Marcus Performing Arts Center Reviews

My wife and I previously got married at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in late July. Upon touring the venue, we knew that it was the only choice for our special day. There are many advantages to this venue including easy ADA accessibility for guests, close proximity to the Milwaukee River for Bridal Party photos, and separate hosting spaces for the various parts of the day. Our Ceremony took place in the Fitch Gardens and was all we could have asked for. The space fit our 150 guests comfortably yet still felt very intimate which was important to us. The reception space (Bradley Pavilion) is gorgeous! It is elegant and timeless while providing a stunning view of the cityscape and river. This made for a perfect backdrop to our Head Table which we loved seeing in our photos/videos. Since our initial meeting with the venue's event planner, Marie, we were impressed with the professionalism and flexibility provided. The venue was very accommodating regarding decor, table layout, uplighting color choice, etc. Most importantly, the meal! If you have many guests with food allergies, this venue is for you. They take this very seriously and ensure that all guests have a wonderful and memorable meal. Since our wedding, we have heard nothing but rave reviews regarding the food. Hors d'oeuvres, entrees, late night food- people loved it all. My wife and I were especially impressed with the manner in which the servers present the food to the tables- it is very professional. If you are considering this venue, we highly recommend that you reach out to Marie to learn more. You will not be disappointed in the least- she truly goes above and beyond to make you feel important and valued. We are so grateful to the MPAC staff for making our wedding day dreams a reality. Highly recommend to future couples!

We absolutely LOVED having our reception at the Marcus. We were a couple planning a wedding from out of state, luckily we did not have to re-arrange our wedding plans due to Covid. Lynn and her team was AMAZING! One challenge we faced was that Hamilton was performing the same weekend as our wedding. It was frustrating at times because the crew with Hamilton was extremely strict about following guidelines. We had to make sure to keep our wedding guests separate from the theater guests. Anyways, the reception turned out beautifully, the lights and the room lit up. We rented gold chivari chairs, through Lynn, and they really made the space look classy. We choose buffet style, but our guests got through the lines quickly and efficiently. We received SO many compliments on our delicious the food was. One thing we really liked about this venue was there were space for guests to also step outside. Beautiful photo opportunities inside and outside. Thank you so much for giving us a great experience! If we could do it all over again, we would choose our reception at the Marcus, 100%.

The Marcus Center exceeded our expectations it was a gorgeous venue. Everything was perfect, ladies were able to get ready on site in a spacious area, ceremony in the atrium, cocktail hour in the promenade, and reception in the bradley pavilion. This was a huge selling point for us. The catering was also phenomenal. Their food selection was amazing, as was the actual food. Lastly, our wonderful coordinator Karin! She was absolutely amazing and incredible to work with. She was quick to respond and answer any questions. She was incredibly accommodating and made sure we had everything we needed. Karin put us at ease for our wedding, and made it as easy and stress free as possible. She was there from the beginning planning stages to fluffing my train as I walked down the aisle. We highly recommend the venue and more importantly Karin and Sazama's catering!

My fiancé and I fell in love with the Marcus Center at first sight. The dreamy ballroom pavilion paired with the balcony overlooking downtown and the Fitch garden patio was everything we hoped for in a wedding venue. What really sealed the deal was having Sazama's as our caterer and learning that we could have the infamous Saz's festival platter as a late night snack.

Being a covid bride has not been easy, but Karin with the Marcus Center has done everything to keep the wedding planning process stress-free. She has been so flexible throughout the last two years, including when we decided to move our wedding from August 2020 to July 2021. Even now when our plans are still a little up in the air with summer quickly approaching, she is so willing to roll with it and let us decide exactly how to proceed. Karin with the Marcus Center has been a dream to work with. I have no doubt that it will be worth the wait when we can finally have our big day there.

Like many couples this year, my fiance and I made the decision to push back our wedding due to COVID-19. But unlike several horror stories I've heard this summer, it was a breeze to do so -- and that's because of Karin and everyone at the Marcus Center/Sazama's! When I reached out to Karin in June about our December 2020 wedding, I thought she'd think I was crazy for wanting to reschedule six months out or tell us we needed to wait and see how things progressed. Instead, Karin called back right away to let us know every option was on the table and the ball was in our court. The flexibility was great, but it was Karin's kind, thoughtful and sincere demeanor throughout the entire process that really blew me away. We are SO looking forward to our December 2021 wedding at the Marcus Center!

