The Florida Aquarium

I want to say thank you to the entire staff for making my wedding soooo wonderful. A special thanks to Ashley and Ms. Pat for their timely responses and helping hand. It's truely appreciated and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! The Randolph family

We had such a great wedding thanks to the staff at the Florida Aquarium. The set up was beautiful. Ashley was our event coordinator and she was AMAZING! She made every wish I had come true and took care of it all. She was so easy to work with and so professional, not to mention sweet as can be! She was there for me to answer any question I had no matter how silly it was. Without her, our wedding would not have gone over so smooth and I cannot thank her enough for that. Their prices are quite affordable compared to other local venues and this one sure is unique! I recommend all bay area brides at least check it out!

I can't say enough good things about The Florida Aquarium. Our wedding was beautiful and they made it so easy. Ashley Valentine was THE BEST coordinator I could ask for. When I began planning my wedding, I was a little nervous on how it would all come together since I didn't have a wedding planner. The aquarium staff are so hands on, it felt like I did! Any time I had a question or needed a vendor recommendation, they were there for me. I thought since I didn't have a planner, I'd have to run around organzing things during my wedding, but they took care of EVERYTHING and executed my vision perfectly! My family is a little flighty/erratic but Ashley managed to wrangle them and made sure everything went smoothly. So many of our guests are still raving about the wedding! We had our ceremony and reception in front of the coral reef and everyone said it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever been to. Pick the aquarium and you won't be sorry! They are THE BEST!

The most incredible wedding ever!! The venue, decor, food, wait staff, chef, catering manager (Pat Discianno) and our wedding planner, Natalie Melillo were the absolute best. As our ceremony was being performed, a sea turtle came gliding across the reef almost like it was planned. Everyone was so kind and helpful, the wedding went off without a hitch. All the guests were blown away and marveled at the entire event. If you are looking for something unique and memorable, please consider making this your choice, you will not regret it. Thank you Florida Aquarium and staff for helping us create a wedding that will never be forgotten.

I had my ceremony and reception at The Florida Aquarium. It was the absolute best time I have ever had. My coordinator was Natalie Melillo and she was such a joy to work with. Very diligent and made me feel so comfortable and confident that everything would be perfect. And it was! I don't have ONE horror story about my wedding day, everything was wonderful! I had guests come up to me after my wedding and tell me how nice the staff was and what a great time they had. The venue is so unique; it provides so many different options for ceremony and reception space. The scenery is beautiful, inside and outside, serene, calm and gorgeous. Not only does it create a beautiful backdrop for the wedding party, but the guests really enjoy themselves at well. The Florida Aquarium will turn your wedding into an event; one unforgettable event :-)

My sister got married at the FL Aquarium in Ausgust 2011 and I had the pleasure of planning it for her. If anyone is looing for an amazing place to have a wedding then look no further than the FL Aquarium!! It was the MOST amazing wedding EVER. The staff there is amazing and my sister couldnt be happier. The whole place was beautiful and they went above and beyond to make her day special. Ashley Valentine was our even coordinator and she is FABULOUS and Susan Clay was our Catering manager and she was AMAZING as well. It definitely was a night none of us will forget!!! We love you guys!!! Thanks so much!

We had the most spectacular and impressive wedding at the Aquarium, with a huge help from Ashley (our coordinator) and Pat (our caterer). Our expectations were far surpassed with the amazing water effects lighting (you have have have to get this), organization and planning, incredible food (I received more compliments on this), and INCREDIBLE background. There's no way I could have imagined how amazingly cool it would be to say our vows in front of a shark and moray eel. The staff were fantastic and I'd highly recommend them for anyone to work with. Unless you're a pain. Then you should leave them alone. :) We had the best time ever! -The Peloquins

I cannot say enough good things about the Florida Aquarium and their staff. My wedding was an absolute dream and could not have been ANY better. Ashley was my coordinator, and is now one of my favorite people on earth. She was fantastic throughout the entire process and offered great suggestions along the way. My guests are still talking about the cupcakes at my wedding, which were a suggestion of Ashley's. She was even there to wipe icing out of my hair when my new husband got a little crazy during the cake cutting! On the day of my wedding, everyone kept asking me how I was so calm. I know it was because I knew that everything was going to be just right because Ashley would make sure of it. She was there every step of the way on our whole wedding day, making sure that everyone knew exactly what to do. I can honestly say that my wedding could not have been any better. I've had several people tell me that it was the most beautiful wedding they had ever been to. If you are looking for a unique venue that is flexible and a great value the Aquarium is the place. I will forever be grateful to Ashley and the entire Aquarium staff for making my special day so perfect!
Kristen Widell

