New England Aquarium Reviews

My wife and I got married on August 9, 2025 at the New England Aquarium.

The venue was everything we could ask for. The ceremony took place outdoors beyond the Aquarium overlooking the harbor. You could see the planes taking off in the distance and the gorgeous skyline of the Seaport/East Boston—it was a serene place to have our ceremony. We had our cocktail hour inside the main aquarium exhibit halls, which our guests loved. It was so fun to have a drink while watching the penguins or being mesmerized by the large talk. We had our reception outdoors in the harbor side tent. We hired a florals and lighting to really brought the space to life. The aquarium staff set up everything so beautifully and elegantly. The service was efficient with plates being brought out and cleared promptly. We ate, cried, laughed and danced the night away. It was a magical evening that we’ll never forget.

Besides the event itself, we also really enjoyed working with the staff at the Aquarium, in particular Amanda and Alex. They were extremely supportive, responsive via email, and made us feel so at ease. I frantically emailed Alex one Friday afternoon and she responded almost immediately, and even offered to jump on the phone to talk something through.

Overall, we loved our wedding at the aquarium. We are so happy that we chose it. The location/venue was awesome, the food was excellent, the staff were amazing. Thank you Alex and Amanda for the event of a lifetime.

My partner and I got married at the New England Aquarium on 5/31/25, and it was everything we expected and wanted for our wedding day. We wholeheartedly recommend this venue to anyone interested in a unique experience and working with . We primarily worked with Amanda and Alex. They were very knowledgeable, responsive, and helpful throughout planning. And during the wedding, they and their staff were incredibly organized, helpful, and kind. It was rainy during our wedding day so we had to move the ceremony inside. The transition in plans was seamless, and getting married in front of the penguins with our friends and family towering over us was a truly extraordinary and precious experience. After the wedding, we had several guests reach out about how unique the venue was, how great the food tasted, and how attentive the staff was.

Outstanding venue for a wedding! The coordinator Amanda and staff on site were extremely accommodating and made everything stress free. Our guests raved about the experience and many said it was the best wedding they ever attended. They especially liked the food and the cocktail reception amongst the exhibits. The tent on the harbor was beautiful. Overall it was an incredible experience for everyone.

My husband and I got married at the New England Aquarium in Boston, and it was truly magical!

Venue/Location: We wanted a wedding venue that was (1) outside, preferably by the ocean, (2) close to the airport for our many out-of-town guests, and (3) memorable. After months of searching and almost settling on a venue that was beautiful but outside of the city, on a whim, we booked a tour with the Aquarium. I knew instantly that it was the perfect venue. Right on the water with a beautiful backdrop of the harbor, in the heart of Boston, the Aquarium offered the picturesque, convenient, and memorable experience we were looking for. On our wedding day, we lucked out with perfect weather (always a risk with outdoor venues), and in spite of a few congratulatory yells from excited boaters on the harbor, it was everything we’d hoped for and more. Our guests easily navigated to/from the airport, loved the opportunity to explore/sight-see in Boston, and told us over and over how awesome, fun, and special it was to explore the Aquarium.

Food/Event Staff: The Aquarium contracts exclusively with the Patina Restaurant Group for its catering and event services, so please note I am not certain about who on the staff was associated with each group. That said, the food was spectacular, the chef and day-of service staff were highly professional and accommodating, and the planning/coordination team will forever be in our hearts as the most awesome group of people to work with. A few notable examples (of many):
- Only two of our guests (including my mom) are vegan, so we weren’t thrilled about having to choose a vegan meal for the vegetarian option. Amanda and Abigail (primary and secondary points of contact/dream team) worked with the chef to create an entirely vegan meal for the two guests and make a vegan version of some of the passed hors d’oeuvres. My mom was so happy.
- Throughout the planning process, Amanda and Abigail were responsive and supportive. They frequently made useful recommendations, followed up on questions and logistics, and were extremely accommodating to our budget.
- As I was about to walk down the aisle, I suddenly felt worried that my vows never made it from the photographer's camera bag to my MOH. By some miracle, and without anyone else noticing, Amanda worked her magic so that my vows were in my sister's hands by the time I needed them.

We LOVED our choice to get married at the New England Aquarium for so many reasons. We would recommend to everyone.
Unique locations - location is beautiful and truly so unique. Everyone enjoyed cocktail hour with the fish and penguins and then the harborwalk was beautiful for the ceremony and at night
Catering / Food - Food was delicious and we got many compliments on it
Value - For a wedding in the heart of Boston it's a great value!
Service - The staff from the aquarium / internal catering team (Patina group) were exceptional. they were so responsive and made our dreams come true in many many ways! They are also so flexible (as long as it doesn't endanger the animals!) on the ideas we had

Thank you!!

My wedding at the New England Aquarium was a dream!!! The team there worked so hard to make my vision become a reality. Amanda and Krystal are miracle workers. By the last few weeks, they were able to finish my sentences, they knew my event inside and out! I felt so prioritized and taken care of. The ceremony space is stunning and who can beat a cocktail hour inside the aquarium around all of the penguins!! We had a blast, and now I am trying to figure out how I can have another event there. I wish I could give them 100 stars!!!

The New England aquarium was a unique venue that wow’d all of our guests. Catered by the patina group with excellent food and service, the ambiance and educational exhibits made a special night even more special.
The responsiveness and coordination of the team was extremely efficient, timely and I felt supported the whole way through. I would highly recommend this one of a kind venue!

Everything about working with the venue was amazing from communication to execution to environmental conscious decisions I recommend getting married there 100 times over. Also the pantina catering group is phenomenal, food and drinks were incredible. Plus the photos were cooler than cool

The New England Aquarium isn't the typical wedding venue, and that's why we chose it. Both our ceremony and reception were inside the main gallery. Our ceremony was conducted on the penguin platform, and our guests had epics views of us while standing on the spiral around the Giant Ocean Tank. They really made us feel like stars.

Our whole wedding planning experience with NEAQ was amazing. They provide an event coordinator. Ours, Tie, guided us the whole way through. She arranged nights for our private food and wine tasting and a separate night, at our request, for a sound check of their audio system when we started to freak out about getting a DJ or not. She answered all of our questions in a timely and friendly manner and worked closely with our own wedding planner to arrange all of the crazy details we came up with. She provided complimentary parking for all of our appointments. On the day of our wedding, Tie also had her staff to help set up our centerpieces which was above and beyond (normally a separate vendor would do that).

The wedding night itself was magical. The staff was extensive and all very professional (wait staff, servers, bar tenders, our 2 roaming educators, security, and everyone behind the scenes). All of the floors were open to our guests to enjoy the exhibits, and the bars were opened on each floor as the night progressed, which was excellent given the size of the venue. We kept the touch tank open and staffed it during cocktail hour. The food was incredible, especially the salmon. They accommodated all special requests for allergies (vegetarian and gluten free). Our guests raved about the food. Surrounded by penguins, we danced the night away.