I am a corona-bride and I had to change my wedding date from June 2020 to June 2021. It was a stressful time while I was deciding how to go about my dream wedding and the possibility of moving it. Before I even knew which way was up, Lynn with the Marcus Center reached out to me to make sure my family and I are okay and if there was anything she should do to help. I worked with Lynn to find another date in 2021 once I realized that was what I wanted to do. I cannot say enough about how lucky I am to have picked Marcus Center as my venue. So supportive, so helpful, and so accommodating. Thank you thank you.

You can't beat the stunning views from the balcony, the cute little garden for cocktail hour and the stunning ballroom. The space really has a lot to offer. Lynn was really great in helping us with all of the details and questions we had. Lynn and her crew truly outdid themselves for our Wedding. We wanted to do stations and Lynn suggested doing them based off of our favorite restaurants. It was a huge hit and everyone couldn't stop talking about how amazing the food was.

Our wedding day was absolutely beautiful. We had our ceremony in the Fitch Garden, which turned out absolutely beautiful, with the ivy backdrop. The flow from the ceremony to the cocktail hour in the promenade, and then to the reception in the ballroom was perfect. Our guests all complimented the food, and the service. We worked directly with Lynn and she was so helpful, and responsive to emails and calls. Lynn was able to help us customize our food and beverage package to fit within our budget. I highly recommend the venue, and Sazama’s for catering, we had the best experience.

The service and venue were absolutely amazing at the PAC. We were able to simply drop off decor and Lynn set it all up beautifully for us. The room is very traditional, open, and doesn’t need much added decor. Food was great as well. No complaints here. Thank you all so much for an amazing evening.

The venue was gorgeous, especially at night. The atmosphere was so sophisticated and everything was clean and beautiful. The ceiling I was worried would take away from the evening but it added even more than I could've imagined. The service was phenomenal and Lynn was AMAZING to work with. She was always so responsive and accommodating to my constant emails. I would 10/10 recommend this venue.
Only issue we had was they ran out of steaks for our guests and the late night snack was pulled from the floor early.

Booking The Marcus Center and Sazama's for our wedding was the best decision we have ever made; we will never forget our experience with them. It was truly unbelievable. We had SO many guests tell us they were left speechless and they had never seen anything like it. From day one, Lynn had gone above and beyond to ensure everything would go smoothly and would be exactly the way we wanted. The venue is stunning-from the Bradley Pavilion to having two other unique spaces for use; the Fitch Gardens and the private balcony overlooking the river. The service was like none other I have ever experienced at a wedding before (and I've been to A LOT of weddings) I couldn't believe how quickly they were able to serve a 5 course meal. The chef even allowed me to design the menu, and her interpretations on the dishes were beyond delicious. Our guests were absolutely blown away with the food. I cannot emphasize it enough that booking this venue will be the best decision you would ever make. I have some pretty high standards and the PAC and Sazama's team beyond exceeded them. Thank you again for allowing us to have our dream wedding! It would've never have been nearly the same elsewhere!

The Marcus Center for the Performing Arts was amazing. Our event manager, Lynn, was very responsive, flexible and a joy to work with. We have received SO many compliments from our guests that the food was outstanding and that it was 'the best wedding food' they have ever had. The venue is gorgeous and the lighting is perfect. I would highly, highly recommend using the PAC - our expectations were exceeded!!

The Marcus Center and Ovation Catering surpassed my expectations for a beautiful, memorable wedding reception. They were always available to answer questions and give suggestions, they had food tastings and wine tastings...I knew exactly what I was going to get! Our guests could not have been more impressed and it is a wedding they will be talking about for a long time to come.

The Marcus Performing Arts Center was the perfect venue to hold our event. The staff was friendly and easy to work with and the custom themed food stations we had were top notch. All of our guests had a blast. The promenade (before you enter the main ballroom) is the perfect place to host a cocktail hour and the ballroom is stunning, with its massive windows and balcony which overlooks the Milwaukee river. I highly recommend hosting your event at MPAC be it for a wedding, gala, reception etc you won't be disappointed! The possibilities are endless with making your vision come to life.

Marie and the rest of the staff at the Marcus Center of performing arts were a dream to work with. Marie is very responsive and a great resource for anyone on their special day! The staff as a whole is professional, kind, and care about making every detail perfect.

The Marcus Center is a stunning downtown location for a wedding. Our daughter and her partner's outside ceremony and inside reception there was a large success due to Lynn and her staff helping with critical decisions along the way.

We want to sing praises to Lynn B. At Marcus for helping us on our wedding day and with the changes that came with it during the process. She made it the best day we could have and her service from her and the team there was awesome.

