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Druid Hills Wedding Venue
Fernbank Museum weddings
A natural history museum where the reception can happen under a glass ceiling beside giant dinosaur skeletons. The Star Gallery suits a small wedding under fiber optic stars, and the outdoor Dinosaur Plaza hosts warm season ceremonies by a fountain. Guests can be given private run of the exhibitions.
Ceremony And Reception Spaces
| Space | Guests | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| The Great Hall | Up to 500 | Under an 86 foot glass ceiling beside the world's largest dinosaurs, with a white spiral staircase and fossil filled limestone floors. |
| The Star Gallery | Up to 120 | An oval room with 542 fiber optic stars, suggested for intimate weddings. |
| Dinosaur Plaza and Terrace | Up to 250 | Outdoor ceremony and cocktail space with a dinosaur fountain and views of WildWoods, offered March through September. |
| Stephensen Hall | Up to 350 | Two story columns and tall windows overlooking the Giants of the Mesozoic, used for ceremonies and cocktail hours. |
How It Photographs
The Great Hall's 86 foot glass ceiling floods it with daylight, and the outdoor plaza looks toward the WildWoods trees.
Venue Details
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Published Price | The Great Hall starting at $5,500. The Star Gallery starting at $2,500. Dinosaur Plaza and Terrace starting at $3,000. Stephensen Hall starting at $3,000. The Fernbank Cafe starting at $2,000. Full beverage service requires a $3,000 to $4,000 minimum depending on the day. (source) |
| Catering | Chosen From The Museum's List Of Approved Atlanta Caterers. |
| Phone | 404-929-6300 |
| Website | The venue site |
| Address | 767 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30307 |
Facts from fernbankmuseum.org, read November 2026.
What The Venue Publishes
- The Fernbank Cafe holds 125 for rehearsal dinners. Private exhibition access is $1,000 per exhibition or $2,500 for all indoor exhibitions, and the Giant Screen Theater is $2,500. Capacities are for standing receptions.
How I Would Photograph A Wedding Here
A garden wedding lives or dies by the time of day. I walk the paths with the venue before the day, note where the shade falls at ceremony time, and save the best beds and the longest view for the last hour of sun.
This venue publishes outdoor space, so I would plan around the sun. A ceremony in full midday sun means squinting guests and hard shadows, so look up the sunset for your month first and work back from it. Even if dinner is inside, twenty quiet minutes outside before sunset make the photographs couples frame.
Big windows are the best light indoors. I would put the two of you near them for the getting ready photographs and for a few portraits if the weather turns, and keep the room lights low so the color stays clean.
A long view is worth planning for. I would find the spot where the view opens up behind you, then come back to it right at sunset and again at blue hour, about twenty minutes later, when the sky turns deep blue.
A big outdoor wedding needs a plan more than more cameras. Photo and film work as one team, we agree on the family photo list ahead of time, and we place ourselves before the procession so nobody blocks the aisle.
Ask where you will get ready. A bright room with a big window makes the dress, the details and those first quiet minutes look their best, and if it is close to the ceremony spot it saves time on a hot day.
Questions To Ask Fernbank Museum
- If it rains, which indoor room holds the ceremony, and when do we have to decide?
- Is there a suite for getting ready, and does it have a big window?
- Where is the shade at the time of our ceremony, and can the chairs face away from the sun?
- What time does outdoor music have to stop, and is the space private to us all day?
- Which areas of the grounds can we use for portraits, and when is the last call for the rain plan?
Send me the answers and your date, and I will plan the photographs and the film around them. Check your date.
What Fernbank Museum Publishes
The Story Of Fernbank Museum
Fernbank Museum of Natural History opened in October 1992 at 767 Clifton Road. The museum says its environmental commitment goes back to 1939, when Fernbank Forest was preserved as a school in the woods for nature study, and it describes the forest as one of the largest stands of urban Piedmont forest in the United States.
More Spaces At Fernbank Museum
| Space | Guests | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Great Hall | 500 standing reception | Listed for weddings with an 86 foot glass ceiling and fossil filled limestone floors. Rentals start at $5,500 |
| Star Gallery | 120 standing reception | Listed for intimate weddings, starting at $2,500, with complimentary access to the World of Shells exhibition |
| Stephensen Hall | 350 standing reception | Ceremony site starting at $3,000 |
| Dinosaur Plaza and Terrace | 250 standing reception | Seasonal ceremony site from March through September, starting at $3,000 |
| Fernbank Cafe | 125 standing reception | Listed for rehearsal dinners starting at $2,000, and draping can create a pre-function or intimate space |
What Comes With A Wedding Here
Fernbank Museum lists these with a wedding on its own pages.
