Aquarium of the Pacific Reviews
Reviews
4.8 out of 5 rating
4.8 out of 5 rating
43 Reviews
97% recommend it
Awards
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![Marielle]()
Marielle A. Sent on 05/04/2019Overall amazing, 10/10 would do again (as a guest next time, not bride)
I can't even begin to describe how amazing it is. If you and your SO love the beach, fish, or just a nautical theme, then the Aquarium of the Pacific is a PERFECT venue. One of the first things my now-husband and I started talking about before we dated was aquariums we had/have. So 4 years later, when the topic of wedding venues came up, we thought of the Aquarium of the Pacific. It's unique, has a built-in entertainment for guests (they can view the exhibits between ceremony and reception), and perfectly suited to both our tastes and interests.
Cristen Flores, their catering sales manager, is professional, easy to work with, and simply amazing! I know the Aquarium is constantly busy with events, especially over the weekend, and yet she still manages to respond promptly to emails. Some weekends might take a little longer to get a response, but never long enough to be concerning. I am honestly impressed how she stays on top of everything, given how busy they are.
The main possible cons that I can see affecting others are few and far in-between. Even then, they're only drawbacks depending on your individual budget and priorities.
- One is that they do require you to at least have a wedding coordinator for the day of the wedding. Even if you plan it yourself like I did, a wedding coordinator has been a lifesaver for our wedding. I would recommend one of their preferred coordinator/planner, Monique Provance, if you can include that in the budget. Her help has been invaluable.
- You can only use their in-house catering. If you are set on a particular caterer, you would have to choose between them or this venue. For us, we really wanted this venue so we were fine with using their catering. Everything was delicious, so we have no regrets ourselves. Also because of this, I would totally recommend the venue to any of my friends getting married. None of that "I don't want them to copy my venue," since I would totally love to eat their food again!
- They only have 1 scheduled group tasting per year. If your wedding is between this year's and next year's tasting, you get scheduled to go to someone else's event and try their food. This is what we were most concerned about, since we had plated meals and everyone was asking us what we were serving, and we didn't know for the longest time. However, once we did have the food tasting, it was simply delicious! We got to try that particular event's food choice, and it did make me regret (just a little) that we couldn't do a group tasting and try other things on their menu. I kinda wish they had at least 2 tastings per year, or even a seasonal one (spring, summer, fall, winter).
- Lastly, there was a mild hiccup during my wedding when one of the volunteers almost didn't want to let me in early to take photos (as I was in full wedding dress, hair, and makeup). Thankfully it got fixed pretty quick, but I just think it shouldn't have happened. It just sucked a little that my parents couldn't get in early either, but at least we got them in before the procession started too. -
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![Jenny]()
Jenny Sent on 12/13/2018Unique, whimsical and elegant
We wanted a unique wedding that was both whimsical and elegant, and the Aquarium of the Pacific fit the bill. We wish we had been guests at our own wedding! Some of our guests said it was the best wedding they had been to! They also had an “aquarium educator” option for kids ages 5 to 11: kids had special activities and pizza. The kids had fun, the parents were child-free for two hours, and we saved money by not counting them toward adult dinners - everybody wins! Some of the parents said their kids are now spoiled and won’t understand why other weddings won’t be as much fun!
Catering, tables, chairs, linens, plates, and flatware are all included, which helps knock out a couple vendors and have less worry. Some things to note: You can only start the wedding at 7:00 p.m. (after the aquarium closes to the public) so if you are having both the ceremony and reception, it means a late dinner, which can be hard for older guests. Holding the cocktail hour upstairs was an additional fee - but well worth it. Guests raved about the cocktail hour, because they got to explore the exhibits with drinks and appetizers in hand. The appetizer options were also amazing - we received a ton of compliments on the food. Some advice: We were on the minimum end of the guest count (about 100), and they do have a food and beverage minimum. The venue seems more ideally suited for about 125 to 150, in terms of bang for the buck as well as space/intimacy. If I had to do it all over again, I might have made some minor changes to our catering order. Also, don’t be afraid to ask tons of questions! Some wording in the contract is confusing, yet there was flexibility. Some external pricing sites were also way off - after the food and beverage minimum, various fees for the exhibits and for staffing, a sizeable administrative service charge, sales tax (which is higher in Long Beach than in L.A.), costs were higher than we originally planned, which was okay for us, but might have been nicer to know going in. The fancy satin linens and chiavari chairs in sample photos? Those are from rented from outside vendors - the venue only includes basic polyester linens (albeit in a variety of colors) and brown wooden folding chairs - but who really notices these things? We made it work, and had a beautiful, memorable wedding, and a great time! Now we wish someone else could throw a wedding there so we can be the guests!