The staff at the Florida Aquarium gave us our dream wedding. Ashley Valentine was our coordinator and Pat Discianno was our catering manager. Both of these ladies are angels on Earth! With such a popular venue for all sorts of events, I can only imagine how busy they are - but we ALWAYS felt like a priority. They were always there to answer any questions - and responded back via email/phone within minutes! Ashley took complete command of all the planning aspects - from decor to leading our rehearsal. Thanks to her, everyone and everything was always where it needed to be. She was there to offer suggestions and was 100% committed to helping us achieve our visions. She suggested the "water effect lighting" in the ceremony space and color coordinating "gel lights" in the reception area - both were just beautiful! Guests were awed at the beauty and smoothness of the entire event. Pat was amazing at planning and setting up our meals/beverages. She truly wanted to give us the best options within our means - her suggestions and guidance were just priceless. I had so many guests claim that it was the best wedding food they have ever eaten. Throughout the planning process, I had so many people comment about how calm and relaxed I was. This was only because I had complete faith in Ashley and Pat - and they didn't let me down! I can only say that these ladies, along with the fun and friendly serving staff made our wedding a precious memory. Everyone commented on how unique, beautiful, and memorable the evening was. We will never forget you guys :-)

Ashleigh and Andre'
6-25-11

If ypu are looking for a WOW wedding, this is the place. Ask for Natalie. She was our wedding planner there. We just got married 6/22/11. Natalie was amazing. We are so grateful of how she took care of us. She’s been a joy to work with over this past year. She’s friendly, fun and goes above and beyond. The only thing is that we wish there was a way water could have been provided at a lower cost. The price of water is ridiculous. But other than that, the crew was friendly, welcoming, and I’d refer anyone to the aquarium. It was truly a one of a kind experience.

Our wedding & reception at the Fl. Aquarium was the best wedding ever!!! I may be a little biased but all of our guests have made comments on how amazing the everything was. The whole staff made the evening flow so well and everyone had such a memorable experience. You can not pick a more beautiful or fun setting for the kick off to your new life. Plus, you will have the most amazing pictures!! The setting alone is breathtaking, not to mention unique. If your looking for a venue that will give you amazing service, 100% satisfaction and absolutely zero worries, then look no further. The Aquarium gives you all that and more. Trust me!!

Our wedding was May 28, 2011. Our coordinator was Natalie and our caterer was Susan. I can not say enough about how fabulous our day was!! Natalie was the best, She's so professional, friendly and you can tell she loves what she does. She's such a wonderful person! I loved working with her. And on the day of the wedding she made me feel comfortable and stress free. Susan was also great, the day of the wedding the food was so good, wonderful presentation and the staff were absolutely great! We had such a great wedding! Friends and family give us so many compliments of our choice of a wonderful venue!

Natalie, our wedding planner, and Pat, our caterer, were AMAZING!! Both went above and beyond our expectations of providing ideas, advice, responsiveness and flexibility throughout the 9 month planning process and "day of" wedding reception. Comments from friends and family echoed the common thread of: "Best Wedding we've ever attended", "I want my daughter's wedding to be JUST like this", "The most fun we've ever had at a reception", "The waiters were even extra friendly, fun, and festive". Most importantly, the bride and groom felt their wedding was MORE PERFECT than they could even have imagined!! The Florida Aquarium was truly an ideal setting for a magical wedding!! Signed, Father & Mother of the Bride

