Seymour Marine Discovery Center
Select services venue
The venue will provide the space, plus a few extras.
Full wedding (ceremony and reception) pricing
Starting at $4,000
Guest capacity
Up to 140 seated guests
About this venue
The Seymour Center is an oceanfront hideaway for an intimate wedding that your guests will be talking about for years to come. One of the most unique wedding venues on the Central Coast, The Seymour Center boasts breathtaking ocean views and multiple bluff-top terraces. After the ceremony, come inside and sip cocktails while your guests gaze upon the marine life of the Monterey Bay. Unveil a one of a kind wedding at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center. Call or email us directly to learn more.
Our event spaces
- EXHIBIT HALL
- LA FELIZ ROOM
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Available services that can be provided by Seymour Marine Discovery Center
Services & amenities
- Dressing room / Bridal Suite
- Event rentals
- Lighting/Sound
- Wheelchair accessible
- Wifi
Transportation & access
- Self parking - free
- Self parking - paid
- Wheelchair accessible
Rentals
- Lighting
- Sound / AV
- Standard Chairs
Reviews
Write a review5.0 out of 5
2 reviews
Bride
Seymour Marine Discovery Center was the perfect venue for our wedding! From the start, their communication was prompt, clear and easygoing, which made the planning process a breeze. The space itself is naturally beautiful and unique - our guests loved exploring the touch tanks during cocktail hour and spotting dolphins, otters and migrating pelicans from the outdoor area. Seymour truly made the event spectacular - they were super flexible, have an awesome unique space, and provide value for money that can't be found literally anywhere else. We couldn't have asked for a better wedding venue!
Response from vendor•Oct 21, 2024Aww this made me so happy to read! Your group was so sweet and my team loved working with you!Perfect Venue
The Seymour Center was absolutely perfect! The ocean view from the bluffs was an amazing backdrop to our ceremony and the exhibit hall was such a unique space for the reception. All of our guests raved about how amazing our venue was and the touch pool was a big hit with the kids. It was also meaningful to us that our money goes to fund marine outreach and education. The event staff were so accommodating, professional, and prompt when answering our hundreds of questions. Thank you Emily, Audrey, and the rest of the staff!
Preferred vendors of Seymour Marine Discovery Center
Photographer
Soil and Sea Photography
Planner
Danzante Events
Caterer
Feast For A King Catering
Santa Cruz, CA
The process begins when you place a two week hold on an available date. At the end of the two week period, to confirm your reservation, we need: 1. Event Questionnaire (a Google form to get information about your event) 2. $20% non-refundable deposit, paid by check made out to UC Regents. Once we receive the questionnaire, we’ll send a contract via DocuSign. Once you have all your vendors confirmed, we’ll send one last contract called a Use Permit, also via DocuSign.
Unfortunately, we do not. Events paid for through UC accounting get special rates, but we do not have discounts in place for alumni or faculty at this time.
It is not. Deposits cover the staff time taken to help coordinate your event, even if you cancel.
We offer weekend tours on a case by case basis. Email us your availability and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Parking is enforced Monday through Friday, 8AM - 5PM. It is $1.95 an hour or $9.45 for the day. The easiest way to pay for parking is through the Park Mobile app.
We allow amplified music on the decks during wedding ceremonies. After the ceremony, we only allow amplified music inside and acoustic music on the decks. You can play amplified music inside and have the doors open.
The Ocean Discovery Shop is open from 10AM - 4PM, Wednesday through Sunday.
The Seymour Center does not own our parking lot so this is decided on a case by case basis. No alcohol is permitted in the parking lot.
Absolutely! An acoustic band is permitted anywhere in the space. A band playing amplified music must remain indoors.
You may use a caterer not on our preferred list. Any outside caterer must provide a certificate of insurance (COI) that lists “The Regents of the University of California” as additionally insured two months before your event, sign our caterer agreement and if possible, tour the space ahead of the event.
250 is the maximum number of guests allowed at the Seymour Center. The capacity of the La Feliz room and deck is 120.
Once we are closed to the public, food and drink is permitted throughout the Exhibit Hall, except by our seawater touchtable.
We do not. We recommend hiring a full- service caterer, a coordinator or cleanup crew.
Only on days when we are closed to the public. We do not offer this option on days we are open to the public because our first priority is educating people about the role scientific research plays in the understanding and conservation of the world’s oceans.
We charge $500 for clients to set up for two hours the evening before their event and leave the items overnight. If there are no events the following morning, clients can leave rentals on the La Feliz deck overnight free of charge. If you would like to come the following day to break down and clean up your event, it must be arranged in advance and is not guaranteed. This option also costs $500.
Absolutely, as long as the lighting doesn’t disturb the native plants.
We do not. We recommend you bring one to help take out the trash and take things to your car.
We do not. It’s a liability issue so we ask clients to bring their own.
Please keep all tape on the designated boards in the La Feliz room.
Both real and artificial flowers are permit- ted, but please keep them on the tables. No flowers or flower petals (real or fake) are allowed on the ground outside.
Candles are fine as long as they’re in a container that is one inch higher than the flame.
Absolutely, as long as decorations are free standing or tied up. Please do not tape, tack or nail items anywhere in the Exhibit Hall. Keep in mind that set-up in the Exhibit Hall cannot begin until after we close the public at 4PM so it’s best to keep decorations to a minimum.
A wedding coordinator or a full-service caterer is strongly recommended, but only required for weddings with more than 100 guests. If you do not have a wedding coor- dinator or a full-service caterer, you must have a sober day of contact and have your cleanup plan approved by the Private Events Office.
In the event of rain, ceremonies can be moved inside to the Exhibit Hall or the La Feliz room.
The point sits on top of the seawater pump that supplies the water for all the Long Marine Lab’s live animals. Unfortunately, nothing can be set up on or around the access to the pump.
Ceremonies on the La Feliz deck can happen at any time. Ceremonies on the Shipwreck Deck normally take place at 4:30 or 5PM, depending on how much decoration and other setup you’re planning.
If it is not being used by our School Programs department, you can rent one of our classrooms for a private changing and storage space. Please note that there is no running water or mirrors in the classrooms.
About a month before your wedding, you can reach out to the Private Events Office to schedule your rehearsal. We do our best to schedule your rehearsal the day before your wedding, but it may vary based on our event calendar. Need to have your rehearsal the day before? We’ll charge you $500 and give you two hours to setup the La Feliz room on the eve of your wedding.
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