we had our ceremony in the gazebo with no red runner. it was much prettier that way. we actually got married there less than a week before the explosion, so i am not sure what the platinum area looks like. I do know that even in the upgraded platinum suites, you still smell the watery mildew. I highly recommend getting your makeup done there. they did a great job, better than i expected. be prepared too that the resort will set-up reservations for you for the restaraunts the first few days, you really should keep these reservations because changing anything is a pain in the rear. you have to walk all the way up to the front of the resort to change anythign & they will tell you all they have available isn't until 9:30pm. we had 20 people at our ceremony & dinner afterwards. This way we didnt have to pay extra for more people. We had our dinner at La Fondue, which was fabulous. Tell them you want more than 1 option for the dinner & they will accomodate you. They say only 1 choice, but if you stress that you need more than one, they will be flexible. If anyone has any further questions, please feel free to PM me. I would love to help any bride out.