Seattle Aquarium

Magical Waterfront Vows at Seattle Aquarium

Holds ceremonies and receptions

4.6

Verified reviews from real couples

WOW! We can’t say enough about the Seattle Aquarium for a wedding or special event venue! We had our wedding there this past June 2022 and from start to finish the entire process and experience was flawless. Chelsea and Philadelphia our wedding coordinators with the Seattle Aquarium team were a pleasure to work with and went above and beyond to make our dream a reality. It was so easy and fun to collaborate with them and The Seattle Aquarium venue has it all. They have in-house catering, all the seating and linens, lighting, music plug ins and multimedia screens and endless possibilities to use the aquarium venue space. It was so great having them as our venue and main vendor for almost everything. We had our ceremony right on the beautiful waterfront back pier, cocktail hour in the touch tank area and our dinner reception in the main hall with the enormous fish tank behind our wedding party main table. The dinner food was absolutely fantastic with amazing presentation. We truly can’t recommend the Seattle Aquarium enough for any special event or wedding!

Garett T.

5.0

The Seattle Aquarium was perfect for our wedding. We got married on the back pier with Puget Sound behind us, and then had the reception in the grand lobby with the fishtank as our backdrop. Beautiful. The kids loved exploring the aquarium (they give you the whole place!) and everyone enjoyed the otter feeding. The food was amazing, too. One of my guests said "You don't get food of this quality at weddings this large. You just don't. This is the food you get at nice restaurants. This was fantastic." Chelsea (events coordinator) was fantastic from start to finish. We were doing the planning ourselves, so we had a million rookie questions (some of which we had to ask multiple times) but Chelsea was patient and responsive and everything went off perfectly. Shannon was the day-of coordinator who was also super helpful both on the day and afterwards when we returned to retrieve some things we'd left behind. Anyone who is thinking about getting married in Seattle should definitely consider the aquarium. It's a truly unique location your guests will never forget, and the staff made everything run so smoothly. Plus... otters!

Aidan L.

5.0

Zsanali Moore

CATERING SALES MANAGER

Typically responds within 24h

Celebrate your wedding day at the Seattle Aquarium, Seattle, WA's premier waterfront wedding venue on historic Pier 59. Say "I do" with breathtaking Elliott Bay views, creating an enchanting backdrop for your ceremony. Our versatile spaces, including the expansive Puget Sound Hall and Mezzanine, accommodate up to 300 guests with seamless indoor-outdoor flow and customizable layouts for ceremonies, receptions, and cocktail hours. As a mission-driven venue, every event supports marine conservation, adding meaningful purpose to your love story. Enjoy exclusive perks such as otter feeding experiences for your guests and a one-year Aquarium membership for the couple. Expert in-house staffing handles setup to teardown, while our flexible policies allow events to extend late into the night (liquor service until 2 a.m.). Conveniently located near downtown hotels like the Four Seasons and Ace Hotel, with easy access to city parking or optional garage rentals. Whether you're envisioning an intimate elopement or a grand gala, the Seattle Aquarium transforms your wedding into a sustainable, awe-inspiring adventure that leaves lasting impressions. Contact us to explore menus, floor plans, and availability—let's make waves together!

49+ years in business

Speaks English, French, Spanish

Small team (2-10 members)

Amenities + details

Amenities

Ceremony Area

Dressing Room

Handicap Accessible

Indoor Event Space

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

Beach

Waterfront

Historic Venue

Museum

Rooftop

Venue Service Offerings

Bar & Drinks

Food & Catering

Service Staff

Any questions?

Meet the team

Zsanali Moore
Catering Sales Manager
Zsanali Moore is the Catering Sales Manager at the Seattle Aquarium, where she crafts unforgettable waterfront celebrations on historic Pier 59. With over 10 years of expertise in high-end catering sales, event design, and client relationship management, Zsanali brings warmth, precision, and a true passion for meaningful weddings. At the Aquarium, she guides couples through every detail—from customized menus and seamless floor plans to exclusive guest experiences like otter feedings. Her collaborative style, honed through years of partnering with executive chefs, operations teams, and vendors, ensures flawless execution and events that reflect each couple’s unique vision. A proven leader in sales strategy and team training, Zsanali excels at turning ideas into reality. Whether planning an intimate ceremony or a grand reception for 300, she’s dedicated to making your day as extraordinary as the Puget Sound views.
Monea Swain
Event Sales Coordinator
Monea Swain is the Event Sales Coordinator at the Seattle Aquarium, where she brings 8+ years of catering and hospitality expertise to every waterfront wedding. Passionate about turning visions into reality, Monea excels at crafting personalized proposals, coordinating seamless logistics, and building lasting client relationships that drive repeat celebrations. With a hands-on background in high-volume event management, staff leadership, and day-of execution, she ensures every detail—from vendor partnerships to on-site flow—is flawless. As the DEI Chair for ILEA Seattle, Monea proudly champions inclusive, equitable experiences, including coordinating the first same-sex couple marriage at the Seattle Pride Parade. Whether guiding couples through menu planning, staffing, or creative enhancements, Monea’s calm-under-pressure style and commitment to joy-filled, meaningful events make her an invaluable partner in creating unforgettable Aquarium weddings.

