Atlantis Banquets & Events can accommodate your wedding for 20 to 650 guests in one of nine diverse locations including the modern and beautiful Sea Star Ballroom with sweeping views of the Treasure Cove Resort Marina and Peconic River. The Coliseum Room is another perfect venue located within the Long Island Aquarium, which houses our most captivating and colorful aquatic habitats. Your ceremony can take place outside, in the Riverside Pavilion just on the banks of the river, or in the Grand Foyer of the Sea Star Ballroom, with beautiful marble features and a stunning Chihuly inspired glass chandelier. An event like no other, only Atlantis Banquets & Events can bring the element of nature to your wedding with photo sessions including our penguins, sea lions, sharks or within our indoor and always tropical Butterfly Garden.
Introduction
The Wedding Industry
Growing up on Long Island was great. My first job after college was a night shift at a local hotel. Summertime meant getting up early and going to Robert Moses beach till 1pm, heading home to shower and show up to work by 3pm. Of course, a stop at my favorite deli for a bacon, egg and cheese on a roll was a must for the ride to the beach. I’ve been in the hospitality business for quite a few years working at several properties here on Long Island with both corporate and social clients.
I love helping couples plan their wedding day where there is so much joy and the beginning of a new life together. I’ve been married for 30 years so I’ve been through all the wonderful things these couples will soon experience: a great wedding day and honeymoon, buying their first home, children, entertaining friends and family at their own place. And it all starts when they get engaged!
My oldest son is going to propose to his girlfriend soon (whom I LOVE) so I will be joining all the mothers of the groom soon experiencing wedding planning from the other side!
The Wedding Memories
One of my favorite couples is Elyse and Craig. They met in Florida during a hurricane. She is a nurse and the sweetest person I’ve ever met. They made such a great, happy couple. During our planning process, my mom passed away and Elyse sent me a bouquet of flowers in sympathy from her wedding florist. It so touched me that she would think of me as she was in the middle of planning her wedding.
I attended the ceremony which was outside in our Riverside Pavilion. Craig originally wanted to arrive via his boat but the engine was acting up and thought it too risky (good call!). In addition to the beautiful décor at the ceremony, their ring bearer came down the aisle in a motorized Jeep. The cutest entrance ever!
Company History
In 2000, Atlantis Marine World opened its doors on the Peconic River as the first aquarium on Long Island. Soon after, it became one of the most unique venues for weddings and events with indoor and outdoor space on the island. In 2010, we built our beautiful 3- story Sea Star building with a waterfront ballroom overlooking our marina and the river. In addition, a 100-room Hyatt Place hotel, built to accommodate all our wedding guests and local corporate guests, became the newest property in Riverhead. In 2011, Atlantis Marine World became Long Island Aquarium. Next came the waterfront Seaside Grill, a seasonal restaurant and bar open to the public.
Downtown Riverhead is continuing its renaissance with new apartment buildings, riverfront restaurants, parks and craft breweries popping up every day. Our own company transformed our corner of Riverhead with a new 20-room high end boutique hotel and more projects are on the way. And it all started with some fish!
FAQs
1. Do you have outdoor ceremony space? Yes! May through October we offer outdoor ceremony, cocktail hour and event space outside along the Peconic River in the Long Island Aquarium.
2. Can we take pictures with the animals? Yes! We offer three photo session opportunities with a penguin, sea lion and in our tropical butterfly garden.
3. Who caters your food? We do! As a full- service catering facility we have our own chefs, kitchen and catering staff.
4. Where can our guests stay after the wedding? We have two hotels on site: the Hyatt Place East End hotel and The Preston House and Hotel. Discounted group room blocks are available through our sales department.
5. Do you have any suites? Yes, the Preston House and Hotel has several suites and the Waterfront Suite, located on the Peconic River, is a great gathering place for your family or bridal party. In addition, each Hyatt Place East End guestroom is up to 400 square feet, larger than most hotel rooms.
6. Is there a ballroom in the aquarium? No, actually, the ballroom is a separate venue from the aquarium. Evening events at the Long Island Aquarium happen directly in the aquarium among the tropical fish and shark exhibits. Some couples choose both venues with cocktail hour in the aquarium and dinner and dancing in the elegant ballroom. The choice is yours!
7. Do you do After Hour parties? Yes, we can host an after- hour wedding event in the Sea Star Ballroom or Long Island Aquarium when your wedding is hosted here.
8. Can I customize the menu? We offer three wedding packages that fit most tastes. We are able to add items to any of our current menus. Vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan options are also available.
9. Do you offer all-inclusive wedding packages? We have an vendor package that includes flowers, DJ and photographer that can be added to any of our wedding packages.
