The Florida Aquarium Reviews

My husband and I had the best experience at the Florida Aquarium! It truly was our best day ever. It wouldn’t have been the best without this venue and the amazing staff.

First off our guest loved the private ability to explore the Aqurium during cocktail our with a champagne glass in hand! We loved the backdrop of the tank during our ceremony and having our reception at the rooftop with the water and city views of Tampa!

Kimberly our event coordinator at the aquarium was the absolute best! Constantly stayed in communication with us throughout all the planning and went above and beyond! From helping with decorations to making sure we had food and drinks! All other staff was beyond helpful as well. For example, if a staff member noticed our drinks were empty they did not hesitate to quickly grab it for us! We also enjoy our private tasting with them!

I’ve attached photos here and our photographer was feedlebee photography!

The Florida aquarium was the perfect unique venue we were looking for! It was super affordable and the aquarium staff could not have been more helpful throughout the entire process! I would recommend this venue to anyone looking for a beautiful and unique venue!

The Florida Aquarium is such a beautiful and unique venue. Our guests loved being able to take a self-guided tour of the aquarium during the beginning of cocktail hour. All the staff the night of the wedding and leading up to the wedding were wonderful and such please to work with.

The Florida Aquarium was one of the best decisions we made! Ceremony, reception, and catering all wrapped up in one! It is a great value, bonus that it is a non-profit and the staff from booking/planning all the way through seeing to our every need the night of was stellar! The food was terrific and we can't say enough about the staff and service. Impeccable.

We were on the search for a unique venue that gave a Florida vibe but was NOT a beach. Getting married in June we knew we wanted an entirely indoor venue, and that was hard to find! The second we stepped into the Florida Aquarium we knew we had found the perfect spot. We worked with Kim who was incredibly responsive, and we were able to tour the venue multiple times throughout the planning process. There were so many details that made the day unique, but our favorite was that during cocktail hour, our guests were able to tour the exhibits. The day of the event, the entire Aquarium staff was phenomenal. There was a torrential downpour of course as my bridesmaids and I were arriving, and multiple staff members greeted us with umbrellas, escorted us where we needed to be and even carried my train. Everyone was kind and professional and really made our day special. The catering and bar was with Aramark through the Aquarium and Erica and her staff were wonderful to work with as well. We had a private menu tasting which was tons of fun, and both Erica and Kim helped us create a menu we knew our guests would enjoy. The bar included tons of options at no extra cost, the food was delicious and again the bartenders and catering staff was wonderful. We truly couldn’t be happier with our choice to get married here!

The aquarium staffing crew created such a magical experience for our wedding day! It was everything that we dreamed of and more! With such a unique venue it created the most magical photo opportunities and gave our guests such an amazing night!

Having my wedding at The Florida Aquarium was a dream come true! The staff was very friendly and accommodating. My guests were raving about how unique everything was. I recommend this venue 100%!!

Our wedding at the aquarium was so magical. The venue, staff, food, drinks, etc. exceeded my expectations.

We had a small wedding (40ish guests), and the Coral Reef Room in the Aquarium was the perfect, unique, and romantic venue! All our guests were awed by the ambience! On my end, as the bride planning, the staff was very communicative, friendly, and helpful every step of the way. The price was reasonable for the venue and catering for all the we got, and the food was delicious! I definitely recommend the Florida Aquarium to make a special day even more so!

My husband and I got married at the Florida Aquarium in March 2022, so it will always hold a special place in my heart.

At first, I had no idea you could have a wedding here. It wasn't until we were looking at potential venues and saw ZooTampa listed as an option that I even thought to look into the aquarium — and once I knew it was a possibility, I pretty much had my heart set on this place. We wanted something a little different than the usual hotel ballroom (not that there's anything wrong with that, I've been to a number of gorgeous weddings in hotels... but that just wasn't what we wanted). We both love animals, and when we realized our money would be helping to support a non-profit, the decision was rather easy. After all, weddings are expensive, so if we're going to spend thousands of dollars anyway, knowing it was going to a good cause helped ease the pain in our pocketbook.