NEAQ has everything you need for a wedding (well actually, for any event) and if they themselves don't handle it, they have preferred vendors for everything else. We didn't have to think about renting tables, chairs, dinnerware, coat check, etc; it was all included. The couples' night tasting happened about 2 months before our big day. All of the details that we stressed out about and/or didn't get around to, we found answers to that night. Yes, we hired the DJ, who was DJ'ing for the couples' night. We also went with their preferred limo company and rented 2 busses. Phew!

If you want to experience what an evening event could look like, get tickets for the NEAQ Valentine's Day event, "That's A-Moray" which is also when the proposal happened (2018) and our engagement photos (2019). 

The overall cost for having NEAQ as our ceremony site and catered reception was on-par with other venues we looked at. NEAQ captured our heart, and we are so glad to get married there. Every time we visit, we remember our wedding day all over again. We would do it again in a heart beat!

(This review was written together by both the bride and the groom. We are both very happy with NEAQ.)

We cannot say enough good things about our experience with NEAQ!!! We adored the venue, and many of our guests complimented us on how unique our wedding was and how fun it was to be in the aquarium space. The NEAQ staff was absolutely incredible throughout the twists and turns of our planning, including adapting to the rain plan when a summer shower was identified for the hour of our ceremony. (getting married amidst the penguins was so memorable!) The food was amazing; we also received many complements from our guests there. And the pictures! We got some awesome images unlikely any of our friends' wedding pictures given how special and different NEAQ is. If only we could do it all over again! :) Thank you, NEAQ team!! (Erin, Della, and Tie in particular)

A little over a week ago, I had the most whimsical, magical wedding at the New England Aquarium! I am still getting messages about how much of an incredible time guests had that night! There's something about drinking and eating alongside the penguins that can't be replicated. I cannot thank Erin enough for going along with my crazy, random, ideas and setting up all of my decorations: mermaids, lobsters, pirate ships, treasure chests, vinyl records, disposable cameras- she met with me once, and set it up perfectly! The food was absolutely delicious and every single person that worked the wedding was so attentive and friendly. The incredible views was an added bonus! If you are looking for a unique venue that gives your guests an enjoyable experience, I can't recommend the New England Aquarium enough!

We had our wedding at the aquarium on 4/21/2019 and we couldn't be happier with our choice!! We initially started working with Tie as the catering manager and then Renee Sabo took over and they were both absolutely wonderful!! Renee is an amazing person; we felt like we were working with our best friend. She was on top of everything. She made everything to make sure that we were enjoying the night. Very responsible, very approachable, always smiling, always understanding. We were so so lucky!!! We love you Renee!!! Emel and Levent

So happy we chose the Aquarium. The venue was beautiful and so much fun. The staff (especially Tiesha) were all so helpful and accommodating. The day/night of out wedding was seamless thanks to them. Tie had everything under control and I didn't have to worry about a thing. The team also set up the venue beautifully. We received endless comments about how much fun guests had - cocktail hour in the aquarium was a hit. Very happy with our choice and very appreciative that we had such a great team at the Aquarium helping us from day 1.

We wish we could give the NEAQ and our coordinator, Tiesha, more than 5 stars. Our wedding day could not have been more perfect and it is largely due to the incredible staff at the Aquarium. We chose the NEAQ because we wanted more of an offbeat location and as we had lots of guests traveling, the Aquarium offered an opportunity to give them a unique experience. Throughout the planning process, Tie was incredible--she was very responsive, very helpful and truly a joy to work with. She and the staff at the Aquarium took care of so many details that we were really able to relax and enjoy our day. It was even better than we ever could have dreamed and we would not have changed a thing! Moreover, our guests raved about everything--from the touch tank (we had it open during cocktail hour), to the food, to the venue itself--and said it was the best wedding that they had ever attended. I cannot recommend the Aquarium as a venue enough!

Our wedding on June 23, 2018, at the New England Aquarium, was an absolute dream! We had our ceremony outside on the Harborwalk looking out on the Boston Harbor, an hour cocktail reception inside the Aquarium and our reception/dinner/dancing inside the tent behind the Aquarium also on the Boston Harbor. It was such a memorable night that not only my husband and I cannot stop talking about but many of our guests are still talking about as well! Planning events can be very stressful but in this case, it was very easy. From the first email I sent to the NEAQ to the last person to clean up after our event, everyone at the Aquarium was a pleasure to work with - especially our Catering Manager, Tiesha Cole. GOSH, Tie thank you, thank you, thank you! Tie was beyond organized, professional, unbelievably timely in her responses, and just an absolute joy and pleasure to work with! I had A LOT of questions, from the cocktail hour food, bar options, signature cocktail, entree/dessert, venue restrictions and overall evening timeline and Tie listened to each and every question and made it ALL come to life. It was supposed to rain on our wedding day and Tie knew how concerned we were with moving the whole ceremony inside. She was very accommodating and understanding and let us make our decision as late in the day as possible. Everything turned out perfect (and didn't rain) and the seals helped us celebrate by barking in approval while we said our vows. Overall, it was the most amazing day and one that I know everyone will remember forever. Thank you, NEAQ for helping us create something so memorable.

Our wedding reception at the New England Aquarium was everything we ever dreamed of and SO MUCH MORE! Our guests cannot stop raving about the unique experience they had! We got married 6/2/18 & did a 75 minute cocktail hour inside the aquarium followed by dinner, dancing, & dessert outside under the tent on the Boston Harbor. Our 152 guests raved about the exclusivity of having the interior of the aquarium to ourselves for the entire evening. Dinner/dancing was the perfect time (7:45pm) as the sun was setting and all of our guests rushed to the harbor to take gorgeous sunset photos. Our first dance has the backdrop of the harbor and the permanent outdoor tent is a gorgeous staple. Words cannot express how much we LOVED planning our wedding with the NEAQ wedding coordinator, Tiesha. Tiesha was organized, professional, very quick in her response time, and just an absolute joy to work with! Tie listened to our vision the entire time and made it ALL come to life! For the menu tasting, you get to see what the full entrees will look like the day of your wedding and everything we tasted was honestly incredible that all 4 of us had difficulty narrowing down the options because of how much we loved the food. The aquarium (Tie) was also honest with us every step of the way which we genuinely appreciated. Ex: When selecting numbers for passed apps/ appetizer stations, Tie informed us if we had too much food which helped cut costs. We did a Ben & Jerry's ice cream station & it was a HUGE hit. NEAQ understood our vision and executed it seamlessly so that we could fully enjoy the entire night with our guests. If we had to do it again (maybe in a vow renewal) I would ALWAYS choose the aquarium, and not change a single thing! Our wedding day will be one of the happiest days of our lives together and we are so thankful to the aquarium for providing such a unique and memorable venue and staff to make it all possible.

