Jen & Michael | Durham Wedding
Museum of Life and Science Wedding
Jen Barratt and Michael Byrd hosted their Museum of Life and Science wedding in Durham NC on Oct. 19, 2024. Fancy This Photography partner Amanda Law captured every special moment, from the pre-wedding festivities to the last dance of the night.
Before the big day, Jen and Michael kicked off the celebrations with a casual welcome dinner at their favorite brewery, Durty Bull Brewing Co. Guests enjoyed pizza, wings, and good company in a chill setting where everyone was welcome. “It was a massive party before the big day,” Jen said. “We had an open mic for anyone who wanted to make a speech. I performed a tap dance in honor of my late dad—I’ve been tap dancing since I was a kid, and I’m in a local company called Footnotes Tap Ensemble in Chapel Hill.”
The welcome party was filled with heartfelt moments. A surprise musical tribute from Michael’s family brought the house down. They rewrote the lyrics to Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers to tell the couple’s love story - iconic.
Magical Museum of Life and Science Events
Jen and Michael exchanged vows on a secluded lawn beside the museum’s Butterfly Sanctuary, surrounded by their closest loved ones. Museum of Life and Science offers a variety of beautiful indoor and outdoor event spaces, but there’s something really magical about the way the setting sun reflects off the Butterfly Sanctuary’s glass walls. The mirrored building creates a breathtaking ceremony backdrop nestled in the trees. Museum of Life and Science’s unique architecture and natural surroundings are a photographer’s dream combo.
Amanda Law photographed the wedding using a Sony a7 III and Sony a7 IV, with Sarah Martin providing support as second shooter.
“The sun finished setting just as the ceremony ended, which was perfect timing—as we just ran out of light after Jen and Micheal walked back down the aisle,” recalls Amanda.
Guests enjoyed cocktail hour on the Butterfly Sanctuary’s patio after the ceremony. They sipped drinks and explored the museum’s exhibits in the setting sunlight. The evening continued with a buffet-style dinner, catered by Catering by Design, in the Aerospace Center—a short walk across the museum grounds. The reception was filled with music, dancing, and interactive exhibits that made the night unforgettable.
Jen and Michael expressed gratitude for the Museum of Life and Science’s event coordinator, Rachel Rahili, as well as their wedding planner, Heather Thomas of Bonafide Events, who both helped bring their vision to life.
Fall is a stunning season for weddings in Durham, and Oct. 19, 2024, was no exception. With clear skies and a perfect 70-degree day, Jen and Michael shared their first look on the walkways by the lake. They chose a more private setting for this special moment, as they also exchanged personal vows and wanted time alone to connect.
Keep scrolling to see more love-filled moments from Jen and Michael’s Museum of Life and Science wedding in Durham NC.
Museum of Life and Science offers a variety of indoor and outdoor event spaces, but there’s something really magical about the way the setting sun reflects off the Butterfly Sanctuary’s glass walls. Photo by Amanda Law // Fancy This Photography.
Real Wedding Reviews: Fancy This Photography
This wasn’t Amanda’s first time photographing a wedding at the Museum of Life and Science. She loves working at this one-of-a-kind Durham venue. Her favorite thing about the museum is the incredible variety of scenery, all in one location.
“The catwalks by the lake give beautiful, serene views, the ceremony site behind the Butterfly House has gorgeous architectural interest and a really cool modern vibe that contrasts well with the more natural landscapes, and what can you even say about the Butterfly House? It’s a tropical paradise in the middle of our temperate NC climate,” says Amanda.
As an added bonus for Jen and Michael’s wedding album, Amanda’s lens captured a couple of unexpected guests—beautiful butterflies, or should we say wedding crashers?
“Amanda Law caught the whole day,” says Jen. “She was the perfect choice for a photographer. She was awesome. Our wedding day was captured so beautifully with posed and candid pictures.”
Amanda expertly adjusted her cameras for the changing light as the sun set during the ceremony and cocktail hour. She beautifully captured the radiant glow of the Butterfly Sanctuary’s greenhouse and garden backdrop. Jen and Michael were relieved to work with professionals familiar with the museum’s campus and exhibits.
“We did an engagement shoot with Amanda to get used to posing for pictures—something neither of us had ever done,” says Jen. “We had an awesome time with Amanda, who felt like a fast friend, during our shoot at West Point on the Eno—one of our favorite spots to walk our dog.”
Jen’s bridesmaids designed their own bouquets, along with the bridal bouquet and boutonnieres, using the bride’s favorite locally grown flowers from Piedmont Wholesale Flowers. Photo by Amanda Law // Fancy This Photography.
