One of the biggest decisions that go into planning a wedding is choosing a venue. Whether it’s for the ceremony or the reception, the venue is critical to ensuring the wedding is the perfect night for the bride, groom, and everyone in attendance.
Picking the best Milwaukee wedding venue can be stressful, but don’t worry. We’re here to help you out.
The best wedding venues have a unique interior, seating capacity for expected guests, room for dancing, and accommodating staff that makes planning your special event a breeze. Great catering services, exquisite decor, and guest services like parking only add to the popularity of some of the city’s best wedding venues.
Read below for the fifteen most popular venues for weddings in Milwaukee.
1. Milwaukee Art Museum
One of Milwaukee’s premier wedding venues, the Milwaukee Art Museum is truly a striking destination for your special day. The Art Museum’s stunning architecture sets the stage for a unique experience, along with unparalleled views of the lake.
When planning a wedding at the Art Museum, one can choose between numerous event spaces, like the main entryway pavilion, various halls, and the outdoor pavilion when the weather allows. This Milwaukee wedding venue holds up to 400 guests, and there are numerous wedding packages available to make planning easier than ever.
Catering is provided by the museum’s staff from the Cafe Calatrava, which never disappoints. Choose a Milwaukee icon for your wedding venue by picking the Art Museum.
- Address: 700 N. Art Museum Dr.
- Milwaukee Art Museum Wedding Rates
2. Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery
What once was the Pabst Brewery complex is now a thriving neighborhood in Milwaukee, with micro-breweries, hotels, bars, and restaurants. Many of the buildings are repurposed from the brewery, such as the nearby boutique hotel, The Brewhouse Inn & Suites.
Another repurposed building is Best Place, a large event space that also hosts a tourist office for anyone looking for some local Pabst history. Best Place makes for a great wedding venue. Best Place holds up to three hundred guests spread between indoor halls and outdoor courtyards, and the venue has a great dance floor.
With stained glass windows and hardwood decor, the beautiful setting makes for an ideal wedding location. Additionally, booking Best Place comes with a team of hospitality experts to ensure your event goes off without a hitch.
- Address: 901 W. Juneau Ave
- Best Place Wedding Rates
3. Villa Terrace
Villa Terrace was originally a mansion built for a prominent Milwaukee family in 1924. The Italian-style villa offers exceptional lake views, and the prominent staircase and gardens leading toward the lake are well-known throughout Milwaukee.
In 1966 the mansion was donated to the city and has served as a decorative arts museum and gardens ever since, in addition to providing one of the best wedding venues in Milwaukee. The wedding photos taken at Villa Terrace can hardly be replicated without a trip to Europe.
Villa Terrace is available for half and full-day wedding rentals and comes with bar service and an extensive list of approved caterers. For one of the poshest wedding venues in Milwaukee, check out Villa Terrace.
- Address: 2220 N. Terrace Ave
- Villa Terrace Wedding Rates
4. Coast
Coast is an event space at the end of Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Milwaukee. With great views of the lake and the Art Museum, Coast offers an ideal location for weddings at a pretty affordable rate.
There are indoor and outdoor spaces to take advantage of, and the space itself can accommodate about 250 guests. The event staff is also able to help with things like catering and flower services, in addition to designing weddings around particular cultural requests, like Kosher or Indian. For great views and fun event space, check out Coast for your wedding venue.
- Address: 931 E. Wisconsin Ave
- Coast Wedding Rates
5. Cuvee
Located in the center of the Historic Third Ward, Cuvee is a trendy event space located on the top floor of a historic building, originally from 1893.
The location in the Third Ward couldn’t get much better, and the space itself is both modern and classy, with exposed cream city brick walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, and several areas for guests to spread out.
Cuvee also comes along with a team of professionals to help plan the wedding. For an easy yet perfect wedding planning process, consider Cuvee. Our friends had their wedding reception here, and it was gorgeous!
- Address: 177 N. Broadway
- Cuvee Wedding Rates
6. Discovery World
Discovery World is a popular museum located on Milwaukee’s lakefront, right next to the Art Museum. The building also serves as a popular venue for weddings and other corporate events, especially given the cool design of the building and the fantastic lake views.
With seven different parts of the museum available for rental, Discovery World can accommodate up to three hundred guests. With ample parking and shuttle services included with wedding planning, getting guests to and from the museum is a piece of cake.
The food at Discovery World weddings is catered by the Bartolotta Restaurant Group, certain to impress your guests.
Visit Discovery World to see why it’s one of the most popular Milwaukee wedding venues.
- Address: 500 N. Harbor Dr
- Discovery World Wedding Rates
7. Harley-Davidson Museum
Whether a fan of motorcycles or not, the Harley-Davidson Museum is an excellent choice for a wedding venue. Located right between downtown and Walker’s Point, there are plenty of nearby hotels for as many guests as you would like.
The museum has numerous indoor and outdoor spaces to choose from, with a variety of capacities, meaning at least one is guaranteed to be right for your event. In fact, the entire museum campus can be rented with a full capacity of 10,000.
There are different wedding packages available, which makes planning easy, food is catered by the museum’s excellent kitchen staff, and there is ample complimentary parking. Guests even receive full admission to the museum, which can add a neat twist to your wedding experience.
- Address: 400 W. Canal St
- Harley-Davidson Museum Wedding Rates
8. Milwaukee Historical Society
By day, this historic building that was once a bank situated in the heart of downtown serves as the city’s historical society, with various exhibits open to the public and an abundance of Milwaukee artifacts tucked away in its archives.
