A Fernbank Museum wedding gives you something no other Atlanta venue can: dancing beside the world’s largest dinosaur skeletons, under an 86-foot glass ceiling, in one of the city’s most beloved cultural institutions. I got to photograph Kaela & Hannah’s wedding here, spending the day between two of my favorite Atlanta spots, the Hotel Clermont and Fernbank, and it remains one of the most joyful, community-filled days I’ve documented.
About Fernbank Museum
Fernbank Museum sits on 65 acres of forest in Atlanta, and its event spaces combine cultural elegance with genuinely one-of-a-kind character. The Great Hall is the museum’s signature space, featuring the 86-foot glass ceiling, dramatic lighting, a white spiral staircase, and fossil-filled limestone floors, all set beneath towering dinosaur skeletons. Rental of the Great Hall also includes the adjoining Lobby and the open-air Terrace overlooking the surrounding woodlands.
The museum can host anywhere from an intimate gathering to a grand celebration of up to 2,500 guests, with the Great Hall alone accommodating up to 350 seated guests or 500 for a standing reception. Rental fees vary based on day, time, and season, with Saturday evening events carrying a $6,000 rental minimum plus a $4,000 beverage minimum.
My advice for this venue: plan to get ready somewhere else, since Fernbank doesn’t have a dedicated bridal suite on site. Kaela & Hannah got ready together at the Hotel Clermont before heading over, and it worked beautifully, giving them a relaxed start to the day before the museum’s energy took over. Since Fernbank is open to the public during museum hours, a ceremony start time of 6:30 PM or later also gives you full privacy for your event.
Ceremony Locations at Fernbank Museum
Current ceremony options include the Great Hall, the open-air Terrace, and Dinosaur Plaza, which is available seasonally from March through September and holds up to 150 guests for a ceremony. Each space offers a different feel, from the Great Hall’s dramatic indoor scale to the Terrace’s more intimate, woodland-adjacent setting.
Reception Venues at Fernbank Museum
The Great Hall is the go-to reception space for larger celebrations, with room to dine and dance directly among the dinosaur exhibits. For smaller groups, the Fernbank Café offers a more modern, clean aesthetic with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Fernbank Forest, pairing naturally with the outdoor Terrace for cocktail hour or a smaller reception.
Reception Venues at Fernbank Museum
The Great Hall is the go-to reception space for larger celebrations, with room to dine and dance directly among the dinosaur exhibits. For smaller groups, the Fernbank Café offers a more modern, clean aesthetic with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Fernbank Forest, pairing naturally with the outdoor Terrace for cocktail hour or a smaller reception.
Photography Opportunities at Fernbank Museum
Between the dinosaur skeletons, the spiral staircase, and the fossil-filled limestone floors, there’s genuinely no shortage of striking backdrops here. Kaela & Hannah’s portraits took full advantage of that variety, from playful shots among the giant mushroom displays in the Wildwoods to more dramatic moments beneath the dinosaurs in the Great Hall. If you’re planning your own session here, it’s worth scouting the space ahead of time and building a specific shot list, since there’s enough to photograph that it’s easy to lose track in the moment.
FAQs About Fernbank Museum Weddings
How many guests can Fernbank Museum hold for a wedding? Capacity ranges from intimate gatherings up to 2,500 guests, with the Great Hall alone holding up to 350 seated or 500 for a standing reception.
Is there a bridal suite at Fernbank Museum? No, the museum doesn’t have a dedicated getting-ready suite, so most couples arrange to get ready at a nearby hotel or another location beforehand.
Can you get married in the Star Gallery at Fernbank Museum? The Star Gallery is no longer available for ceremonies. Current ceremony spaces include the Great Hall, the Terrace, and Dinosaur Plaza, available seasonally.
How much does it cost to rent Fernbank Museum for a wedding? Rental fees vary by day, time, and season, generally ranging from $1,000 to $6,000, with Saturday evening events carrying an additional beverage minimum.
Does Fernbank Museum offer privacy during a wedding, since it’s a public museum? Yes. Scheduling your ceremony for 6:30 PM or later, after the museum closes to the public, ensures full privacy for your event.
A Real Life Fernbank Museum Wedding: Kaela & Hannah
Kaela & Hannah’s Fernbank Museum wedding was full of joy and community from the very first moment. Their day began at the Hotel Clermont, where they got ready together, helping each other with details and even making time for breakfast in bed before heading to the museum.
Once at Fernbank, they explored the Great Hall’s towering dinosaur skeletons and the Wildwoods’ winding paths and mushroom displays before their ceremony. Their vows were exchanged in an intimate, star-lit space that felt both cozy and expansive, a moment made even more powerful when their officiant invited the entire room to respond “we do” alongside them, and everyone shouted it together.
Their reception carried that same energy straight through the night, with a packed dance floor in front of the dinosaurs and a happy send-off to close things out. For Kaela & Hannah, celebrating at Fernbank meant something personal too, a place many of their Atlanta guests remembered visiting as kids, now transformed into the backdrop for their wedding day.
Kaela & Hannah, thank you for letting me be part of something so full of love and community. Watching your day unfold was an absolute honor.
Planning a Fernbank Museum wedding? Get in touch, I’d love to talk about documenting it.
I felt like our day was unique and special and perfect for us. Never once did I feel like this was just another wedding for you.
Caroline & Conor
As people (and queer folks) who aren't immediately comfortable with posing/having our picture taken, getting to work with Raven was such a gift.
Sarah & Tristan
Raven is a wonderful person with an energy that made us feel relaxed and okay to be ourselves; catching all of the action without making you feel that a camera is following you around.
Sarah & Tristan
Raven is a great photographer, capturing my husband and I so effortlessly and catching epic candid moments of us and our guests.
Molly & Adam
These are SO FANTASTIC and exactly what we envisioned!!! Thank you for capturing us and our family and friends so well, we are eternally grateful!!!
I’m Raven Shutley — Atlanta wedding and elopement photographer obsessed with catching the “holy shit!” magic you’ll brag about for decades. 17+ years. 250+ love-soaked, champagne-soaked, sometimes-rain-soaked weddings. Zero boring ones.
The best days are full of “did that really happen?” moments and quiet ones alike: yelling vows over a waterfall, grandma losing her mind over your shoes, strangers cheering you on in the street. A dad-turned-unofficial paparazzi, a sibling choking up mid-speech, that deep breath the moment you realize you’re married.
The goal? A full story that’s wild, real, beautiful — so anyone looking at your photos feels like they were there.
