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... Read more 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.

So happy we chose the Aquarium for our wedding! Everything went smoothly. The food was great! Service, amazing! The staff really knows what they are doing. The Aquarium really makes wedding planning feel so easy and stress free. It really was the best night of our lives.

The perfect venue. I couldnt have asked for a better wedding. The food was simply amazing! The service was perfect. I had a smile on my face the entire night. Tamera is a pleasure to work with. I had no stress during all of the planning thanks to the amazing staff! Many guests told me it was a wedding they will never forget. I would highly recommend the aquarium for your special day.

We checked out a handful of venues, but when we stumbled upon the Aquarium of the Pacific we knew it was the one! It's such a unique, fun, and interactive location and the team there knows how to run events. Cristen Flores was our go to contact for everything venue and catering related-- she tends to work a random schedule due to events on weekends and late nights, but she is good about setting an automatic email reply so that you know exactly when she'll be back in the office next. Pros: Getting married under the sea (without getting wet :D) ! Dogs are allowed inside and our dog 'Seal' came in for pre-ceremony photos. Our guests had a great time at the jelly touch tank pre-ceremony and had fun exploring the upstairs galleries and penguin visit during cocktail hour. AOP is a one stop shop for ceremony and reception venue, tables and chairs (for less than 200 people included), food and beverage (and it was delicious-- short ribs melted in your mouth and the salmon was so tasty- ... Read morethe chef works with you to come up with the best menu). Cons: The earliest the ceremony can start is 6:45pm due to AOP closing to the public at 6pm-- but the event team does a fantastic job turning around the event space in a short 45 minutes. But that is why you are required to have an outside day of coordinator to handle your outside vendors, and all outside vendors are required to visit the venue ahead of time to tour the space/know where the loading dock is, where outlets are, etc. We would highly recommend the rest of our wedding day vendors (except for our DJ/Lighting):: Photography: https://www.oryanempire.com/ Florist: https://www.walteriaflowershop.com/ Day of Coordinator: http://klinkevents.com/ Officiant: https://www.greatofficiants.com/ Hair and Makeup: https://www.getbentbeauty.com/ Hotel: Hyatt Centric the Pike - walking distance

Great place to have a wedding. All our guest thought it was memorable and they even tell their friends about it. Christen was very helpful throughout the entire process and helped guide us through the Aquarium rules. Guest were super happy to get to see the Aquarium in a more intimate setting and it made it unforgettable.

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 additiona... Read morel 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!

I cannot say enough good things about the quality of work and professionalism displayed by Tamera Schulz and her entire team at the Long Beach Aquarium. Cannot wait to work with them again in the future. -Jordonna Gibbs, Event Planner

We 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 d... Read moreidn'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.

My husband and I had the most magical experience at the Aquarium of the Pacific on our big day! Cristen and her team at the Aquarium were amazing and I highly recommend the location and working with this all star team. Guests raved about the food and location it was perfection! Thank you Cristen and team for everything!

Our 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.

Tamera 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!!

We were in search of a unique wedding and reception location that fit our love for animals and to provide our wedding guests with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach fit that perfectly! We sat with Tamera, a warm-hearted Catering Manager with Savor, and she listened to our every need and worked with us diligently to ensure that our special day was nothing less than perfect at the Aquarium. Chef Ken, our Master Chef for our reception, is a culinary genius. We had several dietary restrictions with our guests, since our wedding was an Indian Jewish blend, and he cleverly constructed dishes that respected everyone's needs without sacrificing flavor. Food tasting was a treat with him and Tamera. We had so much fun, as we saw the Aquarium evolve into such a beautiful and elegant space for our event. Our guests had an amazing and memorable time. The best part, my husband and I got to celebrate our love with our close family and friends and al... Read morel the Sea life around of us. Thank you Tamera, Chef Ken and the entire Aquarium of the Pacific Team for making our dream come true.

Definitely book this vendor and definitely get Cristen Flores. Getting married at the Aquarium will easily catapult you to "best wedding ever" among your friends. Cristen made everything super clear to us about how it was all put together going into it - details, price, timing, food/drink options, everything. Then when the big day came, she delivered on EVERYTHING with no hangups. We even had a few minor crises come up and she handled them with no stress to us. There were so many people running around doing things behind the scenes, but she coordinated them all. Tremendous job!

My experience with Savor catering was excellent. They make everything clear to understand about how they perform during the reception and the food is on the level of a five star restaurant. Tamera is extremely friendly and values all of her costomers. We were treated like royalty and that includes our children as well. The AOP is a very unique venue to host your wedding and Savor compliments the venue with unique cuisine choices for you to have. Also, if you're looking for the one stop shop for a wedding/event coordinator please contact Linda Gray who is highly recommended by the AOP because as we experienced, she was a Brides best friend and made our wedding look at a million bucks. One Happy Bride, Christina Walker