My wedding ceremony and reception took place at the Florida Aquarium this past March. I was never one of those little girls that dreamed of what my wedding would look like, yet somehow the wedding I had was the one of my unrealized dreams! I worked with Natalie Melillo and she was by my side every step of the way. She was in constant contact with me through the whole planning process and she was able to give this not so girly, non-wedding knowledgable bride helpful opinions and advice on what selections would be best for me. Natalie truly went above and beyond the call of duty and I am sure her job description. She did not just help me with aquarium related things but also with some more practical wedding advice like how to handle bridesmaid dress selections and drama filled relatives. She made an effort to get to know me and my now husband as people and not just clients, and the end result was a wedding that was such an extension of us as a couple that people are still talking about how perfect our wedding was for the two most marine concious people they know. Our photographer snapped a picture of Natalie and us on the wedding day and she signed our guest book surfboard....she was not just a wedding planner but an important and integral part of our big day. She is the sweetest person and we were so lucky to have her with us!
Everything about this venue was perfect for us and all the staff members made an effort to ensure our day turned out perfectly. They helped with my husband's rushed DJ efforts and treated our guests and vendors like gold. The food was superb, the drinks were yummy and the catering staff members made sure everything was presented perfectly. One of the most important part of my wedding were the animal encounters we selected; I am obsessed with penguins I made sure Natalie knew this from the start. She made sure they brought them out to me and my husband for pictures. The trainers made sure I got the time I wanted with the animals I loved and it was one of the most special memories I have of that day.
To make a long story short, my husband and I are full time students who did not approach wedding planning with a ton of cash in our pockets. I can say that the money we spent on this venue was worth every penny and cannot imagine having my wedding anywhere else.

The Florida Aquarium was an amazing place to get married! Not only did we have a gorgeous back drop of the coral reef tank for our ceremony, we also were able to relax and have a great time at our reception on the tiki deck! Besides having such a great venue, I could not have imagined my wedding day without the help of the amazing staff at the Florida Aquarium. Natalie was so much fun to work with and helped us navigate our way through the craziness of planning a wedding! I could not have done it without her! She made my wedding day perfect and stress free! It was a wonderful day and I would recommend this venue to anyone!

The Florida Aquarium was great. Natalie was our coordinator and was so professional and on top of things. Her response back to my needs and questions was phenominal. It was such a beautiful and great setting for marrying my true love.

I was SOOOOOOOOOO impressed by how flexible the Florida Aquarium was with everything from my food choices to wedding timeline. Natalie was the Wedding Coordinator and Pat was the Catering Manager. Natalie was literally with me every step of the way! She suggested vendors who turned out to be AMAZING and even helped me with unique centerpiece ideas on a budget! I was sure there was going to be disasters throughout the big day, but to my extreme pleasure...it was perfect! I can't express how much I recommend this venue to anyone who is looking for a gorgeous venue and unique experience. All of our guests couldn't stop saying how fabulous the aquarium was! Pat was soo helpful, particularly in the last days. Kenny supervised the cooking of the wonderful meals--we had dill salmon and margarita chicken that were divine. If by chance anyone reads this from the Aquarium I'd like to thank you again for EVERYTHING!

Natalie was our coordiantor and she was fantastic throughtout the entire process!!! She recommended exeptional vendors and took care of many of the details for me!!The day went off without a hitch and evrything went PERFECT!!! We received so many compliments on how beautifula nd unique the ceremony and reception was! We had the pasta bar as food and people went crazy over it! The Aquarium made my dream wedding a reality!!!

My wedding reception took place on August 14th, 2010 at the Florida Aquarium. Ashley Valentine was my coordinator and Susan Clay, the caterer. First of all I can't stop telling people how FABULOUS the whole experience was, and it was utterly and totally due to Ashley and Susan's fantastic work! They went above and beyond to ensure the guests were comfortable and more importantly that I was stress free that day!

The challenge with my wedding is that I live in NY and my husband is in Tampa, so you can imagine coordinating this type of event is no easy task! I met them both twice before the big day and they were very patient while I hit them with lists of questions and follow ups. Always with a smile and always with a professional attitude. The day of the wedding was a blur for me but it went smoothly! The food, the beautiful and breathtaking fish tank, the PENGUINS (Yes my darling hubby wanted the penguins as the animal exhibit for both the guests during the cocktail hour and then for us when we arrived) .. everything was beyond perfect. Ashley was sheer perfection at ensuring that everything ran on time and flowed smoothly from one event to the other. Susan made it a point to come out and check up on me as well... I really can not stop saying enough good things about the staff at the Aquarium.

They truly go above and beyond to make sure that you have the best day ever! And so you don't think it is just me, my husband also had a fantastic time as well! From the beginning he said he did not want the traditional cookie cutter reception that everyone has in a hall.. he wanted something different, something that had a Florida theme to it. He got exactly what he wanted and his face lights up like a Christmas tree whenever we talk about that day to our friends!

