South Carolina Aquarium

It's your event. Make Waves.

Service area

Holds ceremonies and receptions

Jillian Fountain

MANAGER

South Carolina Aquarium is a one-of-a-kind wedding venue in Charleston, SC. Enjoy stunning harbor views, treat your guests to amazing encounters with the aquarium's sea life, and throw an incredible party in this fantastic downtown setting. Whether you're planning an intimate celebration or a grand soiree, this enchanting venue has the spaces and services to match. Tie the knot overlooking the picturesque harbor, with the sparkling water and expansive sky as your backdrop. Then, pose for photos with your beloved while guests sip cocktails and enjoy the views. Inside, you'll find an expansive space with soaring floor-to-ceiling windows, two event floors, and room for up to 200 guests for a seated meal. You and your loved ones can explore the exhibits that feature over 5,000 animals, including The Great Ocean Tank, North America's deepest tank. A truly unforgettable wedding experience awaits at South Carolina Aquarium. Your package can include roaming animal encounters, with a member of the education team introducing your loved ones to some of the aquarium's residents. You can also include the Shallows Touch Tank experience, allowing you to visit with and touch the stingrays in the outdoor tank. For a nice personalized touch, a scuba diver can offer their congratulations with bespoke signage while diving in one of the extensive tanks. This vendor has partnered with five of Charleston's top food caterers for your wedding meal, which can supply anything from an elegant plated meal to a classic Lowcountry boil. In addition to reception packages, South Carolina Aquarium offers services for elopements and rehearsal dinners.

26+ years in business

Speaks English

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

Museum

Venue Service Offerings

Service Staff

Any questions?

Meet the team

Jillian Fountain

Manager

The South Carolina Aquarium's event team shares a passion for bringing wedding visions to life at our unique waterfront venue. With our talented vendor partners, we help to make every couple's special day a memorable and enjoyable experience from beginning to end.

5.0

out of 5.0

15 reviews

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

Search reviews

Nikki C

Highlighted review.

5/21/2024

WOW! The most unique and beautiful venue in Charleston. I grew up in Charleston and have gone to this aquarium a plethora of times, but this was the best time. Jillian and the spec...

ial events staff went ABOVE and BEYOND to meet our needs. This space was perfect for my guest and for us. It overlooks the harbor, so it was gorgeous at sunset, then the whole aquarium was perfect to walk about, explore, or just look at the beauty. This venue is truly unique. All of my guests said it was the best wedding they ever went to. Book it. You will not regret it. It is truly magical and unique and something I will always remember.

Response from South Carolina Aquarium on 05/21/2024

Thank you so much Nikki! We loved being part of your celebration, it was a beautiful eveni...

ng and we are so thankful you shared it with us. Congratulations again!

Miriam C

3/27/2024

Such a fun venue! We wanted not your typical venue, and the aquarium was perfect for us. We were able to have our ceremony outdoors overlooking the water and had the reception indo...

ors eating and dancing around the fish tanks. You do have to bring absolutely everything into the aquarium and they require a planner, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Everything ran smoothly the day of, and we had the perfect day.

Response from South Carolina Aquarium on 03/28/2024

Hi Miriam! We absolutely loved hosting you both, thank you for choosing us to be a part of...

your celebration! Congratulations!

Any questions?

Dana B

10/27/2022

Beautiful venue in downtown Charleston. There isn't a lot that you have to do to this venue when it comes to decorating. Sarah and Natalie were always there to answer questions l...

eading up to the event. Your guest will come out with more than just attending a wedding/reception but will experience a night to remember. If booking this venue, I would recommend using the vendors on their Friends of the Aquarium list. All the vendors I used offered the absolute best service in the world.

Response from South Carolina Aquarium on 10/28/2022

Dana, thank you for entrusting us to host your special day! It was such a beautiful evenin...

g. Congratulations!

Savannah B

7/01/2022

The Aquarium truly was the perfect place to have a wedding. Our guests found it stunning and unique. We also had a lot of family bring kids that stayed entertained and happy with a...

ll of the festivities. The animal encounter was a huge hit with all of our guests. Plus all of the staff worked really well with the caterers and rental company. We couldn’t have asked for a better night. Natalie was very well organized so everything was stress free.

Response from South Carolina Aquarium on 07/17/2022

Thank you, Savannah! Your wedding was beautiful and we were thrilled to host you on your ...

special day. Congratulations again!

S A

8/25/2021

Family and friends are still talking about how amazing our SC Aquarium wedding was. Sarah Noble and her staff were very easy to work with, They worked seamlessly with Duvall Cate...

ring and Complete Weddings+Events to make our wedding spectacular. Even when the threat of rain was eminent, the ceremony was immediately moved inside and still turned out to be beautiful.

Response from South Carolina Aquarium on 08/26/2021

What a privilege it was to host you on your special day! Thank you for entrusting us to p...

rovide you with a beautiful backdrop for your beautiful celebration. Congratulations!

