Photo by Andy Stenz / Styled by Evenement
Turner Hall has definitely become one of the most sought after wedding venues in Milwaukee. Its raw, unrefined, historic backdrop is perfect for the couple wanting to showcase their Milwaukee style.
A recently-married Milwaukee couple, Megan and Oliver, were kind enough to sit down with us over drinks and discuss their Turner Hall wedding. All the photos in this article are from their wedding, which look fabulous! Make sure to check out the bottom of the article for their advice on hiring a photographer and wedding planner.
Turner Hall’s History
Turner Hall is a true historic Milwaukee icon. Built in 1882 to host German artists, it is the only building in Milwaukee that currently holds the three following honorary architectural and historical designations: a National Landmark, a listing on the National Registry of Historic Places, and a local Historical Landmark.
In the 1930’s and again in the 1940’s, the ballroom’s vaulted ceilings were damaged by fires causing the building to remain unused for 70 years. After major renovations took place, the ceiling remained in an “unfinished” state causing them to have an amazing raw quality that looks fantastic in photos.
Photo by Andy Stenz / Styled by Evenement
Turner Hall Space
Turner Hall is a large expansive space that hosts many different types of events. With a large stage, a second level balcony, and open ballroom floor, many awesome concerts have taken place for standing room only crowds. In fact, many couples who choose Turner Hall Ballroom as their wedding venue have fond memories of attending concerts together.
Photo by Andy Stenz / Styled by Evenement
Their capacity for a sit down dinner is 300 or less. The balcony is a perfect spot for a cocktail hour between your ceremony and reception and also fits 300 comfortably for stand up cocktails.
Things to Consider for a Turner Hall Wedding
1. Flexibility
Turner Hall does not have a required catering list to choose from so your options are endless. Additionally, they are very open to many creative ideas for your wedding day so don’t hesitate to inquire.
2. Sound System and Lighting
Since Turner Hall is a music venue their sound system is amazing as are their internal uplighting options. These are available for an additional charge.
3. Availability
The availability of the space for any event is often dictated by Turner Hall’s concert and event schedule. If you’re set on having a rehearsal the day before your wedding, be prepared that a concert or other event may prevent that from happening.
4. No Onsite Kitchen
While there is not a required caterer list, there isn’t a catering kitchen or oven for your caterer to use for onsite food prep. Experienced caterers shouldn’t have an issue with this, but Turner Hall recommends you bring in your caterer before your event date to discuss.
5. Rentals Needed
Turner Hall does have 300 chairs available for use; however, banquet tables and linens will need to be rented from an outside company. If you are considering having a cocktail reception, Turner Hall does have 75 high top tables available.
6. Ceremony and Reception Venue
Turner Hall is set up perfectly to have both your ceremony and reception in the same spot. While the space is being flipped for your reception, your guests can enjoy cocktail hour on the large, expansive balcony and watch the flurry of activity as your room is transformed.
7. Styling a Turner Hall Wedding
One of the great things about Turner Hall is it’s raw, unrefined space. However, with such a raw, large space some styling will be needed. Think about things like decor, flowers, table settings and placement, etc. If all of this is a little too much, you might want to think about a wedding planner. A Planner can help to coordinate the details so you don’t have to.
Megan and Oliver had many awesome things to say about their wedding planner, Evenement, and we just had to share. While many of the details of this wedding were executed by Evenement, such as setup, vision, etc., the Evenement team worked with Megan and Oliver to incorporate many of their ideas to make a cohesively styled wedding that is truly reflective of them as a couple. Here’s what they had to say:
We never imagined having a planner when we first started our wedding journey, but now I can’t (or more like don’t want to) imagine what it would have been like without Janelle. She has a great balance of executing to a plan and dealing with the unexpected that only comes with experience and passion.
From the first time we met, her friendly personality, honest communication, and desire to get to know our style as a couple sold us. Over the next few months, Janelle proved vital in many roles, including what I like to call “sanity keeper”.
She made the wedding day so relaxing and seamless, and all our guests raved about the venue decor. We could not be happier to have had Janelle as part of our wedding and could not recommend her highly enough to anyone planning an upcoming event.
– Megan and Oliver, Married at Turner Hall
8. Wedding Photography at Turner Hall
A wedding at Turner Hall can make for some amazing images, but at times it can be a tricky place to photograph. Its large size, unique layout and lighting can all make it a difficult space to capture, especially for novice photographers. Make sure to chat with your photographer about this, and maybe even visit the space to get suggestions on your wedding’s setup.
Photo by Andy Stenz
We were glad when Megan and Oliver brought this up and shared their awesome experience with Andy Stenz Photography. As you can see from these images and the comments below, Megan and Oliver are extremely happy with their photos and now have great memories to cherish forever. Here’s what they had to say about Andy:
We cannot say enough good things about Andy Stenz. We were a bit surprised at the average prices of wedding photography when we first started, but this was one area we really wanted done well. Photography is very important to both of us, as we have some many great moments of our relationship documented in this way.
Once we looked through Andy’s website, we recognized his talent and liked his style. And after meeting in person, we knew he was our guy. He always made us feel comfortable and was able to capture the essence of any moment.
He captured so many wonderful memories, and the end results far exceeded any expectations we could have set. This is truly a testament to his talent, love of his craft, and, in general, his amazing personality.
– Megan and Oliver, Married at Turner Hall
Big thanks to the bride and groom, Megan and Oliver, for sharing their great experience with not only Turner Hall, but the awesome vendors they worked with, including these Married In Milwaukee Family Members:
- Wedding Photographer – Andy Stenz Photography
- Wedding Planner – Evenement
- Wedding Dress – Miss Ruby Boutique
Photo by Andy Stenz Photography