Simply put, you can not go wrong with the Florida Aquarium - outstanding service from the staff, excellent food and the most unique experience you will ever have - I guarantee it!

For those Brides who are looking for a unique yet elegant location for a wedding, look no further....the Florida Aquarium was the perfect location for our wedding...it provided the perfect solution for entertaining our guests with children if they couldn't find a babysitter and for our guests to take in the sights of the different animal exhibits....Also, the staff was incredibly professional and exceptional thanks to Ashley, our Wedding Events Planner and Susan,our Food Coordinator.
We were re-assured that every aspect of our wedding would be properly attended to and thanks to Ashley's guidance, my bridal party was able to follow her step by step instructions without any problems as we danced the night away........In all, my husband and I had an EXCELLENT time and their food by the way was GREAT. :)

Everyone was very helpful and made the expierence just the way we wanted!!!

Great Place! Great price/value! Provided a beautiful back drop for the wedding photos! Natalie the wedding coordinator and Pat the food coordinator made my life about 100% less stressful. They did an amazing job and they allowed us to make payments.

The aquarium was wonderful! Jason and his staff were very professional and catered to our every need. I would highly recommend it.

We had to plan our wedding at the very last minute, and Linda Farina helped give us the best reception anyone could have imagined! We had our party outside under the Tiki hut, the bar was great, food was awesome, and staff were excellent! Unique place to have a wedding that is different from the traditional reception!

We had our ceremony on the boat & it was a fantastic venue for it! Staff and crew did a great job and it really made the expereince memorable!

The Florida Aquarium is THE BEST place to have a wedding, commitment ceremony, or any other gathering of friends and family to come together and share in the joy of you and your partner! We had THE best experience from start to finish and the wedding was right out of the movies....IT WAS PERFECT! I couldn't have asked for anything more. Our events coordinator was awesome as well as the catering service and not to mention the food was exeptional. All of our friends and family are STILL raving about the food, and what a great time they had, and how professional the staff was! It was so great our friends are now getting married there next year! I can't wait to see everyone at The Florida Aquarium for another awesome venue!!!
~The Lauren's

We chose the Florida Aquarium for our reception site because were married on the beach at sunset. We really felt that continuing the evening in the Coral Reef Panoramic Window would be so cool. We didn't realize how amazing it looked until we were actually taking the tour. The room is huge- as is the window, which is beautifully lit so you can see all the fish and turtles. Luckily for us, the same day we toured they were having an event that same evening where we could sample the cuisine as well as meet additional vendors. Im so very glad we came backfor the event because the aquarium looks completely different in the evening with all of the possible decorations available to view. Talk about ambiance... wow! We were sold the minute we saw it. Our catering director, Rhea Yanni, was very flexible with our menu decisions, she gave us her opinion and helped us make our vision a reality. Our event planner was Ashley Valentine, who was absolutely amazing. She answered every question I had.. and I had alot. She was very prompt in returning my calls and emails and she obviously enjoys what she does and does it very well !!!! I could not have asked for a more professional, personable, competent person to help me on one of the most important days of my life. After I told her what I wanted I knew I could relax and let her run with it. The result was perfection, in my eyes at least...and thats what mattered most - a very happy bride and groom.

Natalie and Rhea absolutely made my reception the success that it was. So much fun, people didn't want to leave. Similar to other reviews, my initial contact was lacking, but once Natalie and Rhea were on board, everything was perfect and in my budget. I am a little high maintenance and very detailed, Natalie and Rhea were responsive, attentive, and followed through on their promises. For a perfectly planned and detailed event - call Natalie.

We loved our wedding at the Florida Aquarium! A hotel hall just wouldn't work for our big day. We decided that we wanted something downtown since we live down here and wanted to support the growing area. The Aquarium had everything we wanted, great location, great food, an awesome setting for pictures!
We're still getting comments about the food, which is normally average at weddings. The option of having many different manned stations was the way we went and it was great for all my picky eaters.
Natalie was my contact at the Aquarium and I can't say enough great things about her. When there were issues they were taken care of right away, and to my liking.
If you want to have a memorable wedding at a great location, ask for Natalie. She was not only my savior during the crazy planning time, I felt like she became a friend!