We had our reception at the Marcus Center in July 2021 - a place that has a unique meaning in our relationship together and with our families, so we knew right away we wanted to have our big day there! Though we were not re-scheduling from 2020, there were still many unknowns while trying to plan a covid-era wedding. Lynn from Sazama's was incredibly helpful every step of the way! Her coordination during planning and communication with us on our actual day made everyone go perfectly. There were a few changes to the package that we picked out originally due to covid, and Lynn was really helpful in making even swaps with the new choices that didn't add on extra costs. Another great thing about this venue is that they have a lot of experience, so many other vendors have done weddings there before and know how to set things up and coordinate with them. This eases the burden a lot!
The food is outstanding! Everyone raved about it and we loved it too. The outdoor space was such a nice thing to have too. We had 135 guests and it felt full enough, but not too full in the ballroom, atrium, and outdoor space. The waitstaff was great - I appreciated that they wore masks, and they were very well coordinated with serving tables.
Two of my favorite 'extras' that we did for our reception included renting the piano for cocktail hour and having two signature cocktails, both of which were amazing! Highly recommend.
The only thing I would do differently is rent different chairs/chair covers. I didn't think it would be worth the cost, but the chairs that come with the space ended up not looking great in photos (though they are padded, so probably more comfortable than wooden rented chairs!) 10/10 recommend having your reception at the Marcus Center!

I cannot express enough as to how wonderful our wedding was at the Performing Arts Center! Lynn and the PAC team are timely, efficient, and patient. Being a COVID-19 couple, we had to switch our day from April to October. They changed everything around in less than 24 hours without any issues. The food is absolutely fabulous. If you can swing it, get a signature drink! Our guests were thrilled with the space. Also, working with Lynn was such a joy. She is kind and an expert at her job. Thank you to Lynn & the PAC team for making our wedding day the best day of our lives!!

We had a wedding booked with Sazama’s at the MPAC and unfortunately, Coronavirus changed our plans. Lynn and the team at Sazama’s reached out immediately and offered other opportunities to ensure our special day could still happen. We can’t thank Lynn and the Sazama’s team enough for all their help, support, and willingness to work with us! Our experience was so positive we would love to work with Lynn again in the future!!!

We were first drawn to the Marcus Performing Arts Center from the beauty of the ballroom, but quickly signed on the dotted line after just one meeting with Karin, who quickly instilled confidence that her and the team at Sazama’s Fine Catering could over-deliver on all our requests. Karin and the team were professional and flexible throughout the whole planning process, customizing nearly everything to our needs while being a creative resource to bounce ideas off of and proactive to ask all the right questions. All coordination was quick, timely, easy, and extremely pleasant.
Day of, Karin and the team were very attentive to all our needs, effortlessly liaising between vendors and watching out for our needs first as bride and groom. Above and beyond is an understatement when it came to the day-of detail of the space. I never had to worry about how the venue would be set up as I could trust her taste and professionalism to ensure it looked beautiful. All the events they do make them so solid in what they do, yet they still make you feel like you are the only client they have.
The flexibility, dependability, and care of the most important wedding vendor (venue and F&B) is what truly made the Marcus Performing Arts Center and Sazama’s Fine Catering such an asset to our special day. You will be so impressed as you move forward with them on yours as well!

Beautiful venue, great food, very accommodating !

Karin was the best part of our experience with the Marcus. She helped coordinate, talk us through questions, work out so many details that I'm sure were not part of her job description. Her efforts, along with the staff at the Marcus were nothing short of incredible. We were so pleased with our August wedding there! Highly reccomend them!

We had the pleasure of working with Keith to coordinate our big day. He was always incredibly responsive and quick to make many helpful suggestions that really helped bring everything together smoothly and make sure every detail of our grand vision came out like a fairy tale.

The food needs no praise, anyone from Milwaukee knows Saz's is top notch. The dinner menu choices were phenomenal, and everyone loved the late night signature Saz's sampler platter.

The entire staff went above and beyond and made the whole experience fun instead of stressful, and really allowed us to enjoy the big day. Several of our guests commented on the extra classy touches, like having the wait staff surround each table before plating everyone simultaneously.

If we ever have a need to serve 150 of our closest friends dinner again, we'll definitely call Saz's !

We got married in the Fitch garden, had cocktail hour in the Promenade, and reception in the Bradley Pavilion. The ceremony space was beautiful and we managed to fit 220 guests. They let us rent a grand piano that my cousin played during cocktail hour. The reception was spacious with a dance floor that didn't require moving tables and chairs. Our guests loved the view of the river from the back balcony. The staff was amazingly helpful and attentive. It was also great to find a lot of vendors that have experience working at this venue. We would highly recommend the Marcus Center along with Sazama's for weddings!