Adventure Aquarium Events & Catering

brides out there to expect alot of changes. We went through alot of "miscommunications" to where they said & agreed on one thing then changed their mind later on. We were upcharged on chair rentals (last minute) due to their scheduling errors, We were upcharged on our cake (which was supposed to be included) due to "miscommunications" from venue to bakery, we were supposed to have the run of the venue to do photos since there were no other weddings planned but come the day of the wedding we were not allowed due to "miscommunications" from management to staff, our favors were only put out 30 minutes before the end of the night and all my extra left over favors were taken by the staff and above everything else, our card box (which they had by the main door) was attempted to be broken into and a card (with money) was stolen and when we tried working with the venue to find out if it was staff or family they refused all responsibility. Now, I know we can go through alot of issues when it comes to weddings but honestly the amount of all the last minute changes and extra charges we had to pay for their mistakes is what caused this review to be so low. I can honestly say that if you want your wedding here it is definitely amazing for photos of you find the right photographer BUT get yourself a wedding planner who can help fight along side you when they make the last minute changes to your wedding.

m the moment we got to Adventure Aquarium, we were sold. The care and attention we felt from the whole team was unmatched. Megan was also absolutely incredible about matching people’s energy- I’m loud and bouncy, and she got super excited with me! And when we then toured with my dad, who’s much more reserved, she was cool and collected and answered all his intense questions. The week of, she was even more awesome. We were able to bring our decor early, and she helped our coordinator set everything up day of. She also ran our rehearsal and was very clear and communicative. The venue has in-house catering with Aramark and it totally rocked. The head chef, JT, is awesome and all the food was fantastic. It was also so marvelous that we didn’t have to pick catering, and that the in-house option was flawless. Now the venue itself- unreal. The ballroom has floor to ceiling glass into the Shark Realm. It is the coolest backdrop of all time. Not to mention that we had the shark tunnel open for our guests and during cocktail hour, WE HAD A PENGUIN! Incredibly important to note as well, the venue assigns you a bridal attendant- Darlene. She was AMAZING. She was with us from the moment we arrived for photos, until our big send-off. She was literally on the ground fixing my dress for photos, she got us food and drinks all night, she guarded the bathroom while my bridesmaids helped me with my gown, she took us and our photographer around the aquarium after close for cool pictures. Darlene forever!! Truly, we are so happy with our choice in Adventure Aquarium for our wedding day. Thank you Megan, JT, Darlene, Sammy, Sarah, Jen, Kendra, Patrick, Kayla, Kendall, Anthony and many more!! Photos included by Peach Photography

extremely accommodating and stayed on top of my event from start to finish! Her and Chef came up with fabulous ideas for my food stations, I did “A taste of South Philly” as the party’s theme and the food was great! The room looked beautiful - there really is no other venue that can offer the “excitement and beauty” of the huge shark/fish tanks as the focal points of the room. Between the tanks and the gorgeous view of the Philadelphia skyline outside our guests were posting beautiful pictures that they had taken from our event, for days. And, of course, our photos came out amazing!! No matter your age you are never too old to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of huge shark/fish tanks in the room. It is a costly venue but worth every penny!

new (before we were even engaged lol) that would be it. We originally planned for a Nov 2020 wedding but due to the Pandemic we rescheduled to April and than finally November 2021. During that time there was a change in event managers. Megan helped us through all the little hiccups that came along with rescheduling your wedding two times. She was knowledgeable and thorough. There are so many little things I can mention with how awesome she is but the one that sticks out the most was how the night of the wedding one of the vendors (separate from the aquarium) was not there. Megan went out of her way to reach out to the vendor to get them there. Taking all the stress off of me so that I could enjoy the night. Secondly, we were given a bridal attendant Ms. Darlene. Again I could go on and on about how wonderful she was. We have a 5 year old son and Ms. Darlene was so helpful with him. Even getting him a snack while we took pictures. She was so sweet and professional. Thank you Megan, Ms. Darlene, and the whole catering staff for making our wedding an unforgettable experience! And always Hire the PENGUIN! She was the hit of the party!

os back!

h was included with our wedding package that it made planning super easy (our package included catering, full bar, linens, centerpieces, and a DJ). The events team did a fantastic job decorating the space, and the food was delicious. Terry the events manager was extremely responsive and easy to work with, and extremely flexible and full of helpful suggestions, even offering to customize some menu items for us. Donna the catering manager was like having our own day-of coordinator (we did not hire a day of coordinator, but Donna was on site for everything and kept things running super smoothly, even helping to corral family members for the rehearsal). Our bridal attendant Darlene was also awesome, she made sure we were well-fed and always had a full glass, and generally ensured that we got to enjoy the food and drinks we paid for while still mingling with all our guests. The entire team functioned like a well-oiled machine and exceeded our expectations at every turn. I really don't think you can find a better value or a more unique venue.

ck and forth (most delayed on her part), never responded to the last 3 emails I sent asking to pick a date for a visit. I've since booked another venue that I'm in love with.

not be at the wedding because they "no longer offer that" which is coincidental because the new penguin exhibit opens to the public this weekend... shitty customer service at its finest.