I can't say enough good things about the New England Aquarium as a wedding venue! We held our ceremony on the terrace and reception in the Harbor View Tent. The waterfront venue is stunning and cocktail hour in the aquarium is unforgettable. Something magical happens in the aquarium at night, the lights are dimmed, the animals are restful, it's almost unrecognizable from the bustling daytime aquarium. The food is delicious, it was hard to choose among all of the options! I think, however, one of the best things about getting married at the aquarium is the staff that work with you to make sure everything is perfect. They went above and beyond in every way to accommodate our requests, whether it was related to ceremony timing, beer selection, food offerings, you name it. Day of the wedding, there are SO MANY people there to help with the wedding to make sure everything goes smoothly. I was amazed at how well it was all coordinated. If you're looking for a unique, beautiful location to get married in Boston, you can't go wrong with the New England Aquarium.

Having our wedding at the New England Aquarium (main gallery) was a magical and mind-blowing experience. Beyond the already impressive atmosphere, the aquarium crew made sure that everything ran smoothly, making it perfect to the smallest detail.

We interacted with Sara, their sales manager, who was helpful and responsive, as well as Renee and Tiesha, the catering managers, who were not only really fun to deal with (during the tasting etc), but also went out of their way to make sure everything was always in order, despite a particularly tight deadline. They tried hard to cater to all our personal requests, from creating the specialty cocktails we wanted, to selecting the cutest stuffed toys as favors for the guests.

On the day itself, there was an entire army of staff that transformed the aquarium (within an hour of closing time) into the wedding venue of our dreams. Everything, from the table decorations to the layout and food presentation, turned out exactly as we had specified, yet it was more beautiful than we had even imagined.

The wedding dinner ran like clockwork, without a hitch. Our guests enjoyed themselves tremendously — many claimed it was the best wedding they’d been to, and I am certain it had less to do with us than with the amazing food, service and ambience. Few venues can beat the experience of wining, dining and celebrating alongside the fishes and penguins, and yet they are competitively priced — if you are considering the aquarium, just go for it!

Our October wedding at the Aquarium was even better than we could have imagined it! We hosted everything inside the Main Exhibit space-- our ceremony was on the Penguin Tray, followed by cocktail hour at the top of tank, and then dinner and dancing back down on the main level. The staff was absolutely fantastic, from the planning stages, to the tasting, right through to the end of the wedding night. These guys are pros! They've done tons of weddings and it shows in their experience. The venue itself is beautiful and unique. We loved that there was something for all of our guests-- those that wanted to dance joined us on the dance floor, while others enjoyed wandering the exhibits! It's certainly a night we won't forget. Thanks to everybody at the Aquarium!

The NEAQ was simply the best -- we really couldn't have made a better choice for our wedding!! They were a really incredible venue, and the staff goes above and beyond to make the day ultra-special. The planning process went super smoothly; the team here is super friendly, responsive, and helpful, and although there are a lot of specific requirements to work around in order to protect their animals, they are really flexible and accommodating to help get your wedding day perfect.

On the day of, the service was just superb -- the food was excellent, and our guests had such a wonderful time dancing with the penguins, watching the sea turtles, etc. Everyone couldn't stop talking about what a great venue it was!! And compared to other venues in Boston, it was very reasonably priced. You really can't make a better pick!!

The New England Aquarium is a dream setting to have a wedding. My wife and I could not be happier with our wedding there and services they provided. I mean come on, we got married with the penguins, seals, and all the other amazing "guests" that call the aquarium home. Its a picturesque setting on the beautiful Boston Harbor located in the heart of the city. Who could ask for more. The Aquarium and their staff run a great operation and do an excellent job to make sure your wedding day is as perfect as you dreamed. Its safe to say the Aquarium will always hold a special place in our hearts.

My husband and I got married at the NEAQ on 9/9/17. We cannot say enough about the Aquarium and the entire staff there. From our booking with Sara to planning with Abigail then Renee to our day of coordinators (Keleigh and Sandy), we had top notch service throughout. The Aquarium has been planning events for a very long time and it is clear by how smoothly everything unfolded. We loved that they have their own kitchen (where the food is delicious and expertly prepared) and their own tables/chairs/linens/silverware/etc. (which you get to choose the details of). In addition, the NEAQ provides a lot of extras we took advantage of (table numbers, toasting glasses for the bride and groom, display at the bar for signature cocktail). Whatever was not included was clearly communicated in case we wanted to provide these extras for our guests (i.e. guestbook, bathroom amenity baskets, ceremony programs, reception menus, dance floor flip flops). We were able to drop those off the day before the wedding and the staff set up everything! Further, the week of the wedding, our wedding event coordinator at the NEAQ contacted each of our outside vendors (cake, band, tent/table decor) to make sure all deliveries were set for the big day. Which, as we got closer to the wedding, was a huge load off our backs! And last, but certainly not least, I have to mention that we looked at a lot of venues in Boston and Cape Cod and we found the NEAQ to be very reasonably priced for a wedding venue in the heart of Boston.

The NEAQ was such a unique wedding venue. Our guests have been raving about our wedding ever since 9/9! Everyone was so impressed with each part of the ceremony and reception! My husband and I highly recommend having your wedding (or any event really) at the NEAQ if you can. Everything was meticulously planned and executed. Thank you to the staff for creating and facilitating the best setting possible for the most memorable day of our lives!!

If I could give NEAQ more stars I would, what an amazing venue! We had our wedding here on a Friday evening in May and it was beautiful. Our ceremony was outside on the water, it created a gorgeous backdrop! Our guests are still talking about what a fun and unique experience our wedding was! The staff was phenomenal from booking the date to service throughout the night I have nothing but praise! I also haven’t stopped hearing about how amazing the food was. Our wedding was a dream come true and I would not have had my wedding anywhere else!

The New England Aquarium can't be beat! Our guests were blown away, everyone had an amazing time and the staff made the planning easier! We were thrilled with our event!

Our wedding at the Aquairum could not be more prefect thanks to Renee and the entire staff at the aquarium. Renee went above and beyond to make sure every detail was perfect, the food was amazing and the staff went over and above to make sure every one of our guests was having the best time.

The aquarium was a very special place for us since we had our first date there. We wanted our wedding to be as special as our first day, and I must say, I don't know how, but Abigail and her team absolutely exceeded our already unrealistic expectations. Everything about the whole process was incredibly easy. We first met with Deb to discuss the contract and start envisioning what our wedding would look like. We were then transitioned to Abigail who after our first phone call (I was out of town planning), my question to her was "why would I need to hire a wedding planner?" since she took care of absolutely everything in terms of logistics during the process as well as the day of. She was incredibly prompt and answered every single one of my million questions, and was incredibly accommodating and understanding of last minute changes that we had to do. She also helped us with ideas of what we could do with the space since she knows it so so well, and it turned out to be absolutely fantastic. The food, the venue- everything was just PERFECT, and all of our guests kept telling us the same thing too!