Kimberly was my main contact, and she met with me to go over all of the details of everything we wanted (plated instead of a buffet, what kind of chairs, upgrades to the open bar, etc.). They have a pretty sizable menu to choose from, and hold a showcase twice a year so you can taste all of the food (we opted for chicken and salmon, and our meals were seriously so good!). You do have to use their catering — you can't bring in an outside vendor for that. Your wedding also includes a food display table during your cocktail hour as well as a great open bar (that lasts your entire cocktail hour and reception). We opted to pay to upgrade the champagne from Riondo to Korbel, and upgrade the bourbon from Jim Beam to Evan Williams. When my husband and I wanted to go back to the aquarium to check out areas for photographs (so we could tell our photographer), Kimberly was happy to send us comp tickets so we could visit on our own. And she sent us another round of comp tickets once my month-of coordinator came on board so we could do a walk-through with her. Kimberly was always super responsive with each and every question I sent her way.

We had our ceremony in the coral reef room (which has floor-to-ceiling glass where you can see sharks, turtles, stingrays and fish swimming by). We paid extra for the "bubble curtain" that happens during the first kiss, and it looked awesome. We had also paid to have penguins walk down the aisle, but sadly 7 of their 10 penguins died about six months before our wedding, so that option was no longer available. I was pretty bummed about it, but the health of their penguins is obviously far more important. They've since gotten a new penguin colony, but I don't know if they're doing the penguin aisle walk option anymore.

After the ceremony, our guests were able to explore the aquarium on their own during the cocktail hour, or they could just head up to the rooftop (where our reception was). While they explored, our bridal party and family took photos in the coral reef room, and my husband and I then went around the aquarium and Wetlands area for more photos on our own.

We couldn't have asked for a better reception than on the rooftop, overlooking the water and downtown Tampa. The weather was absolutely perfect, and we partied until the very end (we paid for an extra hour so our reception started at 7 pm and ended at 11 pm). So many of our friends told us this was the most fun wedding they'd ever attended, and we absolutely have the aquarium to thank for that.

Our wedding was amazing. It went perfect and we couldn’t be happier.

Our wedding at the aquarium was incrediblt perfect! From the service, responsiveness, helpfulness, food, and everything in between. It was so perfect and amazing!!

Awesome place, Great for the family and the food was super! A wonderful place to build a great start!

The Florida Aquarium is an extraordinary environment to have a wedding.

In my opinion, it is imperative to have your wedding inside the Aquarium’s Coral Reef room. There is not a more spectacular backdrop than living fish, sharks, stingrays, and giant turtles. We were told a giant turtle hovered over us as we shared our vows. We were staring into each other's eyes while our guest witnessed sea life joining us.

The Florida Aquarium has a wedding package that makes planning a wedding very convenient. They make the catering is easy. You just pick out delicious food from their many dinner options and hors d’oeuvres. With just a last second notice they were able to accommodate a child’s meal. The aquarium has in house decorations and extras like Stingray petting during cocktail hour and dancing with the fish in a second large tank room during the reception that will push the event over the top. Ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all in one mind blowing venue. Everybody will want to come and attendance is limited due to the size of the room, your biggest issue will be keeping to the agreed guest size. Weather is never a concern since everything is indoors.

Your wedding will be unforgettable as it becomes one of the most phenomenal experiences your guests will ever experience. Kim and Racheal are remarkable event specialists. They are kind, respectable, experienced, and they are excellent communicators. They will guide you as they assist you. They were so patient with us. We had never been married before and did not realize all the details needed to organize a wedding. They listened to our vision and helped us create the unique wedding we were fantasizing about. We really wanted an out of the ordinary wedding and they pulled it off for us.

We are so very happy !!! Everyone there was WOWed.



Racheal and Kim are detail oriented and have so much to offer to help assemble all the particular segments needed for this type of wedding. Working alongside them is the other aquarium staff. The entire staff at the aquarium are well-organized, efficient, and friendly. We and our guests were very well taken care of and had everything we needed. The transitions from ceremony to cocktail to dinner were seamless and everything was done as we had requested it be done.



