While a Natural History Museum may not be the first Wedding Venue that comes to mind when planning a Dallas Wedding, it is guaranteed to be a wedding your guests won't forget.
If this is the first time you've ever heard of the Perot Museum hosting weddings then you must be wondering, what does a wedding at the Perot Museum event look like?...
The short answer: AWESOME!
A Wedding as Unique as You
This Downtown Dallas Wedding Venue has eye-catching architecture and an incredible array of different lighting and textures for a unique background in every photo. I swear, no two photographers can come out of this venue with the exact same images, because there are just so many opportunities to be creative.
Photographers aren't the only ones who can really let their creativity and unique approach shine here, your vision of your wedding day can be truly your own masterpiece! For example, the wedding ceremony alone can be held in a myriad of areas around the museum: indoor, outdoor, in the gem room, onstage or in the DINOSAUR room! And the really great thing is that no matter which room you use, your guests can visit ALL of the main floors of the museum - talk about a cool experience!
However, there is ONE handicap that you need to be aware of before planning and booking your wedding...
Museum Hours
Since the Perot Museum is an active Museum and open to the public every day of the week neither you, nor your wedding vendors can enter the Museum until it is closed at 5pm.
Yeah.
That means either a later ceremony, or a ceremony at a separate location. Either option is doable but you'll need to account for the time your catering, baking, floral, and decorating vendors will need to get everything set up beforehand. About an hour and a half will do if you have minimal decorations, but the more complicated they are the more time (or more individuals you'll need to hire) to allow them to get their job done, and photographed, before your guests come through.
This set up was completed exactly at 6:30pm, right before the bride and groom's guests came through on their way to the ceremony upstairs. Take a look at some more of the reception details below (shoutout to my second photographer, Charity Simmons for capturing so many of these)!
All your Photos on Display
One of the coolest features of being inside the Perot Museum were the digital displays throughout the building. As you can see above there was one above the entrance to the Museum lobby. There were smaller displays beside each elevator, above the 'bar', and at the entrance into the Gem Room where these two lovebirds were hitched (see the picture below, again captured by my wonderful second photographer, Charity Simmons).
Are you excited to see what the ceremony looked like inside the Gem Room?
Keep scrolling to find out!
A Wedding Ceremony inside the Gem Room
The Gem Room has such fun mood lighting, which allows the beautiful minerals in the room to stand out, but since we want the wedding couple to stand out during the ceremony I brought in some additional lights to help brighten up the room. naturally dim room, we invested in some additional off-camera lighting in order to really light up the room.. It is an added cost to do so, but definitely worth the investment! Check out these Perot Museum Wedding Photos!
Incredible, right?!
Portrait Time!
Following the conclusion of the ceremony (which was beautifully officiated by Rev. Fricke of A Day Made for Us) we did a few quick family photos in the Gem Room.
Then came the Couple Portraits in and around the outside of the museum. You can take pictures in any part of the museum that is open to the public, so there is a lot of opportunity to take advantage of the fun exhibits and architecture.
Take a look at these fun Perot Museum wedding portraits we took out front and on the stairs #squadgoals:
Now let's Party!
**Another timing matter you will need to keep in mind when planning out your Perot Museum Wedding, is the amount of time your photographer, or DJ, will need to move any equipment they used for your ceremony to the reception area. This will take between 15-20 minutes depending on how far apart the rooms are. Hiring a Wedding Day Planner can help your wedding vendors communicate with each other about everyone's timing needs so there is not a big gap of time the day of your wedding.
Katie & Katie of One Fat Dove and the Perot Museum Special Events Coordinator, Jessica, worked together to help make sure the transition for everyone went smoothly for this wedding. Everyone knew where to go and what to do thanks to their coordination.
It really takes a team to bring a whole wedding together, and these guys bring so much value to your vendor team!
Quick Tip: One easy way to make sure your vendors have enough time to complete their set-up before the main events of the reception is to have your dinner or refreshments before everything else. While everyone else is in line grabbing their food, your photographer and DJ can go upstairs to get anything left behind and make it back down again.
End of the Night
Your rental of the Perot Museum will ends at midnight, but keep in mind that your vendors will need time to take down and put away their equipment at the end of the night. Some newlywed couples might opt to end their photography for the day earlier, right after the cake is cut, but I would strongly suggest keeping your photographer around until you leave.
WHY? So you can get some special last dance photos like these ones:
Ah! #youcompleteme And some fun send-off photos like this:
One of the best parts of renting at the Perot Museum, is knowing that once you go no one in your wedding party will have to stay behind to pick afterwards. The incredible staff at The Perot Museum has got your back and TRUST ME when I say they are quick and efficient at what they do!
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Want to know a little bit more about the fine details of renting out the Perot Museum of Nature and Science? Take a look below to find out more.
The Specifics
**The Perot Museum has many options for your wedding and reception and can accommodate up to 1500 people.
**Only one event is hosted at the Perot Museum each day so you will have complete privacy, and their full attention on the day of your wedding (from 5pm-Midnight).
**When you book a wedding of special event with the Perot Museum, your rental fee includes:
Assistance from our experienced event-planning staff to create a customized, innovative, and impeccable event
Exclusive use of the reserved area(s)
Basic housekeeping
Use of Museum-owned tables and chairs
Additional costs include:
Catering
Parking
Security
**There are currently two caterers you may choose from for your Wedding at the Perot Museum:
-Wolfgang Puck (an inhouse catering service) or
If you decide to go with the Perot Museum for your wedding or event I promise you will NOT be disappointed! As you can tell from these images, not only will you have a wonderful time but your wedding and reception will be absolutely stunning!
-Sarah Mae
Photography of Sarah Mae P.S. Need some help putting together the vendors for your wedding? Check out the Dream Team we had for this wedding.
The Wedding Vendor Team for this Museum Wedding in Dallas included: PLANNER: @OneFatDove
VENUE: @perotmuseum
PHOTO BOOTH: @booth_by_mail
Makeup Artist: @itisashleysworld
PHOTOGRAPHER: @PHOTOGRAPHY_OF_SARAHMAE
SECOND PHOTOGRAPHER: @charitysimmonsphotography
BAKERY: @basicallybakersdfw
CATERING: @beyondthebox_catering
OFFICIANT: @adaymadeforus
BRIDE'S RING: @fullers_jewelry BRIDE'S DRESS: @davidsbridal
GROOM's TUXEDO: @menswearhouse