We had such a positive experience getting married here! From the very beginning when we signed the contract until the end off the evening of the big day Abigail, our wedding coordinator was awesome. She helped us navigate through picking our menu, the layout of the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception and just making sure all the little details were in place. She also helped us get information about rehearsal dinner venues and chuppahs. On the day off everything went smoothly and looked beautiful. We couldn't have asked for anything better and we really appreciate everything that Abigail and the aquarium did for us.

We had a fairytale wedding at the New England Aquarium! The aquarium is such a cool place filled with beautiful tanks, amazing photo ops inside and out on the harborwalk as well as at the nearby parks. Your guest will forever remember that you got married in the aquarium and there were penguins there who so happen to be mated for life (with their color coordinated wing bands)! The tent is huge and can accommodate large weddings but can also be made quite intimate for smaller groups. We had 130 guests and it felt like just the right size. The tent can be decorated beautifully and the chairs and linens offered at the aquarium made everything come together beautifully. We had an orchid purple, creamy off white color scheme and they had the perfect linens for us. The food was great and cocktail hour inside the aquarium was so much fun! We got married on Saturday, July 2nd and we even had free fireworks on the Harbor!! There are so many amazing things about working with Abigail, I can barely list all the wonderful things but I will try. She is organized and knows all the vendors and is so pleasant to work with. She makes sure you’re on target with your planning and helps with getting all your vendors together for your big day. It is clear that she loves her job because she does everything so well and everyone (vendors and guests and everyone) loves her! The biggest miracle that she somehow pulled off was this – there was going to be a concert for Boston Harborfest on the pier next to the aquarium that was going to be loud and start at the same time as my quiet wedding ceremony on the harbor! I was so worried that we would be drowned out as we say our vows and our pianist would not be heard at all. SOMEHOW, Abigail worked it out with the Harborfest coordinator to start the concert later! My guests were so surprised as the music stopped and our ceremony started! THANK YOU, ABIGAIL and New England Aquarium for the most amazing wedding day!

Talk to Abigail before you sign the contract to discuss logistics and walk through your vision. The aquarium is flexible and willing to accommodate any specific needs or requests. Don't hesitate to continue to set up meetups with Abigail (even on site) as needed. Her flexibility and responsiveness really made everything easier. Generally, any major surprises along the way are beneficial ones.

Abigail did a PHENOMENAL job with my wedding. Everything came out beautiful and she was super helpful for every moment leading up to the wedding. The Aquarium was such a great place to host an event. My guests loved the penguins during cocktail hour! We had the reception outside.

I highly recommend the Aquarium as a wedding venue. Both Emily and Abigail were fantastic. They were incredibly responsive and thought of things I never would have thought of. Their attention to detail was above and beyond. They heard my husband make a passing comment about liking Michigan beer and had it ready for us at our tasting. The wedding night went better than I ever could have expected. It was such a special and unique location mixed with the best food I've ever had at a wedding and a beautiful ocean backdrop. Definitely get married here!!

Having our wedding ceremony and reception at the aquarium was the most amazing experience. Our wedding night was absolutely perfect and even the planning process was smooth & uneventful :) I would definitely give this venue more than 5 stars.

My husband and I originally looked at the aquarium because his parents had their wedding reception at the aquarium years ago (they used to have a boat that they could do the reception on!). Emily was so great to work with during the initial decision process. She responded to all my emails and thoroughly answered all my questions. When we were still debating on the aquarium vs another venue, she made it so easy to get into the aquarium and look at the space- my husband and I both work full time jobs outside of the city, so she arranged for us to see the space (for a 2nd, 3rd...time) on a Saturday (& even got us validated parking!). She provided a very accurate proposal so we could get a sense of cost and was even willing to work with us to keep things within our budget.

When we decided to go with the aquarium, it was an easy transition going from working with Emily to working with Abigail. Abigail is AMAZING. When it got time to decide all the little details- I wouldn't have been able to do it without Abigail. Like Emily, she answered all my ridiculous questions and she responded to my emails fast. Abigail took care of everything- she made the planning process enjoyable and made sure the night of our wedding was perfect. Everyone who worked the night of our wedding was amazing- great bar tenders & servers! The food was great- just like at the tasting!

One of my absolute favorite decisions in going with the aquarium was deciding to have our ceremony there- we had it in the main exhibit gallery (right by the penguins!). It was incredible to look up at all our family & friends standing around the big water tank. I would HIGHLY recommend getting married IN the aquarium, as well as having your reception there!

From the moment we toured the Aquarium, we knew that this is where we wanted to have our wedding. We were looking for a place on Boston's waterfront that was unique but that would host the ceremony, the cocktail hour, & the reception all in one. This was the spot for it all. The sales manager Emily walked us through everything to help us envision our day. She made us feel so excited to set the date. The catering manager & day of coordinator, Abigail, was the next person we met with. She was FABULOUS from start to finish, efficient in returning emails throughout our planning, wonderful in coordinating with our other vendors, & fantastic at dealing with week of stress that a bride can bring to the plate! She went above and beyond to make everything work.. All more fantastic than I could have ever imagined! We had our ceremony outside overlooking the water. The cocktail hour was hosted inside around the fabulous exhibits all dressed up to host such an event & very interactive for the guests! The reception was in a covered tent behind the aquarium with the water as the backdrop. The waitstaff was prompt, courteous, & very professional. The bartenders were fabulous & even helped "design" one of our specialty drinks. The night was seamless & I wasn't stressed thinking about anything that night, as I was so comfortable in knowing the the AMAZING Abigail was there to help with any last minute issues to put all of us at ease. The food was amazing. Who would think that food prepared in a kitchen at an aquarium would be so fantastic?! We were blown away and still have guests that say to us.. The food at your wedding was incredible! Not many people can say that their food was memorable at a wedding! Overall, The New England Aquarium blew us away with their ability to meet all of our needs of hosting our dream wedding. Thank you for the best night of our lives.. Thanks Abigail! xo, The Genoas

As soon as we visited the Aquarium and toured the space with Sales Manager Emily, we were sure it was the perfect place for our wedding. The Aquarium is such a unique and cool venue and the Special Events team was amazing, from our first visit, through the whole planning process, and managing every detail of our special day. Abigail, our Catering Manager, was incredibly organized, responsive, and thorough in her responses to all of our questions along the way and provided great recommendations for other vendors including the officiant we ended up hiring. We really appreciated the personalized attention we received including a private tasting; even though NEAQ hosts weddings almost every weekend, it never felt like it! On our wedding weekend, we had total confidence in Abigail and the Events team, but we were particularly impressed and grateful for the amazing service we received from all of the attendants and other event staff as well. Our guests had an amazing time and, from the ceremony to the reception, our wedding was everything we had dreamed of and more!

Amazing, I couldn't haven't done it with out Abigail and all of the staff at NEAq , they really went the extra mile, the venue is beautiful and special and very unique. If you looking for something different and timeless choose NEAq!

