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North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
Reception venue
Reception venue
Reception venue
Reception venue
Proposal
Proposal
Ceremony
Ceremony
Portraits
Portraits
Portraits
Portraits
Portraits
Portraits
Portraits
Portraits
Reception venue
Reception venue
Portraits
Portraits
Portraits
Portraits
Ceremony
Ceremony
Portraits
Portraits
Ceremony
Ceremony
Reception venue
Reception venue
First look
First look
Bride and Groom Table
Bride and Groom Table
Ceremony
Ceremony
Wedding cake
Wedding cake
Bubble exit
Bubble exit
First look
First look
Reception venue
Reception venue
Reception venue
Reception venue
Sample four tier wedding cake
Sample four tier wedding cake
Sample table set-up
Sample table set-up
Reception venue
Reception venue
Wedding ceremony
Wedding ceremony
Bride by an aquarium
Bride by an aquarium
Sample table set-up
Sample table set-up

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Reception venue

About

The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is located between the Cape Fear River and Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by salt marshes, maritime forests, and coastal dunes. Engage up to 2,000 guests in our underwater habitats and mission to inspire appreciation and conservation of our aquatic environments. Celebrate weddings, holidays, dinners, and galas or come together for corporate meetings, trainings, and conventions.

North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is a wedding venue located in Kure Beach, North Carolina that serves the Wilmington region. They offer many gorgeous indoor spaces among aquatic animals at this aquarium for couples to host their beautiful wedding celebration. Couples should have no doubt that their friends and family will truly love and cherish a unique, special venue that they will remember for years and years.

Facilities and Capacity
Couples may host from 60 to 2,000 of their wedding guests for ceremonies, receptions, rehearsal dinners, engagement parties, and bridal showers at North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher. Couples and guests will admire and adore such a stunning setting wedding festivities. Beautiful, luscious gardens and exotic sea creatures are breathtaking backdrops for a wedding you or your guests will never forget. Guests may traverse through different habitats with striking underwater views and enjoy what the aquarium has to offer. You and your guests may also view beautiful aquatic creatures as you all dine or dance at many different event spaces the aquarium has to offer. Whether your event is large or small, the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher would be honored to host your lovely event. Couples may also decorate event spaces to fit in with their vision.

Services Offered
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher will do their best to help you enjoy your time at their venue. They offer wireless internet and allow couples to bring in outside vendors of their own choice. North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher will also provide linens and ample parking for guests and visitors. Because they want everyone to be able to enjoy their site and want couples to be able to accommodate all friends and family, they are a wheelchair accessible establishment.

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have a site fee for wedding receptions at your venue?

No

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during peak season?

$2,200

What is the starting site fee for wedding receptions during off-peak season?

$2,200

Do you have a site fee for wedding ceremonies at your venue?

No

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during peak season?

$1,400

What is the starting site fee for wedding ceremonies during off-peak season?

$1,400

Which of the following are included in starting site fee?

Bridal Suite
Clean Up
Lighting/Sound
Parking

What is the minimum number of guests required to book your venue?

1

How many event spaces or rooms does your venue offer?

We have 9 different venue options and, as a versatile venue, we are perfect for any occasion whether a beach theme or a formal affair. Immerse up to 2,000 guests in our underwater habitats, surrounded by live, local entertainment. Celebrate weddings, holidays, dinners, and galas or come together for corporate meetings, trainings, and conventions. We

Describe your venue:

Beach
Garden
Historic Building
Museum
Park
Waterfront
Zoo

What kind of settings are available?

Indoor
Uncovered Outdoor

Which of the following wedding events does your venue service?

Ceremony
Reception
Bridal Shower
Engagement Party
Elopements
Rehearsal Dinner

What event services do you offer?

Accommodations
Clean Up
Event Rentals
Get Ready Rooms
Liability Insurance
Outside Vendors
Wifi

What event items are available?

Audio Equipment
Centerpieces
Decor
Lighting

What transportation and access is available?

Parking
Wheelchair Access

What months are included in your peak season?

April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

What months are included in your off-peak season?

January
February
March

Reviews of North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher

Write a review
Write a review
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher - 1
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher - 2
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher - 3
+5 User photos
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher - 4
Sarah
Sarah Sent on 05/24/2019
5 out of 5 rating