I am so thankful to have found the Florida Aquarium for my special day. The staff is friendly and professional. I had the wedding of my dreams all thanks to the Florida Aquarium. You cannot ask for a more beautiful or unique backdrop. Natalie was our coordinator and she is great at what she does and really truly cares. We went with the stations for our food and it tasted good and the presentation was exceptional. They brought the black footed penguins out for the guests to look at along with a baby alligator. our wedding was a night that we will not soon forget and the Florida Aquarium and its staff was a huge part of that. I would definitely recommend the aquarium whenever given the chance. Lauren and James Holland

I am so happy with my reception at the Florida Aquarium, it was everything I wanted it to be. My guests loved it for many reasons. We had the penguins, which were a big hit with the adults and kids. People wandered and took in the entire Aquarium. The older guests that typically would have left when dancing started were quite entertained with the fish. The bartenders, I'm told were awesome. He remembered guest's drinks and had them waiting at the bar as he saw the guest approach. The food was more than adequate, I was a bit nervous with only one choice for food. But, they have an in house chef, and let's face it, you're paying for the experience more so than the food.

I loved the way my husband and I were treated. My husband and I were from out of town, and called to arrange a meeting as we were driving to the Aquarium. Natalie was able to schedule time with us after we had gone through the Aquarium. Natalie (venue) and Pat (catering) were extremely responsive via email and even met with us one last time before the wedding when we dropped our things for the tables off before the wedding. My husband and I had our own servers to go through the buffet so we didn't have to serve ourselves and our own server to get us drinks. Every employee of the Aquarium wished us congrats, every one. I wasn't looking to feel like a princess, but the Aquarium certainly treated me like one.

My only quibble is that my MIL's vegan meal never made it to her, but that is as much her fault for not asking for it since she knew it was coming. But she certainly didn't go hungry.

I feel that the Aquarium could charge twice what they do and still be booked months out. What my husband and I got for our money was amazing. If we had to do our wedding over, we would pick the Aquarium 100 times over. It was a huge hit with our guests and my husband and I had an amazing time.

Thanks!!

Anne Saladyga...

Great location. I do reccomend photos before the ceremony. Depending on the time of year the tanks are naturally lighted and the photos at the coral reef are from natural light. They do provide alot of vendors and there are local vendors that can help you find the best price. They are a great group and are very flexible with accomadations. We had a fabulous time and if you are looking for a unique location and want to spend that wedding money on a good cause, this is a highly recommended facility. Your guests will have so much to see and get the true Florida theme for the out of town visitors.

We absolutely loved this venue and enjoyed working with the staff at the Aquarium. The unique services offered by them included the option of having a penguin promenade for our guests. That was very memorable. The one downside we experienced is that we were required to use the third party caterer that the Aquarium uses, which left us no wiggle room for budget when it came to the catering. However, the catering staff was very professional and able to work with you and the Aquarium staff to make the night wonderful. And if you don't mind the price, the food was the best food we've ever had at a wedding!

Great Venue!! Great Pictures! Organization was good, but they take some time to respond.
Food was excellent, however I felt that they don't calculate portion/people to good. If you do your wedding here, but extra 20 guest to make sure there will be plenty of food.

Overall, excellent venue! I definitely recommend!

The staff went above and beyond to help me. I could always count on my event planner to be there when I needed her. She was very quick to respond to questions and concerns. And she was a huge help the day of the wedding. I didn't worry about anything with her there.

We knew we wanted something different for our wedding. Compared to other marine centers around Florida and Georgia, The Florida Aquarium was by far the best for the money! Our wedding was beautiful with the ceremony in the coral reef exhibit and the reception was perfect on a mild Florida night outside in the pavillion. The whole place is so gorgeous we spent next to nothing on decor...which is a big savings. The event planners were easy to communicate with, catering was a bit harder to get ahold of. However, day of, everything was perfect. They know what they are doing. My guests had a blast and we had nothing to worry about. The penguin cart was the biggest attraction. :-) Thanks for a perfect wedding!!!!!!!