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Alfie Sent on 12/09/2017We wanted a unique wedding and I loved Jellyfish so AOP was the perfect place. Our wedding at the AOP was absolutely fabulous. One that we will never forget! I wish I was a guest at my own wedding!
We had our ceremony and reception at AOP. Our ceremony was in front of the large aquarium at the Blue Cavern. Guests arrived at the Harbor Terrace and got to touch the moon jellies at the touch tank. After the ceremony, we had a cocktail hour where our guest could explore the upper galleries while enjoying appetizers and drinks. After the cocktail hour, dinner was served in the grand hall under the blue whale.
I wanted to have children at my wedding/reception. And AOP have this awesome add-on where you could hire an educator. For the kids, they had a pizza party and then get to meet up with the educators. Some of out guests made comments that the young children will be forever spoiled by our wedding and will ask where is the fish at the next wedding.
The food was amazing though we didn't get to eat all of it at dinner. We were able to do food tasting prior to the event to try out what food we would like our guests to have. We (the couple) loved that AOP gave us food and drinks immediately after the ceremony where we had a few minutes of alone time and also food time. A lot of things were happening and there isn't much time to eat your dinner so it was really awesome they gave us time like that to get something in our tummies and relax.
I wanted to give special thanks to Tamera who supported us through this process. Tamera and our awesome vendors made this wedding rock!
For those of you thinking about having your wedding and reception at AOP, let me say it will be the most memorable and most beautiful event if you do it AOP. You won't reget it. -
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Candy Sent on 12/07/2017Our wedding at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach was a magical experience. Our expectations were met above and beyond by everyone involved. Kudos to Cristen who made things super smooth and enjoyable throughout the planning process. The food was delicious and we received so many compliments on our food choices after the wedding! This unique venue is one your guests will never forget.
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Christina Sent on 03/30/2017Tamera and the staff at the Aquarium of the Pacific were amazing. All of our guests had a great time and consider this to be one of the best weddings they have every been too. Your wedding starts at 7 pm, after the aquarium has closed for the evening. You and your guests get private access to the aquarium. The food and service during dinner was amazing!! -
User2402309 Sent on 10/31/2015Tamera at The Aquarium of the Pacific/SAVOR was a DREAM to work with. She was incredibly accessible and available and did everything she possibly could to ensure that we had the perfect day (which we did). We can't say enough about Tamera/SAVOR/The Aquarium. Would recommend them to anyone at all!!! -
User2086627 Sent on 04/03/2015We had the most fun wedding ever at the Aquarium of the Pacific. We were told my multiple guests that this was the best wedding they had ever been to. The facility is amazing, Tamera is a rock star, the food was fabulous and staff were very professional. -
User1748344 Sent on 08/04/2014We had our wedding at the Aquarium of the Pacific on July 19th. It was the wedding of our dreams and was absolutely perfect!!! We were the first couple to get married on the rooftop terrace overlooking the water and it was breathtaking. The guests walked through the galleries during the cocktail hour and were amazed at all the different kinds of fish and the delicious tray passed appetizers. The reception was in the great hall and the excellent staff at the Aquarium set up the venue in no time to wow the guests!!!! When I walked into the reception I couldn't believe my eyes, it was so beautiful and nothing that I would have expected. The attention to detail, friendly staff and the atmosphere itself created the wedding of our dreams. Also, the food was mouthwatering and was catered by SAVOR. My guests could not stop talking about the appetizers and the beef filet and crab cakes! None of this would have been possible without Tamera Schulz, the senior catering sales manager. She was wonderful to work with, organized and pays great attention to detail. Not to mention she takes the time to get to know you and is very friendly and personable. Any bride would be lucky to have someone like Tamera to work with and I would highly recommend getting married at the Aquarium fo the Pacific, it is so unique and will be a venue that your guests will talk about for a long time!
Thank you again Tamera and the staff at the Aquarium of the Pacific,
Lauren and Kris
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User1790350 Sent on 09/02/2014Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful...so happy we had our wedding here! Such an amazing location/setting that they could totally get away with being mediocre in other respects, but no they were awesome from start to finish. Tamera is a pleasure to work with, the catering by Savor totally delicious, and staff were so friendly & flexible. If you're thinking of having your wedding here, do it! :) -
![Maki]()
Maki Sent on 12/04/2014Tamera and her team were so helpful from beginning to end. Since our 1st meeting with Tamera, she would always make time for us on our busy schedules, meeting us after hours or on the weekends to accommodate us.She is so organized, knowledgeable,and so quick with her responses when we contacted her via email or phone. She was so amazing at our wedding as well. During our wedding she made our day flow so nice and smooth.I got so many compliments on how professional the staff were and how good the food was as well. I can't thanks her and her staff enough. I would highly suggest Savor and Tamera's professional team. -
User1977556 Sent on 12/19/2014EXCELLENT service, high quality food, would DEFINITELY recommend to others
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