10. Do you host rehearsal dinners? Yes, we have several space options for a rehearsal dinner and post-wedding brunch.
11. Where do my guests park for my wedding? All wedding packages include valet parking. Drop off is located in front of either the aquarium or Sea Star building depending on where your event is located.
12. Is an open bar included? Yes, all wedding packages include an open bar. If you don’t drink for religious reasons, the bar may be omitted.
13. Can we come early for pictures? Yes, we invite you to come 1 to 2 hours before your wedding to take advantage of the property and the downtown area for great wedding photos.
14. Is the ballroom part of the Hyatt Place hotel? No, The Sea Star building is a stand- alone venue located in between the hotel and aquarium and hosts is own weddings and events throughout the year all booked through Atlantis Banquets and Events.
Additional Info
The Long Island Aquarium features one of the largest all-living coral reef displays in this hemisphere, a 120,000-gallon shark tank, year-round sea lion shows, numerous touch tanks, butterflies from all over the world, and more than 100 exhibits and interactive experiences.
Named a Top 10 Aquarium for Children by Parents Magazine, Long Island Aquarium is open daily, only closing on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
The Sea Star Ballroom has beautiful water views through a wall of panoramic windows overlooking our Treasure Cove Marina and the Peconic River.
Atlantis Banquets and Events can also host a variety of pre- and post-wedding activities including showers, rehearsal dinners, welcome parties and post-wedding brunches.
Guest Capacity
Long Island Aquarium- 270 guests banquet style/ Sea Star Ballroom- 320 guests banquet style
Amenities
- Bridal Suite
- Groom Quarters
- Reception Area
- Indoor Event Space
- Covered Outdoor Event Space
- Handicap Accessible
- On-Site Accommodations
- Nearby Guest Accommodations
- On-Site Ceremony
- On-Site After Party Location
- One Event at a Time
- Wi-Fi
- Valet
- On-Site Day of Coordinator
BOLI Love!
Some things that were important to me was to not have an overcrowded space and having a big dance floor. The Sea Star Ballroom checked all of the boxes for us. They have a large space with a huge dance floor in the middle with two long bars on either side. They also have a BEAUTIFUL staircase leading up to the space that I knew I wanted to take photos on. You also have access to the aquarium space as well which we used for our cocktail hour. They have a great staff that was easy to work with and listened to everything we wanted. The food options were great and everything tasted amazing!
Everything was fantastic. We had compliments from guests for weeks after the wedding. The entire wedding ran smoothly, I was never bothered by the event staff, they hand eked everything. I couldn't have had a better time!
Atlantis was the perfect place to have our wedding. All of our guests went out of their way to tell us how amazing it was and that it was the best weddig they'd ever been to. Nothing fell short of our expectations. I could not have asked for a better day!
Best venue! My wedding was so special thanks to everyone at atlantis! Jayme and patti were awesome to work with even with my 1000 emails daily ! Adrienne my bridal attendant was amazing. She was with me every step of the way and just amazing. I highly recommend this venue to anyone on a budget and looking for a fairy tale wedding ! Awesome place awesome people! Thank u so much for making our night a great memory!
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I loved having my wedding at the aquarium. It was such a beautiful venue, and I received so many compliments from my guests. The whole staff was accommodating and attentive to everything! I loved having the cocktail hour in the aquarium and then the reception in the ballroom, it was a very unique experience and wish I could relive it!
The venue, staff and food was amazing! The venue is so unique and unlike any other wedding i've attended.
The whole weekend of my wedding went off without a hitch. The staff at the aquarium were on their "A game" and kept the whole event flowing. They kept me at ease through the whole event. This is why you go to a big venue, they have all the ducks in a row. I would recommend this venue to anyone!
Absolutely amazing! Everything was better than expected! Atlantis worked hard to make sure my wedding day went smoothly and that it did. From the food to the service everything was amazing. All my guest had nothing but good things to say. Could not have asked for a better venue.
Atlantis Banquets and Events - A+ These guys were incredible from start to finish. Always with a great attitude and responded to emails within decent time frames. They made everything SO EASY to plan...to the point that I felt like I had missed something because I was always told weddings were MUCH harder than this! The views itself, absolutely gorgeous. You wouldn't think there would be such beauty of water hiding somewhere in Riverhead but I found it...unfortunately, it was torrential downpour on my wedding day by the time the ceremony was to begin, so we moved it inside to their lobby which was STILL GORGEOUS. The aquarium for a cocktail hour was so unique and a blast. Everyone loved it. The food was delicious and they gave so much variety.