The Aquarium was a great place to have both my ceremony and reception. The catering and wait staff was wonderful the day of making us feel like royalty. The food was excellent. You have to use their caterer but I was alright with that cause that was less work for me to actually have to go out and find someone else. Plus, they have a wide variety of options for the food and you are able to switch out anything you might not like. The only downside was the rush at the end of the night to clean up everything. I know some stuff did get left behind that I wanted to keep, so I would recommend letting them and anyone helping you about exactly what you want and don't want. It was a little hard to get a hold of anyone both by phone or email, but they are very busy. The price is not as much as you would think it would be, and actually a lot less expensive than other places that aren't as beautiful and have less options as far as catering. All in all I had a very beautiful wedding and everyone had a great time!

Every single person went above and beyond.

Beautiful venue! My only problem was having to chase the coordinator around for prices etc.

I only had my reception at the Florida Aquarium, I decided to have my ceremony at another location. But my reception was perfect. They had plenty of staff to help set up dinner area. We had a penguin interaction for a little extra money, which we were able to add literally 2 days before the wedding! The staff communicated easily with each other through walkie-talkies, and were able to help me coordinate things for the Introduction when I could not enter the dining room to check on things. My contact at the Aquarium changed a few times, but Natalie was my final coordinator and she did such a great job of keeping me happy! The staff understood from the beginning that I was on a tight budget, but I really wanted the Aquarium, so they worked with me to make my dreams come true. They even helped me to find my awesome DJ, DJ by CJ! After a somewhat flawed ceremony, it was nice to arrive at the Aquarium, where things were set up perfectly and the staff helped me to get everything as I wanted it to be. I highly recommend the Aquarium if you're looking for a beautiful and fun place for your reception!

The Florida Aquarium was a beautiful and unique setting for our wedding. They have a large panoramic tank where our ceremony and first dance were performed. Our guests were allowed to walk around the aquarium during the cocktail hour. The only problem I had was that we had to use their caterers, which I found a little pricey. But overall it was a spectacular wedding, one that my friends still compliment us on.

Beautiful venue, great food. Just keep on top of them re: responding to email, consistency of details (cost, venue date and location, etc) and we had some mix ups that they overlooked which created some inconveniences.

The site is a beautiful place to have a wedding and reception. I will start off by saying that Ashley Valentine with the Florida Aquarium is wonderful and helped coodinate the wedding and reception. She is extremely responsive and professional. She made recommendations when we had centerpiece drama and helped to assure me that our day would go great! She worked with us on several different areas and helped out tremendously the day of the wedding!

Now the downfalls...the catering services are limited to the Aquariums contractor of which I will not disclose their name. I hounded for OVER A MONTH the catering manager to get a contract. When I finally did get a contract the wedding was less than 30 days away and it was completely wrong! I think we finally got a signed contract 2 weeks before the wedding. In addition, they wanted all of the money up front...yeh right. The floor plan that was sent to me was horrible and she didn't get back with me until Thursday night before the wedding with a revised floorplan and contract which again was wrong! How can you do placecards when you are waiting on the catering staff to give you table info? To top it all off, the sides that were with the main course were wrong. They flip flopped the sides, so the menus on the table were incorrect. WOW did I look like an idoit! When making the menus, I took the menu directly from the contract. When we mentioned it to the caterer during the reception, she insisted I was wrong, went back and pulled the contract, realized I was right, brought it out to show me I was right (in front of all of the guests during the sit down dinner), and then had the chef come out and apologize to us for the mistake. Isn't that her job to make sure it is done correctly??? We insisted that we not pay the final amount due until after the reception was over since we had so many problems prior to the wedding with her.

The Florida Aquarium Staff was excellent, the catering staff was excellent, but the catering manager was horrible! All in all, the food was good, even with the screw up, and the wedding and reception were beautiful!

Beautiful Venue, if you can stick to their schedule and be flexible even if they are not.

The only issue we had was a few surprise charges and issues with what we wanted. Also planning the menu seemed minor to them and was not finalized until the last mintue... 1 week before the wedding. Overall a beuatiful and memorable wedding though. I won't change it for anything.

If you want a beautiful and unique location and aren't too worried about everything going perfectly, then the aquarium is amazing. If you want every detail to go off without a hitch, go somewhere else.

