their desired wedding plans.

• Valid for weddings taking place during 2012 & 2013.

[maridr2012]

Hi Oct2012 Bride!

 

Congrats on booking your wedding date!  I'm getting married on Nov 9th of this year.  Thanks for sharing the info on the incentives regarding comp nights!  I had no idea they were doing this.  I've been working with Veronica in the Miami office and she has not mentioned this to me; the only thing she mentioned was offering a comp 1-hour cocktail welcome party for all of my guests but that was depending upon how many rooms are booked, which we don't know the exact # yet but I we are estimating about 30 rooms booked for a minimum of 3 nights each...they're getting alot of business from us so I'm going to email Veronica right away about this!  

 

Regarding the site insepction, I did that back in December.  If you don't mind, I have a few tips for you.  Go ahead and book it, but prior to arriving I highly suggest placing a call to the actual hotel itself to confirm they know you will be there for a Love at First Site wedding site inspection. It'll be a long-distance international call, but it's worth it.  I booked it with my wedding planner and I  know for a fact she communicated this to them weeks before I arrived (she forwarded the emails where she advised them), yet when I arrived they had no idea I was there on a wedding site visit.  I had to wait 5 hours before getting into a room which is ridiculous to me - I understand checkin isnt until 3 pm...but really...I arrived at noon and wasn't given a room until 5 pm!  I raised a stink about this and they upgraded me to a Royal room.  Also, they did not provide me with a welcome basket with champagne OR vouchers/coupons for the spa as indicated on the package.  I did end up getting those only after I asked to speak to the Guest Services Manager..they sent it up on the 2nd night.  Also, after I met with Miguelina (the WC on site) and discussed meal tastings and selected what we wanted to taste, she told us to go to the Gabi restaurant which is where we would be served for the tasting.  We got there, and again, nobody knew who we were or anything about a meal tasting.  I asked them to call Miguelina directly and sort it out with her (at this point I was fuming) and she immediately came down and quickly re-arranged for our tasting at Vento restaurant.  This was not Miguelina's fault...but clearly there are some communication issues internally at the resort.  So...  make sure you re-confirm everything before you arrive.  Lastly, regarding the meal tasting, see if they will allow you to do a tasting of the buffet options AND the plated menu options.  I didn't do that and now wish I had because the plated menu is different than the buffet.  We only tasted plated menu which had delicious options, and that's what we are going with, but looking back I wish I had tasted buffet because maybe we would've opted to go with that.

 

Hope this helps, and happy planning!
 

Originally Posted by Oct 2012 Bride 

Hello PPC Brides!!!

 

I'm really excited. We just send in the payment to book our wedding. Our date is October 15, 2012.

 

I have a few comments based on some of what I've read in the previous posts. I noticed a few people are upset about the new fee. There is a way around it. You could alway have the photographer stay one night as your guest. It will be waaaay cheaper than using the Resort's photographer. And as I've been reading for the past week the outside vendors take better pictures. I really like what I've been seeing for HDC. The website is nice. The price is decent and a lot of brides like them. So they sound good in my book. There are a few incentives that can be taken advantage of. For every 5 rooms book you get one free. with a maximun of 3 free rooms. I plan on using that to offset the price of the vendor staying one night. I have been working with Cemone out of the Miami office. She sent me a website that has pictures of all the different options that they have for weddings. Of course I know the better it looks the more it costs. For the DIY brides you can bring some of your own items and they will set it up for you for a fee of $100. Or you can have maybe a relative or friend that is with you do it for free. Just an option to keep in mind. I might be bringing my own fabric and ribbons to give me some add lare but have them set it up for me.

https://picasaweb.google.com/romancebyparadisuspuntacana

 

 

I also plan on doing a site visit around May some time. I need to confirm the date with my future Mother-in-law. Initially I was not going to do a site visit. But with the Love at First Site package, what you spend on your room is credited towards your wedding. So I see as making an additional payment to my wedding. The cost of the flight is not included. However it does include the following below:

