4.7
Verified reviews from real couples
An Element of Wonder Plus That 'Something Blue'
Holds ceremonies and receptions
Overall, we loved our experience working with Mystic Aquarium! It is such a unique venue to hold a wedding. The food was phenomenal, the penguin experience was great for both us and our guests, and having the belugas as our backdrop for our ceremony was incredible! The only part of our wedding day that caused stress was the 30 minute set up time for our vendors, and a lot of our guests were left standing during our ceremony, which did not give them a good view of our vows.
Shannon P.
5.0
A fantastic place inside the aquarium for our wedding rehearsal dinner! Great atmosphere by the fish tanks, great food, staff, affordability, and tv's for slide shows. Recommend, it is unique!! And cocktails to start by the beluga whales announced it as a special evening from the get-go. Wonderful team to work with!
Liam M.
5.0
Mystic Aquarium is a unique wedding venue located in Mystic, CT. The sensational atmosphere at this aquarium offers the perfect setting for a once-in-a-lifetime celebration. A combination of elegant decor, top-notch service, and a magical ambiance will ensure your wedding is unforgettable.
Imagine tying the knot among the abundance of beautiful sea creatures at this facility; you can do this and so much more at Mystic Aquarium. Whether you envision a large-scale gathering or an intimate celebration, the extraordinary setting brings a sense of magic and romance to every event. From the moment your guests arrive, they will be in awe of the enchanting event spaces here. Dine and dance indoors among an array of marine animals or delight in an outdoor cocktail hour as beluga whales swim in the background; the possibilities are endless. You will never be short of a photo opportunity at Mystic Aquarium so that you can cherish your fantastic wedding memories for a lifetime.
The dedicated team at Mystic Aquarium would be delighted to help make all of your wedding dreams come true. They would love to create a bespoke event that perfectly fits your vision. Wedding planning services are available to ensure the big day runs as smoothly as possible. Their exclusive on-site caterer will create a delicious meal to delight guests and their taste buds. Bar and drink services are also offered for your convenience. Reach out to the team and add that special something blue to your wedding day at Mystic Aquarium.
53+ years in business
Medium team (11-20 members)
Amenities + details
Amenities
Ceremony Area
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
Wireless Internet
Ceremony Types
Civil Union
Commitment Ceremony
Elopement
Interfaith Ceremony
Non-Religious Ceremony
Religious Ceremony
Second Wedding
Vow Renewal Ceremony
Settings
Garden
Historic Venue
Museum
Park
Venue Service Offerings
Bar & Drinks
Cakes & Desserts
Destination Weddings
Destination Wedding Planning
Food & Catering
Planning
Destination Wedding Planning
Rentals & Equipment
Service Staff
Any questions?
Reviews
4.7
out of 5.016 reviews
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Shannon P
5.0
7/06/2026
Overall, we loved our experience working with Mystic Aquarium! It is such a unique venue to hold a wedding. The food was phenomenal, the penguin experience was great for both us an...
d our guests, and having the belugas as our backdrop for our ceremony was incredible! The only part of our wedding day that caused stress was the 30 minute set up time for our vendors, and a lot of our guests were left standing during our ceremony, which did not give them a good view of our vows.
Liam M
5.0
11/14/2025
A fantastic place inside the aquarium for our wedding rehearsal dinner! Great atmosphere by the fish tanks, great food, staff, affordability, and tv's for slide shows. Recommend, i...
t is unique!! And cocktails to start by the beluga whales announced it as a special evening from the get-go. Wonderful team to work with!
Any questions?
Danielle D
4.0
12/18/2022
Wedding at Mystic was amazing!! We are both so happy we picked this venue, as the catering staff and aquarium staff were so professional and the food was great! We are still talkin...
g about the delicious hors d'oeuvres. Communication could improve, as during peak wedding season we had a difficulty getting email responses from the coordinator. But they are working to improve that.
Carolyn S
5.0
11/27/2019
We recently had our wedding at the Mystic Aquarium, which is coordinated through their on site caterer, Ocean Blue Catering. About two months before our wedding, we were informed t...
hat a larger company had bought Ocean Blue Catering. Of course, we were a little bit panicked as most of the staff had changed, including the director of catering, with whom we had been coordinating our wedding. With any transition, there’s the possibility of setbacks and communication breakdowns. However, we were so relieved when they hired the new director of catering, Lorrie Reid.