By night, the Milwaukee Historical Society transitions into a fantastic wedding venue. With elegant decor, numerous chandeliers, and a grand staircase, it doesn’t get much swankier than a wedding at the Milwaukee Historical Society.
There are three areas for wedding guests to have fun, the main hall, the mezzanine level, and the patio overlooking Pere Marquette Park, the river, and downtown. The building houses up to 150 guests, and wedding planners can pick between six catering services.
With its location right on Old World 3rd Street, the party can easily spill over to nearby bars. Consider the Milwaukee Historical Society for your perfect wedding night.
- Address: 910 N. Old World 3rd St
- Milwaukee Historical Society Wedding Rates
9. Hubbard Park
The Hubbard Park lodge is a fantastic venue offering a great spot for weddings year-round. Located in Shorewood, Hubbard Park is situated right next to the Milwaukee River, making for an idyllic wedding setting any time of the year.
The lodge itself accommodates up to 175 guests in a cozy wooden-lodge-themed interior that boasts a beautiful cathedral ceiling and a wood-burning fireplace. The venue offers complimentary parking and has its own catering and bar service, making planning about as easy as possible. For a scenic and cozy wedding setting, consider choosing Hubbard Park.
Our friends got married here and had their reception here as well. It was the perfect spot!
- Address: 3565 N. Morris Blvd
- Hubbard Park Wedding Rates
10. The Grain Exchange
The Grain Exchange is located in the Mackie Building, which was originally built in 1879, and was restored in the 1970s, around the time the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Grain Exchange, which once served as a grain trading floor, is the main ballroom in the center of the building. With ornate decor, painted frescos, a three-story high ceiling, and abundant gold leafing, the Grain Exchange is truly an exquisite venue for a wedding.
The space is about 10,000 square feet and can hold up to 350 guests. Catering is provided by Bartolotta Restaurant Group, only adding to the ornate theming of the Grain Exchange. For a top-notch wedding venue, consider the Grain Exchange in downtown Milwaukee.
- Address: 225 E. Michigan St
- The Grain Exchange Wedding Rates
11. The Pfister Hotel
Built in 1893, the Pfister Hotel is a Milwaukee icon. Known for its luxurious decor, grand architecture, exceptional service, and accompanying restaurants and bars, the hotel is certain to please as a wedding venue.
When planning a wedding at the Pfister Hotel, you can pick from numerous ballrooms and adjoining spaces, with up to 24,000 square feet for reserving. Picking the Pfister also means working with the Marcus Group staff for wedding planning, making planning easy, and ensuring the wedding will run smoothly.
Given its downtown location, guests can, of course, stay in the Pfister or in numerous area hotels. Pick the city’s finest hotel for what will certainly be a memorable evening.
- Address: 424 E. Wisconsin Ave
- Pfister Hotel Wedding Rates
12. The Pritzlaff
The Pritzlaff is a rehabilitated industrial building located just outside of downtown on the edge of Walker’s Point. The original building dates to 1875, but you would never know it from the complete overhaul the building went through a number of years ago. Now serving as an event space, the Pritzlaff is an ideal spot to create your very own wedding venue.
With 26,000 square feet to work with, the Pritzlaff is basically a blank canvas. The building itself is gorgeous, with cream city brick and Victorian arched windows, and the space can hold up to 1,200 guests, though the interior can easily be sectioned off to accommodate any size party comfortably. The staff is very helpful with wedding planning, making designing your own wedding a pretty easy process.
- Address: 333 N. Plankinton Ave
- The Pritzlaff Wedding Rates
13. Turner Hall
Turner Hall was originally built in 1882, and today it serves as a popular destination for concerts, along with having a great restaurant on the first floor. Few concertgoers realize the ballroom is also available for weddings.
With two floors and over 7,000 square feet to work with, 300 guests can comfortably fit into the ballroom at Turner Hall. There are numerous customizable options for weddings, like catering and bar packages, in addition to a staff event coordinator, making wedding planning easier than ever.
Turner Hall is located in the heart of the entertainment district downtown, but no worries because an adjoining parking lot makes driving for your guests no problem at all. Consider hosting your wedding at the Turner Hall Ballroom.
- Address: 1040 Vel R. Phillips Ave
- Turner Hall Wedding Rates
14. Villa Filomena
The Villa Filomena is a historic mansion built in 1874 in the east town section of Milwaukee’s downtown. The spacious mansion boats an outdoor garden terrace with a capacity of 125, and an indoor capacity of 300. There are also private rooms for bridal party prep, an awesome parlor area for drinks, and a spacious ballroom for dancing the night away.
The owners of Villa Filomena also offer plenty of contacts to make arranging everything for the big night easy, including help with caterers. There are four hotels within walking distance of the mansion as well, making rooming all of your guests convenient.
- Address: 1119 N. Marshall St
- Villa Filomena Wedding Rates
15. Wisconsin Club
Founded in 1895, the Wisconsin Club is one of Milwaukee’s premier private social clubs. With a city club and a country club, the Wisconsin Club offers members private restaurants, transportation to various events around town, golfing, and other perks.
The Wisconsin Club is also a popular venue for weddings in Milwaukee, especially at the downtown location. With ornate old-world decor, exclusive ballrooms, and a capacity of up to three hundred guests, the Wisconsin Club is certainly worth considering. There is also ample on-site parking, and the ornate decor couldn’t be more ideal for wedding photos. Consider the Wisconsin Club for your big wedding day.
- Address: 900 W. Wisconsin Ave
- Wisconsin Club Wedding Rates