Editor’s Note:The venue photographed in this article is no longer hosting events. But check out this July 2023 article/photoshoot about the all new Garage at the Harley-Davidson Museum. It’s a fabulous new venue!
The Garage, part of 1903 Weddings at the Harley-Davidson Museum, has been a great spot for weddings since the Museum opened. The space is really Milwaukee’s original industrial wedding venue, with 450 capacity, polished cement floors and three large garage doors that open to the surrounding sidewalks/streets. This Garage is seriously badass and #MKECouples should jump on the chance to have their wedding there!
We’d like to thank 1903 Weddings at the Harley-Davidson Museum for sponsoring this article and providing such an amazing space for weddings! We’d also like to thank the amazing team of Married In Milwaukee Family Members that helped with the photo shoot for this article – check them out at the bottom of the article.
Before we jump into the details below, check out this stunning video of The Garage by our friends at Character D Films:
All About The Garage with 1903 Events
The Garage is part of the beautiful Harley-Davidson Museum campus, which is located right off the Sixth Street Bridge south of Downtown Milwaukee. The H-D Museum campus offers several indoor/outdoor options for wedding-related events like your ceremony and rehearsal dinner. See all of their event spaces here.
The Garage is stunningly industrial and can be dressed up to make it whatever you want. Its polished cement floors, exposed duct work and three garage doors give it a sleek vibe. You can seat 450 reception styled in The Garage. If you’re doing ceremony and reception in the space (like in the photos), plan for 250 guests.
We absolutely love the glass retractable garage doors in the space. They run right along “5th Street” on the H-D Museum campus and can be opened to accommodate a patio, outdoor bars or even a tented block party. The other thing everyone loves about the Harley-Davidson Museum is the free parking for all of your guests (first come, first served) – you can’t beat that!
The Garage – Quick Facts:
- Capacity: 450 sit down
- Location: 400 W Canal St, Milwaukee, WI 53201
- Highlights: Industrial vibe, garage doors to outdoor space, free parking (first come, first served)
- On-Site Full Service Catering
- Website: www.1903events.com
Included in Rental:
- Basic Tables, Chairs and Linens
- Table Place-settings
- In-House Sound System & Microphones
- Screen and Projectors
- Complimentary Cake Cutting
- Museum Admission for all Guests
- Complimentary Parking – First Come, First Served
- Complimentary Dance Floor
- Event Coordinator
- 11am – 12am Rental Time
// Floral: Flowers For Dreams // Cake: The Cake Lady // Lighting & Marquee: Double Platinum
Catering and Drinks
Catering is provided onsite and offers a completely customizable menu. Thinking brunch, plated dinner, passed apps, or food stations? They have you covered. We’ve been to several events at the Harley-Davidson Museum and can say the food is always creative and delicious!
You can also customize your bar package by adding several local craft beers from the Can Room. Bars and bartenders are provided by 1903 Weddings.
Don’t forget that MOTOR Bar and Restaurant is located just across the street from The Garage on the H-D Museum campus. MOTOR is a great spot for your rehearsal dinner. In fact, you can make the Harley-Davidson Museum part of your wedding weekend!
// Floral: Flowers For Dreams // Cake: The Cake Lady // Rentals: Relics
Ceremony Options
If you’re doing your wedding at The Garage, you have several indoor/outdoor options for your wedding ceremony. The Garage is 10,000+ square feet, so you can do your ceremony on one side and still have room for 250 seated on the other.
In addition, the Harley-Davidson Museum campus offers several outdoor ceremony spots. If you choose an outdoor ceremony, you’ll always have The Garage as a backup in case of bad weather, which we love.
The H-D Museum campus just rocks! It’s located on 20 acres on a peninsula in Downtown Milwaukee, which means your outdoor ceremony options are almost endless. They have outdoor spots that overlook the river, Downtown Milwaukee and even Walker’s Point.
Parking, Hotels and Shuttles
The first thing you need to know is parking is complimentary (first come, first served) for you and your guests, which is amazing!! If you’d like to get shuttles or valets, there’s plenty of room for that too – make sure to ask your event coordinator for recommendations.
Nearby hotels are plentiful, with several downtown hotels within a few minutes drive. The awesome Iron Horse Hotel is within walking distance (although we wouldn’t try it in heels), as are the breweries, distilleries and restaurants of Walker’s Point.
Additional Details about The Garage
Recently re-branded to “1903 Events at the Harley-Davidson Museum” one thing hasn’t changed – the amazing venues, food and staff. We’ve worked with these guys for years and everything they do is top notch!
The Garage, in particular, is a unique venue in the Milwaukee wedding market. The space is huge at 10,000+ square feet and the unique industrial vibe makes it completely customizable. Throw in the indoor/outdoor options and you have one amazing wedding venue.
As you probably know, Harley-Davidson is an iconic brand, not only in Milwaukee but throughout the world. Giving your guests the opportunity to experience it on your wedding day is just awesome and everyone is sure to love it!
The H-D Museum campus is a gem in itself with unique architecture, amazing location, native plants and trees and city views. There’s photo opportunities galore on the campus as well as the museum itself, a gift shop, a restaurant and bars. Just being at the Harley-Davidson Museum will make your wedding an event that your guests won’t forget!
Married In Milwaukee Photo Shoot — Vendor Shout Out
We were super excited to curate this photo shoot at The Garage at 1903 Weddings with so many amazing Milwaukee wedding companies, the majority being part of the Married In Milwaukee Family. And HUGE shout out to our models and newlyweds Crystal & Diante, who we met at the awesome Social X networking group – they were so much fun to work with!!
- Styling & Coordination: Chasing Threes Wedding Design
- Cinematographer: Character D Films
- Photography: The Paper Elephant
- Floral Design: Flowers for Dreams
- Hair & Makeup: The Hitching Post Weddings
- Rentals: Relics Rentals and All Star Rentals
- Lighting & Marquee: Double Platinum
- Cake: The Cake Lady
- Venue: The Garage with 1903 Weddings at the Harley-Davidson Museum
- Models: Crystal & Diante
Photos: The Paper Elephant // Styling: Chasing Threes Wedding Design
// Floral: Flowers For Dreams // Cake: The Cake Lady // Hair & Makeup: The Hitching Post Weddings
