ADDRESS: 6000 West Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee, Florida
PHONE: (407) 586-2000
E-MAIL: floridareservations@gaylordhotels.com
WEB PAGE: www.gaylordpalms.com

WEDDING PACKAGE: "Intimate Wedding Ceremony" starts at $2500 for up to 8 guests, and includes the ceremony, official, cake, bouquet & boutonniere, custom wedding certificate, champagne toast, wedding consultant, and use of the wedding gazebo. Other wedding packages include a free room in one of the Presidential suites for one night.

DOES RESORT HANDLE LOCAL DETAILS? Resort provides a limo to take couples to the quaint courthouse in Kissimmee where couple does their own paperwork.

GUEST FEES: Free

CONTACT TO ARRANGE WEDDING/VOW RENEWAL: Conference Services

LOCATIONS FOR WEDDING: Wedding pavilion gazebo (which seats 125 people) high inside the atrium, with views of tropical foliage, cobblestone streets and waterfalls below. There are many other scenic locations for weddings inside the atrium, or in a convention meeting or ballroom.

MOST ROMANTIC ROOMS: Emerald Bay is the five-star section (hotel-within-a-hotel) with the most romantic rooms. Also available: panoramic Presidential suites.

ADVANCE NOTICE FOR WEDDING: 72 hours

RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES: All denominations are available and officiants can perform standard ceremonies including Jewish, Japanese, friendship, etc.

VOW OR WEDDING RENEWAL/AFFIRMATION PACKAGE: Can be adapted from the wedding ceremony. - Also available is a female justice who does "friendship" ceremonies.

RESORT INFORMATION:
SIZE: 67 acres
GUEST ROOMS: 1406
ROOM RATES: $250-$450 (Presidential suites higher)
CHILDREN: There's a 4,000 square foot "Kids Station" with extensive activities for children from 3-12. $10 an hour.
HOW TO GET THERE: 20 minutes from Orlando International Airport
IS THIS PART OF ANY RESORT GROUP? Gaylord Hotels

YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE WEATHER FOR YOUR WEDDING IF YOU MARRY IN THE NEW GAYLORD PALM'S WEDDING GAZEBO, WHICH IS LOCATED INSIDE A TEMERATURE-CONTROLLED GLASS-COVERED ATRIUM WHERE THE TEMPERATURE IS ALWAYS 72 DEGREES

The name Gaylord Palms brings to mind a small, elitist stuffy inn--or person. So it's a happy surprise when you enter this grand new hotel in Orlando and find yourself in a spectacular modern four-and-a-half acre glass-enclosed self-contained atrium with no pretensions except for total pleasure.

This giant climate-controlled atrium-- which truly gives you the feeling of being outdoors while indoors --is so large that it would be easy to get lost in it. Fortunately, it's divided into different areas, with landscaping to reflect each region. For example, the Key West section is bright, tropical and funky while St. Augustine is more rustic.

The most interesting section is the Everlades, and it's what you'd expect of a "jungle" in a hotel near Disney: a semi-sanitized version of the real place. No snakes. No alligators. No mosquitos. Yes, the water lilies, orchids, and moss are all real, but the fog is fake, the chirping crickets recorded, and the croaking frogs ceramic. You'd never confuse it for a real jungle, but it's fun anyway.

And that's what they're striving for here. Fun. For example, at Sunset Sam's Key West Restaurant (one of three fabulous restaurants in the atrium), stilt walkers wander around, amusing children as well as adults. Outside, you can climb aboard a 60-foot sail boat where wave machines slap the water up against the sides.

A few other creative ideas from Gaylord Palms super management team: your pool drinks are brought to you quickly because the server is on roller skates. (Why didn't anyone else think of this?) The in-room safe has a charger in it, so you can recharge your laptop while you're out or sleeping. The air conditioning is automatically reduced when you leave your room, so you won't freeze when you return.

You'll be leaving your room a lot, too, because there are so many fun things to do here. At night, "Augie's Jammin' Piano Bar" is as lively as it sounds. They've got two "dueling pianos," one played by the incomparable Bob Jackson, who'll have you alternately clapping and jumping to your feet.

In fact, that's the way you'll often feel at this hotel. The restaurants are outstanding, the shops are beautifully stocked, and there's even a Canyon Ranch SpaClub.

Here, too, there are surprises. The spa offers typical preparation services for brides, but even something as pedestrian as a pedicure is done differently, by having you sit on ultra-comfortable vibrating massage chairs.

The only negative surprise at the spa is that there is no whirlpool, but the hotel has two large outdoor Jacuzzis by the two outdoor pools. That's another pleasant surprise. One pool has an octopus slide that keeps children happy, so kids tend to congregate there. This leaves the adults with a quiet pool to themselves. And somebody came up with another great idea for that pool. If you want to do some work while you're sunbathing, there's high-speed Internet access in your cabana.

One last surprise at this hotel is that you can still find peace and quiet here even though it holds over 1400 guests. Deep in the "Everglades" is a hidden shack where you can sit contentedly on a rocking chair, wondering why life isn't always this peaceful, and hotels aren't always this imaginative and fun. Return to home page

© Paulette Cooper
All rights reserved.
Last Updated: Thursday, March 07, 2002