Dena P

6/28/2021

We had our ceremony and reception at this venue and it was stunning. Our guests gushed about how awesome and unique it was. If you’re looking for a fun venue in Charleston, then th...

e aquarium is an excellent choice!

Response from South Carolina Aquarium on 06/28/2021

Thank you, Dena! It was such a pleasure hosting you and your friends and family for a beau...

tiful evening!

Lauren H

6/12/2019

I had my reception at the South Carolina Aquarium and it was more perfect than I could have imagined! We had access to the entire aquarium minus the touch tank areas (for obvious r...

easons). The Aquarium was amazing about allowing me to visit and meet with Margaret multiple times leading up to the date to discuss layout and walk through the Aquarium. We used Hamby Catering and Snyder’s Rental, both of which are familiar with the layout and logistics of the Aquarium. This made setup and execution flawless and easy. There is nowhere else in Charleston that can beat the view of the harbor. I would choose the South Carolina Aquarium all over again, given the opportunity!

Tiffany B

2/11/2019

My husband and I celebrated our 1-year anniversary with a reception at the aquarium! This venue is amazing; from its uniqueness and spaciousness in the great hall, to the large ta...

nk in the “tank room”, our guests loved it! Margaret was great to work with. We were initially concerned since we live out of state, but that was not an issue. She provided suggestions upon request in a timely manner. I will say the layout is non-traditional, which is what attracted us to it. We had 100 guests and used round tables, and they fit perfectly in the great hall! If considering the aquarium, you must take into account the quick turnaround from the time the aquarium closes at 5pm, to the time your event starts; ours was at 6:30pm, so a great team is key in order to make this successful. We all had a great team! We would definitely recommend this venue to anyone looking for some place different to host an event.

Amanda C

9/14/2018

Amazing venue! we had our wedding here a little over a month ago and people are still raving about the evening. We had the ceremony and the reception there and it was so easy, gorg...

eous and perfect all around. We bought the extra package where some of the animals of the aquarium we're brought out to interact with our guests. The space was great for our unique layout (86 guests) and the lighting was incredible! If you are looking to host a wedding or even just an amazing party of a life time look no further!! The South Carolina aquarium will meet if not exceed your needs.

Katherine Randolph M

8/23/2018

I am so glad we chose to have our reception at the aquarium! It was fabulous! It's such a unique venue and all of our guests were super excited to attend (and had a wonderful time)...

! Margaret was so easy to work with and open to any and all questions. Every picture we have inside and outside are beautiful, as it is such a beautiful setting. It's a unique layout and it does take some manipulating of tables, chairs, band but I think you can make anything work. We had 200 guests, partial seating, cocktail tables, 3 food stations , bars and band downstairs and there was plenty of room! It's a quick turnover time, which can seem stressful, but with a good team, everything was ready to go on time! Would highly recommend booking at the aquarium!

Chelsea W

6/19/2018

We had our wedding and reception at the aquarium and it was the perfect venue to represent Charleston and our love of animals. Most of our guests were from out of town and remarked...

that the venue was so fun, unique and memorable. The aquarium staff was very helpful throughout the whole planning process. Getting married at the aquarium gave us so many wonderful memories!!

Julia M

10/16/2017

Absolutely beautiful place to have our wedding!! Margaret was professional and easy to work with in coordinating a magical night!! The animal encounters were a perfect addition mak...

ing it truly a memorable night for everyone!!

Anna K

8/23/2017

I've known I wanted to get married at this aquarium for a long time so when the time finally came I was elated that they were available! The aquarium is beautiful and everyone who...

works there is super nice. They were very accommodating and didn't seem annoyed by my many questions. We got the package that included a photo booth and animal petting and both of those things exceeded my expectations. I can't believe I got to pet a tiny alligator at my wedding. It's a beautiful, memorable, and unique venue and I would definitely recommend having your wedding here.

Elizabeth R

2/23/2017

I recently had my wedding reception at the South Carolina Aquarium. It was absolutely beautiful and a great venue for guests of all ages. Numerous people commented that it was one ...

of the best and unique venues that they had ever been to a wedding reception at. The staff was very professional and easy to work with. This is a great place to throw a party!

Nicole E

8/01/2016

My husband and I are both scuba divers so when we found out we could get married at the aquarium the venue choice for our wedding was a no brainer. We loved being able to have our ...

ceremony and reception at the same location and the uniqueness of the venue is something our guests will always remember. Although renting out the aquarium was more than we originally wanted to spend, we saved by also using it for the ceremony venue and we didn't need a lot of flowers/decor because they supplied the fish! Nicole was great to work with every step of the way and made sure all of our questions/concerns were handled quickly.

Service area & Contact info

100 AQUARIUM WHARF, CHARLESTON, SC

Open map

(843) 579-8657

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South Carolina Aquarium

Jillian Fountain

Manager

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South Carolina Aquarium

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