Seymour Marine Discovery Center

The Seymour Marine Discovery Center was the perfect venue for our wedding. Finding a place that so beautifully showcases the California coastline felt like a gift, and it delivered beyond our expectations. We had guests travelling from across the United States, Canada and Australia, so being able to show off the coastline was a highlight!

Emily and the events team were absolutely wonderful. They worked seamlessly with our coordinator and vendors to ensure everything ran without any issues, turning our dreams into reality with such care and professionalism.

The outdoor deck was a breathtaking setting for our ceremony. The ocean views as we said our vows were simply unforgettable, and our guests couldn't stop commenting on the scenery.

The touch tank was a highlight, creating joy and laughs as our guests connected over the experience of exploring the aquarium together.

If you're looking for a venue that combines natural beauty, a unique atmosphere, and a dedicated team, then this venue is a must. The Seymour Marine Discovery Center added something magical to our special day.

We LOVED the Seymour Center. The team was very responsive in helping us plan our wedding on such short notice. The venue was amazing and beautiful at golden hour - our guests loved walking outside to see the sunset after dinner!

I highly recommend checking it out. Thank you for making our special night so memorable!

We had our wedding welcome dinner at Seymour Center on a Friday evening and it was absolutely perfect! The space is gorgeous and so much fun. We had about 100 attendees, including over 40 kids, and the Seymour Discovery Center Exhibits gave everyone something to be excited about. The events team was super friendly and easy to work with, and it was great that the space came with tables and chairs. It was an extra bonus that our guests were able to visit the exhibits on the day of the event - a perfect way to welcome all of our loved ones to Santa Cruz. And the sunset view from the cliff path is unparalleled!

We are so happy we booked the Seymour Center for our wedding. The venue is beautiful and the Seymour Center Team are incredibly kind and helpful.

As mother of the groom I was asked to help with the planning of their 'wedding's eve' event. I found the Seymour Center online by chance and I'm so glad I did! From it's awesome location on an ocean bluff to the event room itself, it was the perfect setting for the dinner. We really appreciated that they did not require us to use their vendors (although they provided suggestions), plus we were able to bring in our own alcohol which saved us a lot of $$. The staff was so easy to work with. Of all the vendors I had contact with, they always gave the quickest responses. They were very accommodating to some of our more unique needs. We used just the La Feliz Room, but the entire Exhibit Hall was also available to rent. It is a flexible venue that can be used for a fully catered formal wedding or a more casual do-it-yourself event. Ours was somewhere in between so it was perfect. I would highly recommend this venue for any large gathering.

The best decision we made for our wedding was the venue. My wife and I are both nerds about sea creatures and tide pools, which made this venue perfect for us. Also, the coastal view and the sunset at this location is simply unbeatable!

The Seymour Marine Discovery Center is a unique and perfect place for a couple who wants a wedding venue by the ocean, especially if you tend towards a more relaxed and low-key atmosphere. The views are amazing - just what we wanted.

It is a build-it-from-the-ground-up venue, which means you can create your own vision. We only used the La Feliz room & its patio, as our wedding was small (30 people). The ceremony was on the patio, and cocktails, dinner, & dancing were inside. Had it rained, we would have moved the ceremony inside, too. The room has two walls of windows that allow you to continue enjoying the view until sunset. We highly recommend having bistro lights in the room; the room's lights are gym-like and do not have a dimmer switch. Pricing is by the hour and very reasonable compared to most other venues.

Emily and her Private Events staff were great to work with. With just two-and-a-half months to plan the wedding, their help was invaluable. Emily is a wealth of knowledge, especially for vendor categories that are not on their preferred vendors list. Particularly for the caterer, it is best to use one of their preferred vendors as the Seymour Center does not have a commercial kitchen. We used Feast For A King caterers; their food was delicious, and their service was wonderful.

Our guests were so complimentary about the venue and really enjoyed the atmosphere - and best of all...so did we! We would highly recommend the Seymour Center.

All of our guests said that our wedding was the best one they had ever attended!
The Seymour Marine Discovery Center was incredibly quick to respond to all of my questions. The events team was professional throughout the whole process and were even my personal hype team on the day of! The sea cliffs for our ceremony were perfect and everyone enjoyed the private touch tank experience for cocktail hour. Overall an amazing venue for an affordable cost!

The Seymour Center was a fantastic venue for our wedding – it had the perfect mix of stunning ocean views for our outdoor ceremony and a unique indoor reception space featuring marine exhibits. We were lucky that between booking and the time of our wedding they renovated the La Feliz reception room and replaced the older blue carpet with a beautiful hardwood floor – a dramatically superior improvement! Important things to note: Since this center is for public education, the arrangement of the exhibit hall space can change after you book (be flexible on reception set-up) and you can’t set up for your wedding until after it closes to the public at 4pm. This would likely not be a good venue for those wanting elaborate ceremony decorations or reception set-up because of this time crunch. This rule also makes it absolutely crucial to hire vendors who are familiar with the space and its cleaning rules. However, I would’ve liked a better area for guests to mingle and wait out of the way other than the parking lot in front of the center. It would be nice if they offered a ‘buy-out’ option so that we could close it even an hour earlier to allow more time for set-up, especially since there was less than 5 people in the center during that final hour. In addition, several significant features were separate costs outside of the packages such as reception lighting, storing items at the venue in advance, and a ‘get-ready’ room – so budget accordingly. Emily and her team are very kind and accommodating with answering all of our questions throughout planning and we were able to coordinate around these constrictions with their help. Our wedding day went incredibly smoothly and we had such a positive experience, and you truly cannot beat hearing ocean waves as you walk down the aisle to your wedding. Would highly recommend the Seymour Center if you are looking for a memorable and unique venue!

Photos: By Katie & Morgan Hallas

The Seymour Center was absolutely perfect! The ocean view from the bluffs was an amazing backdrop to our ceremony and the exhibit hall was such a unique space for the reception. All of our guests raved about how amazing our venue was and the touch pool was a big hit with the kids. It was also meaningful to us that our money goes to fund marine outreach and education. The event staff were so accommodating, professional, and prompt when answering our hundreds of questions. Thank you Emily, Audrey, and the rest of the staff!