4.6

out of 5.0

11 reviews

Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

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Aidan L

Highlighted review.

8/06/2018

The Seattle Aquarium was perfect for our wedding. We got married on the back pier with Puget Sound behind us, and then had the reception in the grand lobby with the fishtank as our...

backdrop. Beautiful. The kids loved exploring the aquarium (they give you the whole place!) and everyone enjoyed the otter feeding. The food was amazing, too. One of my guests said "You don't get food of this quality at weddings this large. You just don't. This is the food you get at nice restaurants. This was fantastic." Chelsea (events coordinator) was fantastic from start to finish. We were doing the planning ourselves, so we had a million rookie questions (some of which we had to ask multiple times) but Chelsea was patient and responsive and everything went off perfectly. Shannon was the day-of coordinator who was also super helpful both on the day and afterwards when we returned to retrieve some things we'd left behind. Anyone who is thinking about getting married in Seattle should definitely consider the aquarium. It's a truly unique location your guests will never forget, and the staff made everything run so smoothly. Plus... otters!

Jessica C

1/16/2026

The venue itself is beautiful and we had a gorgeous ceremony on the back dock. The flow from the ceremony through the touch tank area and to the main lobby made for a very fun and ...

unique experience for our guests. That said, our experience was a bit mixed. Communication throughout the entire process was not as timely or professional as we had hoped, and we had several problems with the venue on the day of the wedding. The largest issue was a mariachi band on Pier 62 (a new addition to the waterfront). Despite having checked the published schedule prior to booking, there was a full concert taking place all day. We were told that the published concert schedule is not a comprehensive list of all events on the pier and the aquarium staff have no control over the events happening in the surrounding area. We are immensely grateful to the band that day for working with us to make the ceremony happen. We would caution anyone considering this venue to be aware of both scheduled and unscheduled events in the immediate vicinity.

Any questions?

Garett T

11/08/2022

WOW! We can’t say enough about the Seattle Aquarium for a wedding or special event venue! We had our wedding there this past June 2022 and from start to finish the entire process a...

nd experience was flawless. Chelsea and Philadelphia our wedding coordinators with the Seattle Aquarium team were a pleasure to work with and went above and beyond to make our dream a reality. It was so easy and fun to collaborate with them and The Seattle Aquarium venue has it all. They have in-house catering, all the seating and linens, lighting, music plug ins and multimedia screens and endless possibilities to use the aquarium venue space. It was so great having them as our venue and main vendor for almost everything. We had our ceremony right on the beautiful waterfront back pier, cocktail hour in the touch tank area and our dinner reception in the main hall with the enormous fish tank behind our wedding party main table. The dinner food was absolutely fantastic with amazing presentation. We truly can’t recommend the Seattle Aquarium enough for any special event or wedding!

Ashley O

7/29/2018

Love love love! We just got married 6 days ago at the Seattle Aquarium and multiple guests have said it was the "best wedding they've ever been to!" We had the ceremony out on the...

pier (which was gorgeous) , cocktail hour allowed full aquarium access to guests, then an otter feed, and then dinner/dancing was held in the room with the huge fish tank wall! SO much fun. The staff was very attentive and professional. We got multiple compliments on how quickly staff would refill their water glasses/refill the buffet food. The food was sooo good!! Chelsea, the event coordinator, worked with us and she is incredible! And there was an awesome lady named Shannon Hunter who helped the evening run so smoothly. It did take awhile initially for my emails to get responses, but as it got closer to the wedding Chelsea was quick to respond (also, calling is totally an option, but I just prefer email). Overall, my husband and I totally recommend this venue. If you are looking for a fun/unique/awesome wedding, the Seattle Aquarium is where it's at! I wish I could relive the night over and over again!