- Complimentary World of Shells exhibition access with the Star Gallery
- Private access to all indoor exhibitions can be added for $2,500 or one exhibition for $1,000
- The Giant Screen Theater can be added for $2,500 with extra films at $1,000 each
Catering, Bar And Vendors
Catering must come from the museum approved caterer list of Affairs to Remember, Bold Events, Dennis Dean Catering, LowCountry Catering and Proof of the Pudding. The museum runs the bar. Bar options are by the drink at $12 for premium mixed drinks, $6 for beer, $9 or $12 for wine by tier, $9 for sparkling wine and $3 for soft drinks or water, or hourly per person packages for full or limited bars. Full catering is required for the guest count at any event serving alcohol, an outside caterer may supply only tea, coffee, non alcoholic punch and water, and bartenders are required at one per 75 guests with a barback each.
Timing, Music And Load In
Beverage minimums are $4,000 on Saturday evenings and Sundays before holidays and $3,000 on Friday evenings, not counting labor, service charges or tax. A signed beverage agreement and full payment of estimated charges are due 14 days before the event. The published pages give no end time.
Where Guests Stay
No rooms on site.
Getting There And Parking
The museum is at 767 Clifton Road, Atlanta 30307. The pages read do not publish parking details for events.
Rehearsals, Welcome Parties And More
The museum rents space for rehearsal dinners, corporate events and private events, and handles events up to 2,500 guests overall.
Touring And Booking
Couples use the special events contact form on the museum site, call 404 929 6300 or email Guest Services. A catering and beverage one sheet and a daytime rentals brochure are posted as PDFs.
From fernbankmuseum.org, fernbankmuseum.org, fernbankmuseum.org, fernbankmuseum.org, read November 2026. Policies change, so confirm each one with the venue.
Plan The Day
A Wedding Day At Fernbank Museum
Fernbank Museum lists outdoor space, so the ceremony time is the one decision that changes every photograph. I like a ceremony that ends a little more than an hour before sunset. The light is softer, guests are not squinting into the sun, and we walk straight from the recessional into portraits while the sky warms up. Fernbank Museum does not publish a rain plan, so ask for it in writing and walk the backup room on your tour.
The times below are worked out from the sunset in Atlanta on the 15th of each month, with daylight saving included. Move everything earlier in winter and later in June.
| Month | Ceremony | Portraits Begin | Sunset | Blue Hour Ends |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 6:25 PM | 7:10 PM | 8:10 PM | 8:40 PM |
| May | 6:45 PM | 7:30 PM | 8:30 PM | 9:00 PM |
| June | 7:05 PM | 7:50 PM | 8:50 PM | 9:20 PM |
| September | 6:00 PM | 6:45 PM | 7:45 PM | 8:15 PM |
| October | 5:20 PM | 6:05 PM | 7:05 PM | 7:35 PM |
| November | 3:50 PM | 4:35 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:05 PM |
Getting ready photos usually start about two hours before the ceremony, so book hair and makeup to finish thirty minutes before I arrive.
Compare
How Fernbank Museum Compares
At up to 2,500 guests, Fernbank Museum is one of the largest venues in this guide, number 1 of the 65 that publish a capacity. It is one of 26 venues in this guide that put a price online. Other museum or garden venues in this guide are High Museum of Art, The Carter Center, Fair Oaks, Marietta Educational Garden Center.
Questions About Fernbank Museum
How many guests fit at Fernbank Museum?
Fernbank Museum publishes up to 2,500 guests. Ask the venue which space fits your plan.
How much does Fernbank Museum cost for a wedding?
Here is what the venue lists online. The Great Hall starting at $5,500. The Star Gallery starting at $2,500. Dinosaur Plaza and Terrace starting at $3,000. Stephensen Hall starting at $3,000. The Fernbank Cafe starting at $2,000. Full beverage service requires a $3,000 to $4,000 minimum depending on the day.. Prices change, so confirm with the venue.
Can we bring our own caterer or bar to Fernbank Museum?
Catering must come from the museum approved caterer list of Affairs to Remember, Bold Events, Dennis Dean Catering, LowCountry Catering and Proof of the Pudding. The museum runs the bar. Bar options are by the drink at $12 for premium mixed drinks, $6 for beer, $9 or $12 for wine by tier, $9 for sparkling wine and $3 for soft drinks or water, or hourly per person packages for full or limited bars. Full catering is required for the guest count at any event serving alcohol, an outside caterer may supply only tea, coffee, non alcoholic punch and water, and bartenders are required at one per 75 guests with a barback each.
What time does a wedding have to end at Fernbank Museum?
Beverage minimums are $4,000 on Saturday evenings and Sundays before holidays and $3,000 on Friday evenings, not counting labor, service charges or tax. A signed beverage agreement and full payment of estimated charges are due 14 days before the event. The published pages give no end time.
Where can our guests stay near Fernbank Museum?
No rooms on site.
How do guests get to Fernbank Museum and where do they park?
The museum is at 767 Clifton Road, Atlanta 30307. The pages read do not publish parking details for events.
Will you photograph our wedding at Fernbank Museum?
Yes. I photograph and film weddings all over Atlanta. Check your date and tell me about your plans.
Found Your Venue
Tell me where in Atlanta you are getting married and I will tell you how I would photograph it.