Memorable & fun

My husband and I hosted our wedding reception at the aquarium and our guests LOVED it. It was so much fun for our guests and their kids alike. We really appreciated
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  • +3 photos
    North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher - 7
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User2902510 Sent on 09/24/2015
5 out of 5 rating
BEST PLACE TO GET MARRIED! My husband and I absolutely adore the beach, and my favorite animal is a sting ray, so the aquarium was a perfect fit for us! Plus we both grew up visiting Carolina/Kure beach and it is so much better and a little quieter than surrounding beaches like myrtle....
The coordinater at the aquarium was more than helpful with anything I needed and even helped with a floor layout for my vendors 2 weeks before hand!
The aquarium is such a beautiful venue and my guests were never bored!
J
June Sent on 06/23/2015
5 out of 5 rating
This was such an awesome place to have our reception! I had many guests that don't dance a lot so they enjoyed it very much being able to look at all the exhibits. Keely was great to work with and I didn't find the rules to be very restrictive, she always had suggestions for how to work with them and none of them really changed our vision of our wedding. Being that the fee includes tables and linens we felt it was a great value for our money as well.
K
Kathleen Sent on 07/02/2013
5 out of 5 rating
Keely did a great job helping to organize our wedding reception. She always answered my questions promptly and was willing to help in any way possible. The staff was extremely helpful during our event and we could not have asked for more. Our guests loved the vendor and said it was one of the most amazing places to have a reception. The kids had plenty of things to do which gave the adults time to enjoy the wedding festivities. We could not have asked for a better night!
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275665Aca507997298Be010Fae9A94C63B552A0D Sent on 07/01/2018
4.9 out of 5 rating
The Aquarium was the only venue we needed to see for our big day! We knew from the beginning that we wanted a unique location that could accommodate both the ceremony and reception, and the Aquarium gave us all that and more! Keely was such a pleasure to work with from start to finish, and the entire aquarium staff goes above and beyond to make the whole process easy. We were able to do a full tour of the venue before booking, a full walk-through with all of our major vendors, and then an easy rehearsal. Our guests were so impressed with the location and how nice everything turned out, they thought we spent a fortune! We used the Aquarium chairs and tables and their staff set up, broke down, and moved our chairs between the ceremony and reception areas. If you're looking for an affordable, but beautiful and unique location for your wedding, look no further than the NC Aquarium!
U
User2743033 Sent on 08/26/2016
4.9 out of 5 rating
Everyone had a blast at our wedding reception! We had guests ranging from 8 months to 80 years old and they all enjoyed looking at the exhibits. I have had several guests tell me that it was the best wedding they had been to. My mother-in-law, who is an event coordinator for a popular wedding venue in my husband's hometown, even said that she had never seen a better event!

Keely and her staff were awesome at helping us during the planning period. They answered all of my questions quickly and even spoke directly with our other vendors to make sure things went smoothly.

The aquarium was also our back up ceremony location. Luckily we got our wish of an outdoor wedding but I was happy to know that we had a very clear plan in case of bad weather.

The only reason I gave a slightly lower score on flexibility is because as a state park with live animals, there are some things that they cannot allow. All the these things are completely understandable and most actually worked in our favor -it was a built in excuse to save money by serving wine and beer only- but be prepared to work within some guidelines.

I highly recommend having your event at the Fort Fisher Aquarium. You won't be disappointed!
H
Hillary Sent on 06/02/2012
4.8 out of 5 rating
Our wedding reception at the Aquarium at Fort Fisher was so much fun and provided a backdrop for hundreds of beautiful pictures. The event coordinators who work at the aquarium were very responsive to all of my emails and phone calls. We enjoyed being able to visit the aquarium with an appointment during the planning phase to ask questions and work on the event set up. We really liked the different space options and thought the prices are OUTSTANDING for the unique venue that you get. The only category we gave less than a 5/5 to was flexibility. This is because the rules and guidelines for having an event here are strict and must be followed. These rules are in place for insurance reasons and to protect the exhibits so it's completely understandable. The event coordinators were always upfront about the restrictions and responsive to any questions we had. We very highly recommend having your event at the aquarium!
J'Aime
J'aime Sent on 06/25/2018
4.7 out of 5 rating
My husband and I fell in love with the venue as soon as we stepped foot in the aquarium! Keely was so helpful and professional however on the day of our wedding the security guard kept everyone out in the parking lot in the hot sun instead of allowing them to walk through the garden area with shade and to our cocktail hour on the deck. Another draw back was that you can not set up the day before hand however even though we kept our decorations simple and he had lots of hands to help set up, the aquarium stole the show and we could not have asked for a more beautiful venue.
  • North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher - 8
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Laura Sent on 07/19/2017
4.7 out of 5 rating
We LOVED having our wedding ceremony and reception at the aquarium! Our guests had a fantastic time looking at the exhibits. While you could make this venue as fancy as you like, this definitely a family/child-friendly place! The kids at our wedding (of which there were many) had a great time. Keely (the aquarium event coordinator) was super responsive to questions and concerns, and did two walkthroughs with us on-site. She also helped us with the layout of the tables, which was much appreciated.

The aquarium has several add-on options, and we highly recommend springing for the touch pool. We love the photos of kids and adults interacting with sea creatures!

The only place we didn't give them 5 stars is on flexibility, because they have a lot of restrictions due to the safety of the animals and being a state facility. BUT, none of the restrictions were onerous! For example, we couldn't have hard liquor, and needed to be out of the aquarium at the end of the night in a timely manner so the animals could sleep. Keely is super helpful in walking you through the regulations. Any (small) sacrifice made in that realm is more than worth it for such a beautiful venue.
J
Jennifer Sent on 03/01/2020
4.6 out of 5 rating

Amazing - But with some warnings

The venue was beautiful and the event staff were amazing! I am so glad we chose this venue and we would recommend it to everyone! That being said, it is an unusual venue and did have some quirks. The aquarium is very upfront about their rules and restrictions. They give you all important information before you sign a contract. The aquarium does not allow hard liquor - beer and wine only. This actually turned out to be a positive for us as open beer/wine bar is much more affordable than full bar. Due to normal operating hours, time to set up for the wedding is very short. Almost all of my vendors required extra staff to pull off setup and breakdown in the required time frame. The lighting is also a bit of a challenge. I only looked at photographers who had shot at the venue before - and I'm glad I did. Again, not the easiest venue, but soooo worth it!
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