Michelle C

10/04/2017

We've had many friends and family tell us that it was the most fun wedding they've been to. Also, catered meals and hors d'oeuvre were tasty. Food actually tasted better during th...

e wedding compared to the tasting.

Jessica P

2/04/2017

We spent $18.8K for the whole venue (ceremony+reception), 5-hour full open bar, 2-entree option buffet dinner, passed hors d'oeuvres for 100 people, all chairs/tables/place setting...

s/tableclothes. The day of the event was incredibly smooth, and was such a beautiful background for our big day! We had the whole venue for our exclusive 100 person guest list, providing a really special, intimate event. My guests were also raving about the otter feeding for weeks after. They do all the bar and food service (including accommodating our picky signature cocktail tastes, and allowing a second food tasting when we weren't able to try the lamb osso bucco in the initial tasting). They also worked great with our Day of Coordinator so I didn't stress about ANYTHING on the big day!! Chelsea ended up being great to work with, but we were bounced from her, to Jessie (for our food tasting), back to Chelsea. Overall, though, Chelsea was great to work with, though she seemed a bit overworked so there were pockets of time where the venue was not very responsive. The aquarium was central to creating the best day ever!!

Marjorie L

8/24/2016

This venue was amazing. It was beautiful and unique. It shows off the city of Seattle spectacularly. There is a pier behind the venue where the ceremony takes place. It's right on ...

the water and you can see a lot of the sights. The reception space was beautiful with the giant fish tank and it made a great background to our pictures. You get the whole aquarium for the rental, so your guests can go explore. There is also an otter feeding that you and your guests can watch that was quite a hit. Chelsea, the events coordinator, is great and really made the whole evening go smoothly. The food was great too!

Charlene L

9/01/2015

We truly wanted something unique and the aquarium provided just that! The staff was extremely helpful and very efficient. It truly was a total experience for family and friends. Th...

e only drawback is the time constraint, since you have to wait until the aquarium closes it is really a rush for ceremony and reception the timeline is super tight. But overall excellent experience wouldn't have changed anything!

Kim N

11/16/2014

Having our wedding at an aquarium was something of a dream and the staff at the Seattle Aquarium did a great job of making it come true. The venue is beautiful and the staff ha...

ve a ton of experience with different kinds of events. You have the option of having your ceremony in front of their enormous Puget Sound Tank or out in the side patio, overlooking the Sound. Either option is gorgeous and they're very accommodating with the set up. If you decide to have it inside, they flip the room so that the reception is in the same hall in front of the tank. We worked with Chelsea and Tyler to organize our event. One of the best parts about this venue is that they have a talented chef. We were able to select from a diverse menu and taste items a few months in advance. Also, you have diverse set of linens and tableware to choose from. The Aquarium staff coordinated very well with our DOC, Jelena Krzeszowski, to make the day as smooth as possible. Besides the atmosphere and top-notch organization of the staff, there was a fun and education OTTER FEEDING. My guests had so much fun at that! Overall, an incredible experience.

Sheryl O

10/07/2014

I'm not a party girl. So going to the aquarium with my lady friends was just perfect for me. And lots of other places to walk in to and eat next to the aquarium.

Megan V

8/28/2013

I loved having my wedding here. The venue is amazing and located right on Puget Sound. You have spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains, as well as the SODO district of Seattle....

We had our ceremony outside and the reception inside, though you have the run of the entire Aquarium. There is on site catering, so you don't have to worry about a thing. All I brought in was the cake! A special perk that really pushed this venue over the top was the otter feeding. This is held at the end of the cocktail hour and everyone loved it. You get to watch the otters being feed while a biologist explains what they are eating and much more. The reason I gave this venue 4 stars instead of 5 is due to the event planning process. The event planners at the Aquarium are not as helpful as I wanted and I had to initiate a lot of conversations that I felt needed to be discussed, such as timelines for the day of and food logistics. Everything turned our perfect in the end, but it was a little bit stressful going into the the wedding. I would highly recommend this location, especially if you are planner yourself. While most everything is done for you, you do need to be on top of your game to make sure things don't fall through the cracks.

Service area & Contact info

1483 Alaskan Wy, Pier 59, Seattle, WA

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(206) 600-8282

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Seattle Aquarium

Zsanali Moore

Catering Sales Manager

Typically responds within 24h

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Seattle Aquarium

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