wisconsin wedding

Top Downtown Madison Wisconsin Wedding Venues + Hotels

October 6, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

A few years ago, when Kevin and I were looking to move and upgrade our Madison-area home, I really only had one non-negotiable: it had to be close to downtown!⁠⁠

If you’ve been hanging around here at HUE for any length of time, you’ve probably been able to tell that even with my UW student days behind me, the Capitol and Isthmus continue to call my name on a regular basis.⁠ ⁠

⁠Now, as a local business owner and a mom of 2, my eyes have been further opened to what’s available around that can bring joy and culture into my family’s lives. I want to be in the action. I want to stay current. There’s no better place to do that than downtown! A few weeks ago, I even teamed up with Destination Madison over on their blog, giving you all of my ideas, locations, and tips for taking FULL advantage of your next downtown Madison adventure!

From a wedding planner perspective in the event industry, downtown Madison offers a wide and exciting variety of venues and hotels to couples looking for that city, Madison-centric experience to celebrate their wedding day in. Today, I’m dropping my TOP recommendations down below! First up? Venues!

VENUES

The Orpheum Theater

If you’re looking for an edgy and historic location perfect for a party, The Orpheum Theater is the place to be! Located in the heart of downtown, this iconic theater has been a centerpiece of the Madison community since 1927! The art deco exterior and extravagant French Renaissance interior make for a space that is both classic and cutting edge.

The Tinsmith

This 1925 Madison-original Trachte brothers building was transformed into a stunningly unique venue that offers 9,000 sq ft of event space and a 4-season solarium! The Tinsmith features many luxury design-focused details throughout and is a part of the East Washington district expansion.

Madison Children’s Museum

The Madison Children’s Museum holds a special place in my heart as I started my wedding career here as a venue coordinator. Their offbeat and playful event space provides unique and out-of-the-ordinary fun for whimsical weddings!

Overture Center for the Arts

If you’re looking for an elegant, refined, and versatile wedding venue, you’ve met your match!With a variety of event space options along with lighting and sound capabilities worthy of a Broadway show, the Overture center adds a flair to every wedding there!

Monona Terrace

The Monona Terrace, on the beautiful Lake Monona, is where nature and architecture come together to provide you with an easy event space for your classic wedding day!

HOTELS

The Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor’s Club

Right in the heart of downtown, The Madison Concourse Hotel & Governor’s club is an easy location with incredible views and full-service amenities for your wedding day. With over 370 guest rooms, 27,000 square feet of event space, private dining options, and an in-house culinary team, you and your guests are set from arrival to departure for your celebration!

AC Hotel Madison Downtown

Just steps from Capitol Square in the center of downtown, the AC Hotel provides both stunning views and a convenient location for your big day. Their modern event space is perfect for intimate celebrations where guests can then check out their cool bar and enjoy creative catering from their in-house restaurant!

Graduate Madison

With Wisconsin local touches, vintage elements, and a summer camp-inspired rooftop bar, you’re going to love the fun and unique atmosphere at Graduate Madison for your wedding celebration. Did we mention they’re pet-friendly? BONUS!

Hotel Indigo

Part of East Washington’s expansion district, Hotel Indigo is truly one-of-a-kind. With local touches and artistic flair, their flexible event spaces bring the color and character of the downtown Madison area both indoor and outdoor for versatility that inspires creativity! Their location provides a relaxed and comfortable feel to your wedding day.

Need help finding the perfect venue for your big day? Our team of wedding planning experts here at HUE can’t wait to help you plan the wedding of your dreams! Contact us today!

Chief Strategist and Creative Director of HUE by Sarah Davidson, Sarah is a sought-after event industry consultant, planner, and strategist based in Madison, WI. Follow her work on Instagram at @huebysd.

Johanna + Mike: Madison Children’s Museum – Madison, WI

September 1, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

Johanna + Mike were one of the sweetest couples who were married and one of the sweetest venues, Madison Children’s Museum of course! We enjoyed everything about these two, from how relaxed they were in planning to how much fun they were excited to have at this playful venue.

Weddings are known for pomp and circumstance. This couple embraced that their union was a cause for a no-holds-bar celebration! Glamming up classic fun food, the space, and even utilizing the Lego Wall for their guests.

If I had to choose one phrase that embodies this wedding, it would be:
A family that plays together stays together!

Congrats Johanna + Mike!

The Dream Team:

Wedding Coordination: HUE by Sarah Davidson
Venue: Madison Children’s Museum
Catering: Eldorado Grill
Desserts: Bloom Bake Shop
Bar: The Roman Candle
Photography: K. Rosales Photography
Floral: HyVee
DJ: Saturn’s 8 DJ
Hair + Makeup: Arch

Chief Strategist and Creative Director of HUE by Sarah Davidson, Sarah is a sought after event industry consultant, planner, and strategist based in Madison, WI. Follow her work on Instagram at @huebysd.

HUE 2021 Summer Round Up

August 17, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

It brings me so much joy to officially report that this summer of 2021 has been busy, satisfying, and safe. While there continues to be a great deal of uncertainty about what the future brings, these past 18 months have certainly reinforced the need to live in the moment, so we’ve been doing just that.