I should have known there would be problems from the start when my event coordinator left the job and her replacement didn't contact me at all. I had to hunt her down. When I was able to work with them, they were incredibly friendly and accomodating, but once the contract was signed, we felt like we weren't important. My guests were left outside until literally 10 minutes before the ceremony started, the lighting in the reception area was much brighter than requested, there were lights on in the main ceremony location that reflected on the glass. The biggest problem was about 45 minutes before the end of the wedding we were told we had to be out at 10, or pay extra. We were told initially that we had 30 minutes after the event ended, but we missed where that wasn't included in the contract. So my parents and family had to tear down the wedding while I was throwing the bouquet and cutting the cake. I was not impressed with that treatment.

The other disappointment was the catering. We were locked into using the aquarium provided caterer for the safety of the animals. I get that, but what I didn't like was how incredibly unhelpful they were. My mother had to take over and grill them on every detail. Even then they didn't provide what was promised. They wouldn't let any kid who looked older than 8 near the children's buffet and they took down the buffet without asking us if we wanted any to take home - we had specified before hand that since we had paid for it, we wanted that courtesy.

My advice, get a wedding planner who is independent and likes to review contracts and get it in writing.

I want to start with saying; overall the wedding was beautiful.

The problem I had was a lack of communication with the vendor. They promised me one thing and then changed it with out my knowledge. I was to be in one room to get ready for the wedding ( I wanted to take pictures of the process, original room would have been great) I was changed last minute to a classroom! It was terrible !!! tables, chairs, posters... all the schoolhouse things not needed for a wedding.

The catering staff did not at all carry out want we had agreed to as far as the open bar. When you are in the middle of the wedding you are at the catering staffs' mercy. I spoke with them about it and nothing was done to correct the problem. On one cake there was a rotten strawberry.

If you do go with the aquarium make sure every thing is communicated in writing!

This was a picture perfect venue which our guests loved!!! However... we were denied access to areas we were told we would be allowed to use for photos because another event had been booked for that evening. My husband and his groomsmen had to seek out the wedding coordinator because nothing had been set up 10-15 minutes prior to our start time. The aisle was not set up as planned and was off center because of fast set-up.That then hampered the rest of the timing preventing photos with the photographer, and the reception intros, it was all VERY rushed. When it was time to cut the cake, neither the caterer or the aquarium event staff thought it was their job to assist/cut the cake, and yes someone was paid to do so. Other than that I thought the event went well... there was even a playground for kids to use while the adults danced and partied.

I have a real heart for shooting in unique locations that have great visual appeal and give a special flair for an event. The Florida Aquarium is one of my favorites. Having your wedding at the aquarium surrounds you with amazing natural elements and an elegance all its own. The staff is amazing and very dedicated to making each event memorable.

The penguins are a great touch!

A spectacular place for any function. You will remember this location for the rest of your life.

The Florida Aquarium is one of the most unique wedding venues in the Tampa area. Saying your vows surrounded by these amazing sea creatures couldn't be more exciting. Not to mention dozens of nooks and crannies for photo opportunities. When I photographed there I was in love with all of the colors, the wonderfully organized staff and the variety of options they provide at their venue. If you love the sea, this is a perfect place to say "I do!"

We've worked with the Aquarium on other events and are always impressed with their excellent customer service, beautifully appointed location, and impeccable attention to detail. Love!

The Florida Aquarium is a unique and coloful setting for a wedding. I recomend it to any future brides looking for a venue in Tampa, Florida.

This is one of the most exciting places to have an event or wedding! This is one of my favorite places to DJ events at!!

As a professional DJ, my company and I have been working at The Florida Aquarium for many years. You can have your ceremony or small dinner & cocktails by the main viewing tank. Or you can have your event in the main lobby or outside. Many options to choose from! I would certainly recommend this property to anyone.
- Music On The Move DJ's

I love Florida Aquarium. It is a truly beautiful and unique venue, the staff is talented and highly attentiveto a couple's needs and having Florida's beauty as a backdrop for your wedding is unsurpassed.

Many of my brides and grooms have danced "underwater" and love the Florida Aquarium.

Breezin Entertainment would like to endorse YOU!!

I had worked with Ashley & her staff on 1/30/2010. The venue is very nice & the ceremony area is also very nice. Ashley & her staff worked very hard setting up the room, serving the food & beverges all night long. I would have no problem working with them again & recomend the venue.

The Florida Aquarium is one of my favorite places for weddings. The Staff is exceptional and the food is always amazing.

The Florida Aquarium is one of the most unique locations I can think for a wedding. Giant Aquariums and beautiful exhibits make this venue fun for all.