 

LOVE AT FIR S T SI T E

{PRE-WEDDING VISIT}

For many, wedding planning begins long before the proposal and Paradisus’ romance offerings allow for the ultimate

fairytale wedding. Our Love at First Site Package invites those planning a wedding to visit the resort and see the space firsthand

prior to the big day. In turn, guests of this package are then able to receive the value of their stay as a credit* towards

their wedding day. The package includes accommodations, 15% savings on all spa treatments, and an in-room VIP welcome

fruit basket and champagne.

PACKAGE INCLUSIONS:

• Up to a 3-night stay in a Deluxe Jr. Suite – Double Occupancy

• Upgraded room to Royal Service or The Reserve area {subject to availability, upon request}

• VIP welcome {fruit basket and champagne delivered in-room on the first night}

• 15% discount towards spa treatments {not applicable towards spa products}

• VIP site inspection of ceremony & reception locations with a member of the Romance Team and menu tasting

• Romance Showroom set-up for the Bridal Couple’s viewing

DOMINICAN R E P U B L IC | P UNTA CANA P E R P E R SON/ P E R NIGH T

Paradisus Punta Cana Resort USD 120 PP/PN

Paradisus Palma Real Resort USD 175 PP/PN

MEX ICO | P L AYA DE L CARMEN P E R P E R SON/ P E R NIGH T

Paradisus La Esmeralda Resort USD 185 PP/PN

Paradisus La Perla Resort {Adults Only} USD 210 PP/PN

T E RMS AND CONDI T IONS *

• Valid for traveling 120 days before the Wedding date

• Only one {1} Love At First Site Package per wedding

• Maximum stay of 3-nights – additional nights can be reserved at the best available rate at time of booking.

• A credit will be applied towards the bride/groom’s final payment on the wedding package selected. This credit will be

equal to the cost of the site inspection package and limited to the value of the first 3-nights of their stay.

• In order for the credit to be valid, clients must reserve a wedding at the same hotel as which they stayed for their site

inspection package.

• When upgrading to The Reserve or Royal Service – clients will be accommodated in the entry level room category.

• Package Inclusions have no cash value, there are no refunds for unused elements/events and items/inclusions are not

interchangeable for others.

• Client must submit a completed questionnaire 1-week prior to arrival, in order to ensure the Romance Team is aware of

their desired wedding plans.

• Valid for weddings taking place during 2012 & 2013.

 

[cdc150]

Anyone who gave out welcome bags at the resort, how did you do it?

[Oct 2012 Bride]

Hi Maridr2012,

 

Thanks a Bunch. I've been going back and forth about the site visit. I really want to do it but we seem to keep racking up a balance so we want to keep the costs down. Overall I still think it is worth it. I will follow your advice and make sure I call the resort as well. I did purchase a calling card for when I need to contact them. I plan on doing the buffet dinner. But I will sample both. Just in case.

 

I found out and about the additional incentives through my travel agent. But you should have no problem getting it since you will have 30 rooms. Honestly I think the more you have the more they should offer.

 

What photographer are you using? And did you use a registry?

[maridr2012]

Hi Oct2012 Bride. 

 

If you can't do the site visit, don't worry about it.  Honestly, you have nothing to worry about!  I guess the major advantage of doing it is that you can apply most of your cost of the visit to your actual wedding and you get to see first-hand some weddings and how the resort operates and visualize your event..but if you get there 2 or 3 days before your wedding, AND you do a "power-planning session" phonecall with the planner from Miami 3 months prior, (which PPC does this, just ask if it hasn't been mentioned to you), you''ll be in great shape for your big day!  I've been having calls about every 2 weeks with my contact in Miami office - Veronica.  By the way, I asked her about the incentive package for comp rooms and she directed me to my travel agent.  I'm a bit frustrated with having to learn of these incentives through 3rd parties (instead of hearing about it thru PPC or my travel agent), but I want to give them the opportunity to clear that matter up..so I'm waiting now on a response from my travel agent.  Who are you using for travel?  I found PPC and coordinating all my travel thru DestinationWeddings.com.  