Getting Wedding Ready in Downtown Durham
Jen and Michael share their Bull City home with Rafiki Byrd, their five-year-old mutt. A dog DNA test revealed that he is mostly American foxhound. Michael adopted Rafiki when he was just nine weeks old. “He's the best and has many doggy friends around town in our Durham family,” says Jen.
Michael got ready at the couple’s home in North Durham alongside his brothers, father, Jen’s brother, their friend and wedding officiant, Adina—and, of course, Rafiki. Jen got ready at a beautiful Victorian-style home on the corner of Trinity and Roxboro, which her family rented for the weekend. She was joined by her best friends and bridesmaids, her sister and maid of honor, her mother, stepfather, and Michael’s mother as they prepared for the big day together.
The wedding’s color palette resembled a desert oasis, featuring hues of sage, eucalyptus, terracotta, and dusk. Photo by Amanda Law // Fancy This Photography.
Museum of Life and Science Wedding Venue
Jen and Michael wanted a unique, local wedding venue—somewhere that gives back to the Durham community. The Museum of Life and Science is more than a typical wedding venue and holds special meaning for the couple. They have visited the museum with out-of-town family and share many friends who are active museum members.
“We love the outdoors, we love to host parties, and we love Durham, so [the Museum of Life and Science] just made sense,” says Jen.
Located less than 10 minutes from downtown Durham, the museum offers convenience and comfort. Guests are even allowed to leave their cars overnight in the venue’s parking lot.
Jen, who loves a good theme, wanted the wedding to “speak to us as a couple and tell the story of us.” She painted and sketched watercolor postcards of every destination they visited during a nine-month road trip out West—a sentimental and artistic touch that set the tone for the wedding. The theme?
“And so our adventure continues”
The wedding’s color palette resembled a desert oasis, featuring hues of sage, eucalyptus, terracotta, and dusk. Jen created a DIY mountainscape backdrop for the seating chart and a desert bluffs display for the wedding party’s welcome table. Each table featured her watercolor postcards as centerpieces, surrounded by eucalyptus arrangements made with fresh local greens from Piedmont Wholesale Flowers, accented with twinkle lights.
Jen’s bridesmaids designed their own bouquets, along with the bridal bouquet and boutonnieres. They used the bride’s favorite locally grown flowers, including zinnias, dahlias, and greenery. As wedding favors, Jen handcrafted pottery ornaments shaped like mountains, cacti, and moons—a nod to Michael’s mother and Jen’s shared love of handmade pottery. Each ornament was stamped with a hummingbird, the bride’s favorite bird. Love is in the details, and Fancy This Photography is all about the details!
Michael and Jen exchanged two sets of vows. They wrote private vows to each other, which they shared during their first look by the museum’s pond. Photo by Amanda Law // Fancy This Photography.
Jen and Michael’s True Love Story
The bride and groom moved to Durham more than a decade ago—Jen from New Jersey and Michael from South Carolina. Today, Jen is an occupational therapist at Duke University Hospital, and Michael is a software engineer.
Jen and Michael matched on two different dating apps before finally connecting on Hinge in March 2020. Their love story was further delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and stay-at-home orders, as Jen works with immunocompromised patients at Duke University Hospital. Early dates consisted of virtual hangouts, followed by socially distanced rollerblading, hiking, and tennis. They spent their first year together in a small pandemic pod of friends, “playing house,” celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas alone, and video-chatting with their families. They were thrilled to finally go on their first official dinner date in downtown Durham more than a year into their relationship.
Jen had always dreamed of taking a road trip out West. So, she and Michael packed up their Subaru and set off with their 50-pound pup, Rafiki, on a nine-month cross-country adventure focused on the Southwest and Pacific Northwest. Michael surprised Jen by dropping to one knee during a self-timed photo and proposing on a hike through Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
Jen’s engagement ring holds deep sentimental value—it’s the same emerald ring her late father used to propose to her mother. Not only is emerald the bride’s birthstone, but Michael’s proposal on May 6, 2023, made it all the more meaningful.
Wedding Ceremony Details
Truth be told, Jen and Michael were legally married at the courthouse a few weeks before their Museum of Life and Science wedding in Durham NC. Their courthouse ceremony was witnessed by their officiant and close friend, Adina Bianchi, along with their friend and bridesmaid, Margaret Sands.