We had an amazing wedding reception at the Aquarium! The staff was fantastic and so easy to work with. From the moment we signed the contract until the day of the party, things were seamless. And, the food was fantastic!! Abigail, thank you for everything=)

We would highly recommend the New England Aquarium for any event you have!

Emily Farrar: We met with Emily during our first visit to NEAQ. She was very friendly, professional and helpful. She worked with us as we worked with our family to figure out the best weekend for our wedding. Emily and Abigail had a seamless transition, since once you book, Abigail is the primary point person.

Abigail Stephens: Abigail and her staff are truly amazing - no matter how many times I called/emailed about questions, she always answered promptly and with a smile! She is extremely organized and always kept on top of things that needed to be done before the wedding. Although I am a checklist queen, it was great to have someone else just as organized to make sure nothing fell through the cracks. Since I did not have the capital to hire a wedding planning, Abigail and I were in constant communication in the months leading up to the wedding. NEAQ is extremely lucky to have someone as wonderful as Abigail to lead the hard working team at NEAQ. The staff we interacted with on the day of our wedding – they were courteous, professional and always willing to help. You cannot ask for a better team.

Venue: The NEAQ is a unique venue with an amazing staff who will work with you to make the day stress-free (well, as stress-free as possible), beautiful and fun. The venue itself is very unique as our guests loved that the cocktail hour was in the aquarium where they could see the penguins and the giant turtles in the main tank. The venue fulfilled our wish to have part of our wedding outdoors, since the ceremony and reception were outdoors (reception under a tent). The food was delicious which is important for the guests (but honestly you’re not going to eat on your wedding day even though there is a staff assigned to the couple prior to the reception to make sure that you’re eating appetizers and drinking).

Bottom line: if you're looking for a great venue and a great team to work with, get married at NEAQ!!

I cannot say enough amazing thing about the New England Aquarium!! From the beginning, Abigail (our catering manager) did an INCREDIBLE job assisting us with any questions or special requests we have. I would pester her with various ideas and pictures and she would always respond promptly and professionally, always making me feel as though I was the only bride she was dealing with even though I know I was only one of many. The venue itself is so unique and lends itself perfectly to a wedding venue. We held our cocktail hour at the West Wing Gallery and our reception at the Harbor View Cafe. Our guests kept coming up to us and telling us they had never been to a more fun cocktail hour! The Harbor View cafe, while it looks somewhat like a cafeteria during normal aquarium hours, was transformed into an elegant reception venue. My family couldn't believe it was the same space as when they first looked at it.

Overall I would HIGHLY recommend the New England Aquarium, based off of both the staff as well as the site itself.

This was the most beautiful and wonderful place to hold our wedding! Our guests found the venue so unique, and at night the tank really glows and looks amazing. We worked with Emily and Abigail, and we quickly were able to tell that they are seasoned professionals who really helped us create the perfect event. I would highly recommend this venue - the space has a lot of flexibility.

Oh my gosh, where to start!?

First off, the people are AMAZING. We worked with Emily first who was such a doll and then Abigail once we signed the contract to have our wedding here. Abigail was a dream to work with andour wedding wouldn't have been as wonderful as it was without her stamp on everything.

Second, the place itself was breathtaking, the views of the harbor and our cocktail hour around the tanks could not have been better.

The food, the drinks, the whole she-bang was amazing. I only found out that you could have a wedding here about 2 years ago and I have to say, it was perfect for us and we couldn't have been luckier!

We recently held our wedding reception at the New England Aquarium. We were so impressed with the Aquarium throughout the entire planning process and the day of the wedding. I initially contacted the Aquarium through email and Emily responded quickly with the catering information and prices. After a few emails back and forth I was so excited to tour the space that I booked a meeting the next morning! Emily showed us around the aquarium, answered all of our questions and even gave some great recommendations for vendors. After booking we moved on to work with Abigail. She was friendly, creative and very responsive (which is most important!). She worked so well with all of our vendors and took a huge load off our shoulders. The reception itself could not have been any better. The staff continually checked in with my husband and I to see if we needed anything (and even to make sure we were eating enough). Throughout the night our guests toured the aquarium, enjoyed the beautiful ocean views and raved about the food!! We could not have picked a better spot to celebrate with our friends and family. The Aquarium and their staff truly made it a special day for us and for that we are forever grateful!!

Every aspect of our reception—from the aquarium team greeting us as we walked up to the aquarium, to shuttling us up to our private prep room and making sure all our needs were met (Reese's Pieces? Really?), to staging our introduction, to the cocktails, dinner, and entertainment—was handled seamlessly by the event staff, allowing us to have fun, and enjoy the best night of our lives.

I owe Abigail a special thanks for cheerfully (and skillfully) getting my wife bustled up before our entrance, as her bridesmaids were flummoxed and I was close to running down to the 7-11 for some duct tape and baling wire.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people that checked out the exhibits during the reception, as I had assumed that maybe a handful of guests would just poke their noses in, or maybe go no further than the penguins. But it seems as if almost everyone there did in fact take advantage of our private access to tour the exhibits and take a stroll up and around the main tank, confirming for us what a perfect choice the aquarium was for a special, memorable reception. My wife and I even ended up spending more time in there than we had planned---when I checked my messages the next day there was one from the DJ, who had been trying to find us to come out for our first dance!

The site is also incredibly photogenic, and we have several hundred gorgeous photos from inside the aquarium, on the boardwalk, and in the tent to prove it. And then there's the fireworks—another event somewhere on the harbor had fireworks, but they may as well have been for

We had a clambake rehearsal dinner at the aquarium (outside under the tent) followed by a dessert reception inside. The evening was absolutely magical! The food was unbelievable, the staff (especially Abigail) was wonderful and accommodating, and our guests were in awe of the venue. We had so many out of town guests who were able to have a one-of-a-kind New England experience! It was a truly unique, fun evening that we will never forget.

I did a ton research for venues (I literally looked for a year) and I can say hands down the Aquarium was the best option for our wedding. I wanted something that was absolutely Boston, but offered me the flexibility to put my own stamp on the event. The view and location is hands the absolute best in Boston. Add to that the incredible value (relative to nearby Boston Harbor Hotel or the State Room), and it really is an amazing place to have an event- you have the best views of Boston Harbor, as well as complete access to the Aquarium itself. The tent comfortably held the 200 guests and band, so don't be worried about the size if you have a bigger wedding, it will totally work.
The actual planning process was also great. I originally booked the event with Emily Ferrar who was awesome to work with! She really took her time to answer all my questions and made me even more excited to book with the Aquarium then I already was. I am the type of person who really hates sale pressure, so I appreciated that Emily felt more like a friend than a sales person. I worked with Abigail during the planning process, and she was a doll who dealt with all absurd questions I threw her way. She made sure the event was executed exactly how I saw it, and the staff the night of the wedding was incredibly accommodating, with many of my guests telling me how great their waiters and servers were. I can't say enough about the experience with the aquarium and am so glad I chose this landmark location for my wedding. I would absolutely recommend this venue to other brides, without a doubt.