 

I am booking Huellas Del Caribe (HDC). I liked their style of photography the most, and they seem to get great reviews.  I'll have to pay $120 per person for external vendors (photographer AND videographer), but I'm okay with it because I wasn't so crazy about PPC's preferred photographer on-site - Arrecife.  Keep in mind, if you booked your wedding in January 2012 forward, you will need to pay something like $1,000 for a non-preferred vendor.  I booked my wedding in Dec 2011 so thank God I don't have to do that!  For dj, I booked RSE - which is 1 of 2 preferred dj vendors at PPC.  

 

I did do a registry, but I haven't published it yet on my wedding website because I need to delete a few items and add several more.  My future SIL recently got married and she's been giving me great advice.   She suggested I register at 3 places:  Crate & Barrel (which I love) for entertaining & decorative items, Bed Bath & Beyond for everyday staple items - plus they always have so many discount coupons so most guests will probably go there & use the discounts, and lastly Macy's, for whatever they dont have at the other 2 and for fine china.  I think my bridal shower will be held in September, so I still have a few months to edit my registries.
 

Originally Posted by Oct 2012 Bride 

Hi Maridr2012,

 

Thanks a Bunch. I've been going back and forth about the site visit. I really want to do it but we seem to keep racking up a balance so we want to keep the costs down. Overall I still think it is worth it. I will follow your advice and make sure I call the resort as well. I did purchase a calling card for when I need to contact them. I plan on doing the buffet dinner. But I will sample both. Just in case.

 

I found out and about the additional incentives through my travel agent. But you should have no problem getting it since you will have 30 rooms. Honestly I think the more you have the more they should offer.

 

What photographer are you using? And did you use a registry?

 

[Oct 2012 Bride]

Thank you. I was really stressing about the site visit. i didn't want to spend the additional $600 on a flight but really felt like the visit is important. We are arriving on Thursday and getting married on Monday. So I guess we have plenty of time. Will I still be able to do tastings of the menu items?

 

The TA I am using is Barbara with Wright Travel Agency. I really like her. She emails me all hours of the day and everyday. I made a point to ask about all of the incentives avaliable before I booked. One of my co-workers is getting married in jamacia and she is the one that told me most places offer incentives.

 

Unfortunatly I just booked last week so I have the $1,000 fee to get around.

 

But where there is a will, there is a way.

[maridr2012]

Hello again.  Just a little tip, if you choose a non-preferred vendor vendor you can get around the $1,000 fee by booking them a room, and having them attend your wedding as a "guest".  (wink wink!).  You'd still be paying some money, but it won't be the whopping $1,000 fee!

 

By the way, I got word back from my travel agent, and they are now offering me the incentive package.  So excited!  I know I'll have more than enough rooms to get the comp rooms.  Since it's a max of 3 rooms, I'm using it for my own room, my parents, and his parents.  But I'm not telling them anything about it, just in case for some crazy reason it falls through and plus I'd like it to be a little surprise for them.  Yay!  
 

Originally Posted by Oct 2012 Bride 

Thank you. I was really stressing about the site visit. i didn't want to spend the additional $600 on a flight but really felt like the visit is important. We are arriving on Thursday and getting married on Monday. So I guess we have plenty of time. Will I still be able to do tastings of the menu items?

 

The TA I am using is Barbara with Wright Travel Agency. I really like her. She emails me all hours of the day and everyday. I made a point to ask about all of the incentives avaliable before I booked. One of my co-workers is getting married in jamacia and she is the one that told me most places offer incentives.

 

Unfortunatly I just booked last week so I have the $1,000 fee to get around.

 

But where there is a will, there is a way.