Lorrie is simply amazing! Even though she’s new to the aquarium, she’s a seasoned pro, and has been coordinating weddings for years! It was nice that it was just Lorrie working with us, because she was on top of everything, down to the final details. She was super easy to work with and flexible. She made sure our day was perfect! The aquarium is such a unique venue. It was ideal for us! We loved getting married in front of the beluga whales. One of the whales, Juno, was watching us the whole time! The guests also raved about the food and the fact that they could explore the aquarium without the crowds. We had the touch tanks open, which the guests loved!
The staff at the aquarium are very professional, especially the catering team. They were very friendly, and made sure that everything ran smoothly. We don’t have enough words to thank Lorrie and her team. If you’re looking for a unique venue, Mystic Aquarium is the place!
Savannah L
5.0
2/06/2019
Everything about the aquarium was fantastic in leading up to the wedding and the day went to smoothly. Amanda was our day of contact and she made everything perfect. The food was A...
MAZING and everyone was so surprised when they got a full sized lobster! The venue was great and perfect for our 115 person wedding ( just about the max it could have been). It was pricey but they exceeded just about every expectation that we had. Our only (tiny) complaint was that we ordered Pisco as our special drink and there was a miscommunication as to how much to get (they only got 1 bottle but it was supposed to be for the whole party). But we laughed it off and had a great time anyway.
David S
5.0
7/25/2018
Great place to have a wedding. The exhibits provided built-in entertainment for guests, and the outdoor section was great for cocktail hour. Pictures by the whale tank were great a...
s well.
Ashton F
5.0
3/14/2017
The entire staff at Mystic Aquarium and Ocean Blue Catering made our big day at Mystic Aquarium unforgettable. We worked with Kathy to nail down all of the details, from the start ...
time of the ceremony to the reception, to arranging for us (the bride and groom) to see the penguins we arranged for before the rest of the guests. Kathy even noticed an oversight on our part in choosing the food for our buffet, and helped us correct it a few weeks before our wedding. Ashley was amazing to work with for the event itself. She met us to drop off our decorations and made sure everything was setup perfectly. Her team that night worked so smoothly they were undetectable! We decided to have the ceremony inside at the last minute, and they were able to turn the location over in no time to make sure everything was ready to go. Our guests raved about the food on our buffet, and many people even went up for seconds. The OCB team accommodated me with a special plated vegetarian meal, which was amazing as well. So tasty! Our liaison for the night, Dave, was also a rockstar. He helped us get outside right away to take photos before the sun went down in front of the Belugas. He also communicated with Ashley and our DJ that the ceremony would take place inside. Dave helped make sure the bridal party was gathered before they let guests in so we wouldn't be seen, and also made sure details like the cake cutting took place and ran smoothly. The venue was beautiful, and we are still receiving compliments about how cool and unique it was. We would highly recommend having your wedding at Mystic Aquarium with Ocean Blue Catering!
Angela F
5.0
11/30/2014
We loved our wedding at the aquarium. The staff set up the tables exactly how we wanted, and everything looked wonderful. Guests loved having the tanks in the background, and have ...
commented on our venue for months to come.
Dayna M
5.0
9/11/2014
About a year and a half ago, one of my brides (I am a wedding planner) told me about a wedding she went to at the Mystic Aquarium and how amazing it was. I had never heard of such ...
a thing, but I loved the idea. When we visited and met Kathy Lloyd, we loved everything instantly! We booked the venue that day, on the spot! From the day on it was a true pleasure dealing with Kathy - she was always a professional, got right back to me on my hundreds of questions, and was always courteous and helpful. The food tasting was great, but the food at the wedding surpassed all of my expectations. Its sometimes rare for people to still be talking about how great the food was - but it was excellent and they are still talking! The venue is absolutely incredible for a wedding. We didn't have our ceremony there but the cocktail hour by the beluga whales and the penguins interacting with the guests were truly unforgettable. We were able to take photos with the penguins and on the grounds before the guests arrived. The staff was courteous and attentive and everything went off without a hitch. It was truly the best day of my life and we couldn't have possibly picked a better or more amazing space to celebrate our wedding!
Lori P
5.0
7/29/2014
I had my 7/12/14 wedding at the Mystic Aquarium. It was amazing! We got married in front of the beluga whale tank. So amazing! The whales were so interested in what was going on, s...
o they are in all the photos! The guests loved seeing them too! The reception was in the main exhibit hall. So fun! The guests could walk around and see all the exhibits and eat dinner next to the fish tanks!