We could not have selected a better venue for our wedding. Simply put, the venue lends itself to beautiful views, lots of fun, and an unbeatable location. We booked the harbor portion of the aquarium for our wedding, which meant a tent right on the harbor with beautiful water and city skyline views, and a ceremony directly looking out onto the harbor as well. Our cocktail hour was inside the aquarium; we are still hearing praise and seeing people's photos from when they got to privately tour the all the exhibits with one another and their favorite cocktails/appetizers.

We compared the price of the aquarium with downtown hotels and found the aquarium was very competitive, even less expensive when we booked secondary to the aquarium's giant ocean tank renovation. The aquarium and harbor also leant themselves to beautiful photographs. REALLY beautiful photographs. Catering is also done through the aquarium with pretty fantastic and wide-ranging options for cocktail hour, dinner, and even snack options for the end of the night. The menu was priced competitively and the food delicious. We had a lot of compliments on the hanger steak, and the vegetable wellington (we sampled at the tasting) was probably the best vegetarian dish I've ever had.

The aquarium staff was phenomenal. We worked with Deb in sales, and JP and Abigail in event management. Everyone was very sweet, responsive, and accommodating. We always felt taken care of, and everyone we worked with went out of their way to implement everything we requested. Abigail was especially wonderful, keeping us on track the day of the wedding in addition to finalizing a plethora of details with us in the weeks preceding.

It’s hard to qualify how amazing it was to have our wedding at the aquarium. If you are considering having a wedding in Boston, you’d be crazy not to consider having it here. We’re moving out of state soon but still plan to become members of the aquarium because we love it so much. ☺

I really loved my wedding at the Aquarium!! Everyone is still walking about what a great venue it was.

There are no amount of words we can use to express how incredible this experience was. It seemed too good to be true at first; the aquarium, affordably priced, waterfront views, and space for 200 people to dance comfortably. But from the first moment we considered having our wedding here, we were greeted and welcomed by an unbelievably friendly staff - from the personalized wedding planner, to the caterer, to the bartenders, penguins, fish and beyond - everybody; everyone had a smile and and real sense of joy to be sharing this moment with us, even though they had just met us. Our family and friends all commented on how delicious the food was and what a spectacular venue the aquarium is. The tent on the water had a sea of empty tables as a sea of friends and family immersed the dance floor until the last song was played. The wonder and awe that the New England aquarium inspires reflected in the eyes of our guests with a child-like gleam. Really adding to the fact, that our Enchantment under the Sea wedding, truly was a fairy tale.

We did not have our ceremony here, but we did have our reception here. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. We worked with JP, who could not have been more helpful and easy to work with. He met with us numerous times and was always available to answer questions by phone or email. Everyone there was wonderful! We could not have picked a better venue. Honestly, it's the most spectacular view of the harbor and we were right in the middle of Boston! It was the perfect night and our reception was in the tent outside. Everyone raved about our venue... and the FOOD!!! It was FABULOUS! We had so many compliments. I can't say enough about it. We live in Boston and wanted to celebrate in our city and it was absolutely PERFECT!! Thanks JP and thanks Deb for making this happen!!!

Perfect venue for a special occasion!

We were thrilled with New England Aquarium's willingness to meet our expectations and to provide everything we needed and wanted. It was a joy to work with them and our guests loved everything about the event.

We are so happy we picked NEAq for our wedding ceremony and reception! The whole process was amazing and we can't speak highly enough about the staff. First, in the sales process, Emily was fantastic in laying out the experience for us and explaining all the relevant details we would need to make our decision. We were considering a few other venues (focusing on their uniqueness) and after visiting the Aquarium it was an easy decision.

After signing the contract we were turned over to Abigail who was the best we could have asked for. She treats every couple like they're her only wedding, she is very responsive on emails and always willing to hop on the phone to discuss details. I had a lot of questions (never planned a wedding before) and Abigail was my guiding light through the whole process. She did a fantastic job of addressing our unique needs and pursuing every avenue to make things happen the way we wanted them to.

Lastly, you can't go wrong with this location. Our guests loved exploring the aquarium during cocktail hour, and we had a perfect sunset ceremony out on the terrace. I would definitely recommend early in the season (May, June) since the sun sets later and your event has to begin after the aquarium closes (I believe around 6:30). We were debating going with October but are really glad we went with May.

Thank you so much to the team at NEAq for making our wedding the best day ever!

We had our weeding in June 2026 and the ENTIRE experience end-to-end was perfect. Communication was top notch, all logistics and food were handled smoothly, and our guests had an INCREDIBLE experience.

My wife Jazz and I had our wedding at the New England Aquarium in July and could not have been happier with the experience! It was great to have the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all at one venue, but still have it feel like three totally different venues - getting married with the penguins, cocktails at the top of the tank, and the reception on the water was a perfect mixture. We even had to change our ceremony from outside to inside at the last minute due to weather and our main contacts Abigail and Amanda made it extremely stress-free for us. I am the kind of person who likes to feel in control of everything, but I learned to trust and rely on Abigail and Amanda, who correctly assured us that if they were not stressed, we should not be stressed! They really made it happen. Plus, all of our guests were raving about how unique and personal the event was. We would highly recommend the New England Aquarium to any couples looking for a unique venue in the city.

Our wedding day at The New England Aquarium was absolutely perfect! Through the pandemic, they were extremely accommodating and kind when we had to postpone and re-plan for the following year. Since we didn't get married on-site, we used the South Terrace area for cocktail hour and it was magical with the sunset and breeze! The tent right on the Boston Harbor is one of, if not the best, location in Boston for a wedding. You can't get any closer to the water than that! Our guests also loved having access to the Aquarium for the entire evening. Thank you to all the staff and amazing vendors for making our dream wedding come to life!

We had such a wonderful time at the aquarium! Have received endless compliments regarding how unique the venue was. The event planning staff ensured our wedding vision came to life and everything went smoothly on our big day!

The venue was everything we hoped for and made planning our wedding so easy and painless! Our guests cannot stop talking about the unique experience they had and how our wedding will be one they will never forget! We got married 11/9/19 and did the ceremony, reception, and cocktail hour all inside NEAQ. It was so fun and unique to host everything inside the building with the penguins as extra wedding guests! I cannot stress enough how easy it was to plan our wedding NEAQ wedding coordinator, Kelcee. She knew everything there was to know about all of the options the aquarium can offer to make your wedding go off without a hitch. We had a lot of questions about pretty much everything wedding related and Kelcee listened to our vision the entire time and helped make the event come to life! NEAQ understood our vision and executed it seamlessly so that we could fully enjoy the entire night with our guests. We were so not stressed on the day of the wedding that we were about to truly be present in the moment. If we had to do it again I would hands down choose the aquarium every time! Our wedding day will be a day that we never forget and we are so thankful to the aquarium for providing such a unique and memorable venue and easy to work with staff to help us really bring our day to life. 10/10 would recommend to anyone and everyone looking for a wedding venue!