Adina officiated their outdoor wedding ceremony at the museum, surprising the couple with a heartfelt speech and blessing. The ceremony also featured a few special readings. Abbey Riddick and Elizabeth Atwell gave a personal reading about the love of dogs and family in honor of Rafiki. Fittingly, the two were recently engaged and had just adopted their own pup, Béla. The second reading was by Erin Jones, Jen’s best friend of 15 years. She read a touching passage about love and marriage—two things she knows well, as Jen and Michael both adore her husband, Jake.
The bride and groom exchanged two sets of vows. They wrote private vows to each other, which they shared during their first look by the museum’s pond.
“Michael's vows were so beautiful, they made me tear up,” says Jen. “To this day, I think the only other person who has heard those vows is Amanda Law, hahaha.”
Jen and Michael crafted vows together for the Museum of Life and Science wedding ceremony. Their vows reflected their values. Neither of them is religious, and they wanted their wedding to be “equal, based on love and friendship, and the freedom to be ourselves.”
Jen and Michael exchanged vows on a secluded lawn beside the museum’s Butterfly Sanctuary on Oct. 19, 2024. Photo by Amanda Law // Fancy This Photography.
Cocktail Hour & Wedding Reception Details
Live music set the vibe for Jen and Michael’s cocktail hour, which featured their first dance on the Butterfly Sanctuary patio. Michael's brother and sister-in-law, Taylor Byrd and Jenny Byrd, are professional musicians based in Miami. They performed a beautiful set of Jen and Michael’s favorite songs during cocktail hour as a special gift to the couple. Jenny was on lead vocals and Taylor on guitar. Their band, The Details, made cocktail hour even more special and memorable.
Jen and Michael turned to Little Barb's Bakery to bring their wedding cake vision to life. The bakery created a cool ski slope-inspired cake in honor of the couple’s shared love of skiing.
“It was a beautiful and tasty two-tier cake with ski runs, little skiers, and evergreen trees on the sides,” says Jen. “One tier was lemon cake with lemon curd filling, and the other was vanilla cake with fresh fruit filling. Everything was covered in vanilla buttercream to resemble snow. Our cake topper was a picture of us in our ski attire on top of a mountain.”
Jen and Michael made it a priority to support local Durham businesses in planning their dream wedding at the Museum of Life and Science.
Jen created a DIY mountainscape backdrop for the seating chart and a desert bluffs display for the wedding party’s welcome table. Photo by Amanda Law // Fancy This Photography.
Each table featured Jen’s watercolor postcards as centerpieces, surrounded by eucalyptus arrangements made with fresh local greens from Piedmont Wholesale Flowers, accented with twinkle lights.
Michael's brother and sister-in-law, Taylor Byrd and Jenny Byrd, performed live music during cocktail hour. Photo by Amanda Law // Fancy This Photography.
Favorite Wedding Day Moments
The Butterfly Sanctuary was a guest favorite during cocktail hour, offering a warm and beautiful escape.
Heartfelt speeches from the maid of honor, Emily Barratt (Jen's sister), and the best man, Andrew Byrd (one of Michael's brothers), added to the emotional highlights of the evening.
The reception turned into an unforgettable dance party next to the giant lunar lander in the Aerospace Center. Guests danced the night away to a playlist featuring the couple’s favorite tunes, including Mambo No. 5, Robyn, Dua Lipa, and Bruce Springsteen.
A hilariously fun makeshift photo booth was a huge hit. Set up with a ring light and a cellphone, it featured the moonscape mural backdrop, complete with inflatable astronauts and rockets—perfect for capturing silly and spontaneous moments.
Jen and Michael expressed gratitude for the Museum of Life and Science’s event coordinator, Rachel Rahili, as well as their wedding planner, Heather Thomas of Bonafide Events, who helped bring their vision to life. Photo by Amanda Law // Fancy This Photography.
Happily Ever After Party at Kotuku Surf Club
The Byrds kept the celebration going with a wedding after-party at their favorite downtown Durham bar, Surf Club.
“It was awesome to see all of our friends from all stages of life sharing shots of whiskey and old stories,” says Jen, who sported a giant light-up jellyfish hat—because, as she put it, “why not?”
On Sunday, the newlyweds hosted a laid-back gathering at their home, giving their families and friends a chance to relax, enjoy the deck, and spend time with their beloved pup, Rafiki.
The Museum of Life and Science wedding reception turned into an unforgettable dance party next to the giant lunar lander in the Aerospace Center.
Photography // Amanda Law - Fancy This Photography
Planning // Bona Fide Events
Catering // Catering By Design
Venue // Museum of Life and Science
Hair & Makeup // @ashleylozahairandmakeup
Live Music // @thedetailsband
DJ // Boss Playa Productions
Rentals // American Party Rentals
Baker // Little Barb’s Bakery