It is essential to have a professional photographer that is familiar with the aquarium. We were so very lucky to find Roberts Imagery. Joe was experienced with the aquarium and knew just how to do the lighting so there was no glare or reflection in his pictures. He is a true artist and he creates stunning Images. Since he knows the aquarium, he knew how to work with the many interesting hidden areas within the cave like hallways and rooms. He brought with him some extra colored lights which enabled him to create some very sensational, and intimate photos. He is outstanding.



The Florida Aquarium has so many interesting living tanks, from jellyfish to seahorses your guests will be astonished as they enjoy the event. Just the entrance to the ceremony will amaze all.



We highly recommend the Florida Aquarium as a marvelous unique venue for anyone planning a wedding.

The Florida Aquarium exceeded my expectations for a wonderful wedding! We used all their recommended vendors and everyone was great. The staff were responsive to our needs and my guests loved the food especially the mac and cheese bar. Several guests commented that our wedding was over the top/the best wedding they ever attended even though the price was very competitive for the Tampa area and we didn't spend much money on decor, favors or anything like that. (In fact my wedding dress was from Amazon so I was definitely no bridezilla.) We had both the ceremony and reception in the Coral Reef room and you don't need much in terms of decor since that room itself is so beautiful. The recommended vendors are vetted through the aquarium so you don't have to worry about their reputation and if they're gonna show up, etc. All their vendors are very professional as is the aquarium staff. Also, let me add that my wedding was a destination wedding but it was easy to plan since the aquarium is easy to work with. We opted to have a cocktail reception with the string ray tank open, which many of our guests loved. I was worried throughout the wedding planning since I knew I was going to have a small wedding of roughly 50 people, but the aquarium welcomed us (I heard some venues don't want to be bothered with a small wedding). I had absolutely positively the best wedding a bride could ask for despite planning it during the pandemic. I would definitely recommend a wedding at the Florida Aquarium.

It was an absolute dream having our “under the sea” wedding here. Everything was perfect and the staff was so easy to work with. I hired all my vendors from the aquariums preferred vendor list and I couldn’t have been happier with each and every one of them. Made planning so much easier

We could not have asked for a better venue to have our wedding! Kim and Rachel at the aquarium were AMAZING! They made sure we had everything we needed to make our night memorable, and they were both so incredibly sweet. This venue was more than we could’ve asked for! All of our guests kept raving about it all night and the days after! No complaints from anyone about anything. If you’re looking for a venue that is basically all inclusive, stress free, and super fun, you need to book the aquarium!

So far the venue is amazing. They are willing to help out and are respond quickly to inquiries and planning. The venue is absolutely beautiful and unique. I would recommend.

Cant say enough good things about having our wedding at the Florida aquarium. From the ceremony in the coral reef room to the reception on the rooftop, everything was amazing. Couldn't tell you the amount of compliments we got about how cool this place was. Food and beverage was easy and very good as well. Would highly recommend this venue to anyone!

Very reasonably priced! If you’re thinking about booking this place, just do it! My wedding here was perfect and then some! The staff and coordinators are kind and helpful!! 10/10!

My wedding was 6.12.21. It was an early ceremony and they helped make sure things ran smoothly. The lighting was great and they were great with communication during the planning process.

The staff is amazing! From our points of contact to the servers during the wedding. They were accommodating, helpful, & went all out to make sure we were happy. The food was great & the included full hosted bar was a bonus. Our guests told us repeatedly it was one of the most beautiful weddings they had ever attended. We have some great memories & are so glad we choose the aquarium for our special day.

My husband wanted a unique wedding everyone would remember and this venue was perfect! A breath taking back drop for the ceremony, and everyone had such a great time! The staff was friendly and very helpful! Jaclyn was amazing and reassuring planning through a pandemic!

This venue is a gem. Our guests were so excited to attend a reception at such a beautiul and unique location. The package prices are very affordiable, especially since they include alcohol. Jaclyn from the sales deparment was prompt, responsive and so easy to work with.

I loved how the staff was attentive and caring, they all worked together smoothly and gave us the most beautiful wedding that our friends and family cannot stop raving about.