asn't even there. Unfortunately there is not enough character space to cover everything that went wrong but I'll try and cover the most awful highlights. If your getting married outside I hope your guest are mind readers because there will be no staff directing your guest where to go, more than half my guest wandered into the venue because no one was around to tell them otherwise so yes they missed my ceremony and were at another event entirely. Our parents didn't even have the seats closest to the front because the catering manager told people they could sit where they wanted. He knew exactly who our parents were because my florist ran late and we had him give our mothers their corsages because we were out of time. So you would think he would have made sure they were taken care of. The bathrooms were a disgrace no soap no toilet paper... Which I didnt know about until I over heard my guest complaining about it. I was told I couldn't have a rehearsal because they don't do evenings then I decided to just have a rehearsal without them since it was going to be outside and my officiate said we'd be fine without them, when I informed them of this I was told had I given more notice they would have had the catering manager there but he had other plans. I mentioned this 18 months before the wedding... Not sure how much more notice you need. My guest were afraid to go order drinks because they were being terrorized by the one bartender. He told my sister not to come to the bar again unless she knew exactly what she wanted. He informed my 70 year old mother "this ain't the club" when she tried ordering a drink that he didnt have the liquer to make and what she asked for, which wasn't anything special basically gin and 7up. I ordered chicken fingers for My nephew when I finalized my menu weeks before the event. His food never came. I had to go track someone down to find out where his food was, he basically ate as my wedding was ending. I'm sure like every bride I put my heart and soul into every detail and I was assured countless times by Stacy that my day would be perfect and I had nothing to worry about. While your pictures here will be beautiful and unique, save yourself the stress and have your wedding where they actually care about your day.

vent Co-ordinators" in 15 months, which was stressful and than found out the coordinators don't even assist on the rehearsal or day of the event but instead the Catering manages take care of everything. They messed up our seating arrangements by missing a couple seats for guests and our Jr Bridesmaid and we had to scramble to remedy the problem before anyone noticed. The venue is worth the expense though.

t only the shark tank in our reception room, but the best view of the Philly skyline! If you want great food and amazing pictures, this is the place.

he upgraded bar we requested, the table we needed for the ceremony was not available, and she never got in contact with the vendor to arrange the time of their arrivals (I ended up doing this myself). Rose (I wish I knew her last name) was there the day of the wedding. She did an excellent job trying to deal with all the problems associated with Stacy's errors. She remained calm under pressure, but she should NOT have been put in such a situation. She did get the table, but unfortunately was unable to do anything about the bar situation. Unfortunately throughout the night we ran out of dessert, so the appropriate number of desserts were not made (which came part of the buffet package). In addition we ran out of milk/creamer for coffee several times. We had to request the servers to get more desserts and creamer each time. Of all the problems, only the last ones mentioned did the guests notice. However there is something about getting married in front of a shark tank and having the "pet a sting ray" exhibit open to your guests that makes these things seem irrelevant.

e staff to take greater control of the flow of the night -i.e- calling up tables to get food and making other announcements. Other than that, we loved it!

s besides a dull ballroom; we wanted them to have something to do besides looking at a dance floor all night. Not only do you get to see fish during the cocktail hour and dinner, but you have so many places to explore; guests can see the Philadelphia skyline and have access to the top portion of the aquarium! The food was also amazing and I am not saying that because I am biased; you also do not even have to pay for a tasting, which is required at some places! The vendor coordinator also works really well for what you need as well. The whole experience here was positive in all areas and our guests left SO happy! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

ith our experience, and our guests had a great time.

WEVER, the food was delicious, the service staff was totally on top of their game, and the display of the food was completely impressive. We had dealt with Stacy Soper throughout the entire planning process who had helped us with every need we had, she made sure that we had a perfect day - - there was nothing she COULDN'T make happen. Chez ended up being there on the BIG DAY because Stacy was away on vacation, and was literally a life saver - - she made sure everything went smoothly and without error. Besides the beauty of the currents ballroom floor to ceiling shark tanks, the Philadelphia skyline on the riverwalk- - the staff iced the cake of our July wedding. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!! We are still hearing "That was the best wedding we've ever been to!"

d her interns. They made my day perfect -- I couldn't have asked for better service.

e. I'm so happy I picked to have my wedding there. The food was great too!!

mend using Adventure Aquarium for your dream wedding. The only problems we encountered were with the way things were handled before our wedding. The staff at the Aquuarium were not always accomodating or tactful. There were also unresolved issues in the billing process. They break down the bill differently from how it is agreed upon in the contract causing additional rental fees.

his place to anyone looking for a unique wedding your guests will love - bonus, great pics outside with the Philly skyline!

side seating for smokers and we put a bar out there also. Nothing compares do this venue.;So large (460,000 square feet) the walking is a bit painful to the feet in heels. tell guests to bring comfortable shoes. Set up speakers not just in the Rotunda. Set up microphone in dive area where ceremony is performed so guests can hear everything said. Otherwise, everything is perfect. Don't use a wedding planner/day of planner as the Aquarium staff is more competent.

work with.