We had the wedding of our dreams at the NEA! The experience of exploring the entire aquarium with your wedding guests drinking cocktails by your side and then having the reception out by the boardwalk was nothing other than incredible. Our guests were blown away by the entire experience — it was a huge hit! The NEA event planning staff came ready to help plan and were always available when I needed them. They made it easy for me to make decisions and were flexible with payments. Overall, we would enthusiastically recommend having your wedding at NEA (and kissing a seal while you’re at it)!

We had our reception at the New England Aquarium, right around the penguin pit. It was so unusual and I still have guests tell me how much they enjoyed it to this day. The food was superb and the decor (we had lionfish right behind the head table) was awesome. It was a little difficult to do the sound system, because it's a huge space and very echoey, but it worked out. This was probably the best part of my wedding, because no one was bored.

Rod and I were looking for a venue that was unique and very us. I'm a marine biologist and we met at a marine science camp so our choice in the aquarium was just perfect! They have amazing catering that was delicious! We got so many compliments on our food. We even asked if we could have pigs in a blanket as an appetizer and they made them! Abigail, our event planner was amazing. So professional, kind, prompt, and organized. She helped us greatly including getting all our handmade decor items set up for us and coordinating our rehearsal. Everyone loved the venue and seeing the penguins and other animals. It was a beautiful wedding

Overall, we had a wonderful experience at the Aquarium with our coordinator Kelcee! Kelcee stepped in later in the process; however, the day came together more beautifully than we could have ever imagined. Food was great, space was beautiful, and it was a really unique venue.

I knew I wanted a unique venue from the start, and right away the NE Aquarium delivered. It is an amazing place, with superior service and amenities. From the moment I contacted them, they were timely and informative. I loved working with Kelcee, the Catering Manager. She was thorough and detail oriented which I definitely appreciated. Everything was delivered exactly as promised, I couldn't have asked for a better experience!

Amazing venue great time great value.

Event, food and service were amazing. No need for a wedding planner because they are so organized and little touches like a dedicated server for the bride and groom reflect their level of professionalism.

The Aquarium is an amazing place to have a wedding. Not only is the location absolutely perfect but the staff (Emily and Abigail) there to help you are extremely organized, friendly and ready to answer any questions.

The only downfall to this venue is the floral restrictions and start time (you have to wait until it is closed to the public), however for me they were outweighed by the fact that the guest pretty much had free reign of the entire Aquarium during the wedding.

My wedding was amazing and I have them to thank for all of their help. I would absolutely recommend the Aquarium to anyone!

Working with Laura O'Connor was a pleasure. She was efficient, helpful, professional, and very flexible. She was able to provide us with everything we wanted. Laura made sure we could run our dvd on the Aquarium's flat screen tv, she accepted deliveries of cupcakes from Party City/Boston, she made sure the florist set up the centerpieces the way we wanted, she had her staff print menus for us ( which came out very well), and she had her staff take care of the seating cards ( placing each one individually in a place card holder we provided.) We would never hesitate to work with Laura O'Connor and the NE Aquarium again. She was amazing.

We had our wedding at NEAQ a few years ago (sorry it's taken so long to write a review). We absolutely loved it!
We were inside the main gallery for the entire wedding and boy were we nervous as to whether or not it would turn out as we envisioned it in our head. Let me tell you it turned out even better than we could have imagined! The venue was fun and beautiful and we still have people years later telling us it was the most fun wedding they had ever been to!
If you're considering this as an option for your wedding, go for it! You won't regret it!

This was our dream venue! The wedding coordinator, Abigail, was a pleasure to work with. Abigail stayed on top of everything and make the planning process a breeze. Our guests were floored by this venue. Not only did they have access to the entire aquarium, but the views of the Harbor were amazing. The food was very high quality. Although, the raw bar ran out very quickly (I am not sure if we got our money's worth on this one). I still have people telling me this was the best wedding they have been to! We love the aquarium and still go back to visit and remember our wedding!

The wedding was great, much due to the venue. Our wedding planner did most of the communicating with them, but everything worked out well. The unfortunate thing about the aquarium is that it is expensive to get the wedding catered by someone other than the aquarium. We had a Kosher wedding, and you must pay a significant fee to use another caterer. They were as flexible with us as they could be, but that made it much more expensive. Other than that, though, they were terrific.

We had our reception at the Aquarium and they did a fantastic job! The food was great and got lots of good feedback from our guests. It rained briefly, so there was some water on the tent floor but they quickly rearranged tables and squeegeed the heck out of the floor to make it better. Getting in touch with the coordinator was sometimes a bit difficult but we really felt they delivered for us!

The Good-the venue itself is great,a truly unique venue. And located right downtown, there are great opportunities for city photographs. All of my guests loved having the cocktail hour in the shark and sting ray touch tank area.

The Bad- The food. the food was really bad. It was amazing when we went for the tasting. We had fish and chicken. When we tried it was great, when it was served, the fish was served with rice and beans. The kind you would find at a cheap mexican restaurant. The fish was so dry, no one at my table ate it. The mini sliders we got were served on hot dog rolls, last time I checked sliders were little burgers. We were told we could bring an ipod for the cocktail hour, for 15 minutes there was silence, a friend went to ask to see what was going on, then they managed to play our ipod over some muzack station, and finally figured it out with about 15 minutes left of the cocktail hour, I was very dissapointed, as I had worked hard at picking out perfect songs. Then we went upstairs for dinner. It was about 85 degrees in there, everyone was sweating. When asked to turn the ac down 3 times, we were told yes, no problem, but it never cooled off. Then the lights, I wanted the lights dimmed for dancing, sure same thing, we can do that, but no, we danced in full light. It was a little weird.
And the worse, we paid for open bar for everyone.....and they ran out of white wine, very unprofessional.

The aquarium itself is great— a unique and beautiful venue— and the staff are super responsive, organized, and efficient. If I were basing this review just on the aquarium staff then it would be five stars, hands down. Unfortunately, though, they work exclusively with the Patina Group for catering, and this company is a disaster. I’ll spare the internet the full details, but the short of it is this: They deferred our requests to schedule our tasting dinner until four weeks before the wedding (which was in mid October). The day after we finally had it and firmed up our menu, they emailed to let us know us know that they were increasing our contract cost by $10,000, or a full 33% of the original cost. Again, they did this four weeks before our wedding, with no forewarning, in a breezy 3 line email that referred vaguely to “unexpected price increases.” Notably, the increases were mostly associated with labor costs and managerial fee mark-ups, not food costs based in our selections at the dinner. We were blindsided. When we protested, they told us they would “work with us.” This largely consisted of leveraging the fact that we had fewer guests attending than originally estimated and also revising the number of hors d’oeuvres served down to 2/3rds of our guest count— because why should we want there to be enough for everyone? They also told us that we were the only couple to complain about a last-minute price hike in our contract, as if we were in the wrong. (Mind you, when I told people about the increase, the most common response was an astonished, “Is that legal?” ) To make matters worse, the night of our wedding, the service was a mess. They carved the wrong name for me into a decorative watermelon accompanying a flavored water station set out for guests before the ceremony; they repeatedly ignored our requests to open the sides of the reception tent (we wanted to minimize chances of COVID transmission and had discussed this explicitly days before the wedding, and then repeated it day of); they forgot to set aside wedding cake slices for me and my husband, so that we didn’t get any; they neglected to set out our wedding favors until all but the final guests remained, so lots of guests didn’t get them after we spent hours curating and copying a customized playlist onto 130 thumbs drives. The whole thing was disorganized, impersonal, and seemed sort of thrown together. We felt disappointed and taken advantage of, which was a real bummer because we love the aquarium and their staff members were great. If anything, I would just strongly urge the aquarium to consider dropping their exclusive contract with Patina and allow couples to explore other vendors. I’m sure there are lots of great local groups to work with. As it stands, with Patina as the only caterer/ event mgmt group to contract with, I sadly can’t recommend having a wedding at the aquarium.