Speaking of living in the moment, today we’re going to do a summer round up, featuring some personal and professional ventures of the past few months. Thanks in advance for coming along for the ride as we reflect on these recent adventures!

HUE’s first officiant role
When some of Sarah’s best friends needed a last-minute backup after their officiant could no longer make their destination wedding, she was honored to step into the role. Congrats Steph + AJ!

**Weddings are BACK!**
After over a year of cancellations, postponements, and restrictions that felt like they’d never end, we finally were able to execute our first few HUE weddings past post-Covid, and boy did it feel good. Thank you to Rachel + Logan, Franki + Brock, Abby + Tyler, and Whitney + David for putting your faith in us!

Explore Local
After a year without any major travel, we weren’t in a rush to fill the calendar back up right away. Instead, we opted to keep many of our free weekends low-key and explore locally. This included a day trip to Mt. Horeb, time on the lakes, drinks on the Terrace, and a spa trip to The Edgewater.

**NACE Experience**
But of course, that didn’t mean we didn’t do ANY travel 🙂 After being postponed in 2020, the NACE Experience Conference was back and better than ever, being held this year in fabulous Las Vegas!

We learned, we connected, and we celebrated THREE big wins for our local NACE Capital Area of Wisconsin Chapter, including Chapter of the Year!! Can’t wait until next year!

**Networking and Coming Together with Friends**
Finally, we filled the remainder of our time doing what we do best, building and maintaining relationships and friendships. This included attending the launch party of WIN and celebrating major industry milestones and work with The Tinsmith and The Eloise, two Madison-area venues with who we have become very close over the past year. Partnerships like all of these and more are the lifeblood of HUE and have been instrumental in getting us to where we are today.

We are excited about all of this and at the same time, watching and waiting to see what unfolds this fall. We are hopeful for the world to continue moving in a forward direction and at the same time realize another pivot may be required. Either way, we’re ready because “that’s not what you normally do”… is what we do.

Michael + Lucie: Backyard Wedding – Milwaukee, WI

August 4, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

Whenever a couple tells me that they plan to host their wedding at their own home, I always like to kindly ask them if they are sure about that 🙂 For all the reasons listed in our blog post about backyard weddings, it can be a huge undertaking that may or may not be worth the payoff in the end.

But when it’s done right, it can really be something magical. And let me tell you, Michael + Lucie did it RIGHT.

As the couple dressed for their special day, so too did they dress their home for the occasion. From table settings to food displays to lighting – attention to all the details added up into something perfect.

Introducing structure with different areas to encourage mingling added to the transformation. Thinking outside the box, literally, including outdoor lounges brought about multiple layers of comfort and style.

Congratulations Michael + Lucie!

The Dream Team:
Wedding Coordination: HUE by Sarah Davidson
Photography: DJDAHL Photo
Catering: Hidden Kitchen MKE
Dessert: Miss Molly’s Cafe and Pastry Shop
Floral: Avenue Bloom
Vintage Rentals: Relics Rentals
Band: Professor Pinkerton and the Magnificents
Hair/Makeup: Beauty by Michelle Senuor

Considerations for your 2021 and 2022 Wedding

July 21, 2021 By Sarah Davidson

Weddings are BACK here in Wisconsin and coming in bigger and better than ever. Hosts and guests alike are all overjoyed to be together after a long year apart and things have picked up right where they left off.

As people start to plan again though, there are many new timing considerations that need to be made, especially to secure your dream team of vendors that will work to execute your vision. After sitting dormant in 2020, demand for event services is now higher than ever, forcing many couples, as well as vendors, to reevaluate what is most important to them as they are moving forward. Given this, some advice from us:

If your wedding is still in 2021

If you still have anything or anyone that you need to book, DO IT NOW. At this point we’re seeing many vendors with closed availability through at least the fall, if not longer, thanks to all the postponements from 2020 into 2021. And we’re not only talking about small businesses like photographers, planners, etc. Even large businesses with great capacity such as rental companies are stretched thin.
Given the above, be prepared to be flexible. You may need to bend on either vision or pricing depending on your situation. That being said, there are always creative solutions that exist!
Continue to have grace with your guests, and be understanding about any feelings or concerns that may still linger about the safety of gathering in a large group.

If your wedding is in 2022

We recommend booking things sooner rather than later. There were quite a few postponements also from 2021 into 2022, as well as people who got engaged in 2020 that waited to start planning until they knew things were safe. In our area of Southern Wisconsin, typically booking vendors a year in advance is enough time to get who you want, but at this point you more likely need to be booking 15-18 months in advance to have that assurance.
If you have not yet set a date or booked a venue, consider that you may have more flexibility and feel less pressured by setting a date in 2023 instead, if that is an option.

Moral of the story – the time to plan is now! Additionally, sending out those Save the Dates will be more important than ever, with everyone’s calendars starting to quickly get full again. We always recommend sending those out 6-8 months before your wedding date.

Are you currently planning a wedding and experiencing what we’ve detailed above? Drop your comments below!

Chief Strategist and Creative Director of HUE by Sarah Davidson, Sarah is a sought after event industry consultant, planner, and strategist based in Madison, WI. Follow her work on Instagram at @huebysd.