Kathy, Ashley and their staff were amazing! They were so helpful during the planning process. Everyone was so nice!
The food was delicious. I could have sat there all night and just eaten it. The guests were raving about how good it was!
I would totally recommend having your wedding at the Mystic Aquarium. Who doesn't want their wedding photos to include beluga whales, jellyfish, stingrays, and sharks?
Erin G
4.0
8/13/2012
i LOVED my wedding at Mystic Aquarium! It was unique but beautiful! The staff there were very accommodating and helpful. The food was by far the BEST wedding food I have ever ha...
d! The only downfall was that I wish it was longer! We didn't have time to rally dance before the night was over.
Erica S
5.0
6/30/2012
I had my wedding at Mystic Aquarium in May 2012. Everyone was perfect and the staff was great. We started off with the private sea lion show. Although the show is private just for ...
our guests, the show is not specialized for the event at all, it was the same show they always do. The ceremony was at the Artic Coast and the whales were great and we got some great pictures. They will have the ceremony outside unless it is horizontal windy rain. We were able to walk around the aquarium and get pictures with the wedding party with the other sea lions and by the pond. The reception was inside and was gorgeous. The music can only be a certain decibel level but it was plenty loud enough. Food was great. The staff was great with helping us. It was a perfect combo of a tradional wedding with some flare and fun added. It was a great time for all.
Danielle H
2.0
12/02/2011
We love the Aquarium and the venue was just amazing. However, the catering manager at the event was extremely rude. The open bar had a terrible beer selection, and did not have a l...
ight beer offering at all!! I suggest getting the bar selection in writing prior to the event. Also they yelled at my guests for touching things in the touch tank, even though the sign said "Touch". They were very under staffed, and had almost no security so my guests were confused and kept being yelled at when they did something they did not know they were not supposed to do. Get it in writing that they will provide security at the tanks and have someone at the front door of the exhibit to tell guests where to go to smoke and where they are not supposed to be. At one point they decided to close our bar 45 minutes early and not tell us about it, and I could not even find a single staff person on the main exhibit floor to help me figure out why. The liaison was so extremely rude he ruined the last hour of my event and made me cry because he was yelling at me saying "it was in my contract" that the bar closed 30 minutes prior to the end of the event, even though I had paid for 5 hours open bar. Overall we LOVED the aquarium and it was so unfortunate that we had such a bad experience. We support the Aquarium 100%, my guest were amazed at the beautiful atmosphere. Also, I highly recommend getting a dance floor, we got one for $800 and it was worth every penny. The food was also very good.
Connie R
5.0
11/06/2011
Our October 1, 2011 wedding was the event of our lives at the Mystic Aquarium. Kathy Lloyd and her staff of Ocean Blue Catering were very professional, knowledgeable, attentive an...
d PATIENT throughout our planning sessions. The layout, food and service were excellent. Many features were unusual including the private use of the Aquarium, the table and buffet layout set around the fish tanks, and the DJ on an upper level so the music wasn't blaring at our guests. Everyone enjoyed the uniqueness of having our cocktail hour outside near the beluga whale. We are very pleased with the results and highly recommend the Mystic Aquarium for a wedding reception.
Michelle T
5.0
10/31/2011
I can not say enough wonderful things about the Mystic Aquarium and their wonderful and caring staff, especially Kathy. Everyone was absolutely accommodating, the atmosphere was e...
ven more spectacular than we ever imagined and the food was unbelievable! People are still raving about what a wonderful cocktail hour and dinner they had!
Diane F
5.0
6/30/2011
The Aquarium got rave reviews from all of our guests. The event planner, Kathy, helped me plan the event, and they supplied someone the day of the wedding to help coordinate. I d...
o wish she had been a little easier to find on the wedding day, and we did have an issue with our cake running out because they cut the pieces too big. These were really pretty minor things, though, and overall we had a really great experience at the Aquarium and have no regrets choosing them! The food was definitely the best wedding food I've ever had, even if I am biased. Our buffet was extremely high quality food, including prime rib and ravioli in a lobster cream sauce. I wished I were less excited and more hungry so I could eat more of it! I thought the price was extremely reasonable for everything that was included, and it was such a memorable location for a wedding.
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