The aquarium itself is great— a unique and beautiful venue— and the staff are super responsive, organized, and efficient. If I were basing this review just on the aquarium staff then it would be five stars, hands down. Unfortunately, though, they work exclusively with the Patina Group for catering, and this company is a disaster. I’ll spare the internet the full details, but the short of it is this: They deferred our requests to schedule our tasting dinner until four weeks before the wedding (which was in mid October). The day after we finally had it and firmed up our menu, they emailed to let us know us know that they were increasing our contract cost by $10,000, or a full 33% of the original cost. Again, they did this four weeks before our wedding, with no forewarning, in a breezy 3 line email that referred vaguely to “unexpected price increases.” Notably, the increases were mostly associated with labor costs and managerial fee mark-ups, not food costs based in our selections at the dinner. We were blindsided. When we protested, they told us they would “work with us.” This largely consisted of leveraging the fact that we had fewer guests attending than originally estimated and also revising the number of hors d’oeuvres served down to 2/3rds of our guest count— because why should we want there to be enough for everyone? They also told us that we were the only couple to complain about a last-minute price hike in our contract, as if we were in the wrong. (Mind you, when I told people about the increase, the most common response was an astonished, “Is that legal?” ) To make matters worse, the night of our wedding, the service was a mess. They carved the wrong name for me into a decorative watermelon accompanying a flavored water station set out for guests before the ceremony; they repeatedly ignored our requests to open the sides of the reception tent (we wanted to minimize chances of COVID transmission and had discussed this explicitly days before the wedding, and then repeated it day of); they forgot to set aside wedding cake slices for me and my husband, so that we didn’t get any; they neglected to set out our wedding favors until all but the final guests remained, so lots of guests didn’t get them after we spent hours curating and copying a customized playlist onto 130 thumbs drives. The whole thing was disorganized, impersonal, and seemed sort of thrown together. We felt disappointed and taken advantage of, which was a real bummer because we love the aquarium and their staff members were great. If anything, I would just strongly urge the aquarium to consider dropping their exclusive contract with Patina and allow couples to explore other vendors. I’m sure there are lots of great local groups to work with. As it stands, with Patina as the only caterer/ event mgmt group to contract with, I sadly can’t recommend having a wedding at the aquarium.

My husband and I were really excited we toured the Aquarium for the first time - it seemed like the perfect, fun unique venue. However, soon after signing the contract, we started to run into issues. Emails with questions would go unanswered for weeks, until finally escalated (this happened multiple times in the year leading up to the wedding).

The kicker was the phone call we received the night before our wedding stating that they had to move the penguins due to construction and it was recommended that our cocktail hour be moved to outside. Glad we centered our wedding theme on penguins.

In the end, the Aquarium managed to return some of the penguins so our cocktail hour could go on as planned. However, the stress during my rehearsal dinner and the night before the wedding was not appreciated. You think the Aquarium would at least give us the courtesy of alerting us to this potential problem a few weeks before. Overall, I loved the venue, but the communication and lack of planning by the event staff would make me seriously think twice about having an event here.

We got married on 12/15/2023 and although the venue itself was wonderful and we enjoyed celebrating with the penguins, if we could go back in time, we would not have chosen this venue. Let’s start with communication. From the beginning, communication was lacking on their end. After submitting our deposit, we were told by the event manager that catering would reach out to us in January, but that did not happen. Finally, at the end of February we had to reach out to initiate a conversation. After meeting with the catering manager, we were told we could hear from her in July to set up a date for our tasting. That did not happen. In August we tried reaching out to schedule our tasting, but we never received a response. So, I made a phone call to the catering manager and was told she would contact me later that day, that did not happen. We did not hear from her for a week! At this point, I was stressed because we were four months away from our wedding and our invitations had to be sent out, but we could not do that until we knew what food options we were offering. At the tasting, everything went perfectly. The food was incredible, and I felt confident that the wedding would go off without a hitch, but boy was I wrong. At the rehearsal, we were told the ceremony would not take place at the coral reef because of a lighting issue. Fine. No big deal. On the day of the wedding, we were lining up to get ready to walk down the aisle when they informed us we would not be standing where we practiced the night before, but we would standing where we were supposed to originally, by the coral reef. Everyone was stressed because this was not what we practiced the night before. As a bride, my stomach was already in knots and the last thing I needed was more stress, but I let it go. The show must go on. The ceremony was lovely and when my groom and I walked out we were greeted by our attendant with champagne. At that moment, I was able to relax, and I thought the rest of the evening would go smoothly, but I was wrong again. During dinner service, my husband and I were served the wrong meal, our steak was cold, and close to being raw. The sauce and sides were disgusting. I was shocked. This was not what we tasted and chose during our tasting. While walking around to our guest tables, we noticed nobody was touching their food and we heard whispers of people complaining about their meal. This is not something we wanted to hear. We were embarrassed and this caused so much stress, but we tried our best to stay calm. For the remainder of the evening, my blood sugar kept dropping due to the lack of carbs and protein from not eating our meal, as a type 1 diabetic, this was concerning. We have reached out to the catering manager to address our concerns and while she did seem genuinely apologetic and she refunded us our money for the meals, we still don’t have an answer about what went wrong. We are go with the flow kind of people, and it would be ridiculous to assume everything would go perfectly at our wedding, but this mistake was one that shouldn’t’ve happened. People pay a lot of money for weddings, and the bride, groom, and guests not having an edible meal to eat was unacceptable. We were told by the catering manager she went home after salads were served, but we’re having a difficult time understanding how she was not aware that the chef was not serving the food we chose. Let’s assume they accidentally ordered the wrong food for our wedding. Fine. At least say something to use. At least acknowledge that you made a mistake. We’re very understanding people and the fact that nobody besides the catering manager has reached out to apologize is absurd. I strongly advise any couple considering this venue to consider it carefully.