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Weddings

University of Wisconsin Memorial Union Reviews

University of Wisconsin Memorial Union

University of Wisconsin Memorial Union

Madison, WI
4.9 out of 5 rating, 26 Reviews
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Reviews

4.9 out of 5 rating
26 Reviews
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    4.9 out of 5 rating
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    4.8 out of 5 rating
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96% Recommended by couples

Awards

26
  • Katie
    Katie H. Sent on 11/06/2022
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    Iconic location, fantastic staff, unforgettable experience!

    Having our wedding at the Memorial Union was a dream come true for me, a UW-Madison alumni! We were lucky to have Trip Commons, which is a stunning, classic space that needs minimal decorating. The Union Events staff was an absolute pleasure to work with throughout the entire process. They hosted fantastic tastings and worked with us to meet all dietary restrictions, including me, the bride who is gluten free. Chris and Billie in particular were incredibly professional and helpful from planning to day-of needs.

    The food was excellent — many of our guests commented on how delicious their meals were. Moreover, we attended weddings the weekend before/after ours, and we both felt the Union provided the best meal options on both quality and quantity of food.

    If you’re lucky to get chosen in the lottery, the venue, staff and food will not disappoint!
  • Briana
    Briana M. Sent on 08/20/2019
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    Wonderful venue!

    We absolutely loved working with the Wisconsin Union. My husband and I are both alumni and the Memorial Union was the best wedding venue we could have asked for. Everything was set up the way we wanted, on-time, and well done. We did both our ceremony and reception in the same space and they switched the space over quickly and easily between the ceremony and reception. Hattie was wonderful to work with in the planning process and made things easy to understand. Also the views you get from the terrace are unlike anything else. All of our visiting families and friends were in awe! Couldn't recommend it enough!
  • Kate
    Kate S. Sent on 10/24/2019
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    Our guests loved it (and so did we!)

    My husband and I are so glad we chose to get married at The University Club, it made planning our wedding easy (or, at least as easy as wedding planning can be!) They had every detail covered - we dropped off some decorations and our wedding day, everything was set up beautifully. The food is delicious, and the staff are friendly and attentive. It's a perfect location for overnight guests with hotels within walking distance, and we all were able to grab a pitcher at the terrace and bar crawl after the reception!

    Also, our guests loved it - they were able to take advantage of the beautiful summer night and sit out on the patio (we also had games out there), socialize in the lounge area, stay in the dining room, or hit the dance floor. The layout is great for allowing people to find their own space to mingle. We had our rehearsal dinner the night before in the basement, which has a vintage hunting lodge vibe.
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  • S
    Sarah Sent on 07/13/2019
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    Wedding at Memorial Union

    Our wedding in Tripp Commons at Memorial Union was absolutely magical! The venue was awesome and the staff working the event went out of their way to make it a great night. Our event coordinator made sure everything went smoothly, was organized and communicated with us about our preferences, which made the whole planning experience feel manageable. The bartenders were fun and the waitstaff efficient...food was excellent and you cannot beat the views and location! We LOVED having our wedding here!
  • L
    Lindsey Sent on 09/09/2018
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    The University Club is a Fantastic venue. It provided great food, great service, and flexibility. I have a complicated diet restriction that was accommodated beautifully. Sarah does a great job communicating and responds quickly to requests. My guests were so impressed with the quality of the food that was served from the appetizers to the their dinner options. (However the cake that they provided was not good-we ended up being reimbursed for the low quality of the cake, Sarah did a great job communicating to us after the event.) They did a great job working well with other vendors. The beauty of this building can speak for itself and does not need many decorations to make it look like a wedding venue. The location is perfect and the ability to reserve rooms at the Lowell center (which is a block away) makes the UW club one of the best wedding venues in Madison. There is no food and drink minimum which allowed us to stay on budget. Overall great experience!
  • K
    Katherine Sent on 06/20/2017
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    The University Club was wonderful. We had our reception here. They had worked with most of our vendors before, and handled all the setup arrangements without needing my middle-man-ing at all really. Patrick Bailey is the new catering/events manager and while he wasn't there when we booked the venue, he was super responsive and fantastic. We had about 90 people total and that was a good number--the space can accommodate more but I think it would be tight if you went over 125 seated guests.

    The food was delicious, the venue had everything set up exactly as I wanted, and they were awesome. When you are a wedding there, you've rented the whole building, and there are back rooms and lounges that you can use for more intimate moments. We arranged for a special toast in honor of my husband's late father, and the U club handled setting that up in a back room. The patio was also perfect for my family members who don't like crowds to sit and smoke a cigar.

    Having my reception at the University Club was everything I hoped. Thank you!
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    Mikaela Sent on 11/27/2016
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    We had our wedding reception in Varsity Hall of Union South, and were very pleased with how everything went. We went with the union because of the connection to the UW, the location near downtown Madison, and the reasonable cost compared to nearby venues. We had a fairly large guest list (180 total), but they were easily accommodated in two sections of the room. The food was great, and we appreciated having so much choice over the beer as well! We really like the room, and it was especially beautiful during the appetizers when the sun was shining in the big windows. We also really liked that there was so much “overflow” space outside of the ballroom – our guests who were bothered by the music could go relax on the patio or out on the tables/ couches right outside of Varsity Hall.

    Hattie was our wedding coordinator, and she was great to work with. The union changed their catering menu between when we signed the contract and our wedding, but she was flexible with us and allowed us to pick off the old menu as well. There was a slight miscommunication about the cost of the bar on the day of the wedding (in our favor), and they were very flexible and honored the lower price that we had been told. Overall, a great pick for a venue!
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    Gertrude Sent on 05/04/2016
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    Everything was exceptionally good. The service was excellent. The general manager was very professional, patient, courteous and very responsive. He was readily available throughout the planning process until the end of the reception after 11pm. The food was very good and we will forever be grateful to all the staff who our wedding day very memorable.
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    Emily Sent on 08/17/2015
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    We chose The University Club to host our small wedding ceremony and dinner, and could not have been happier with our choice. Justin and his staff did an amazing job coordinating our event, even from afar since we live in Seattle and could not be there to meet with them regularly. The venue space is amazing, with a gorgeous old, timely, and elegant feel, and they were able to create such an amazing intimate atmosphere for our wedding ceremony. The ceremony space is set up with a few chairs for those who may need to sit down, but having the rest of our guests stand up behind us and around us was really special as it made us feel surrounded and supported by our friends and family. We had the entire venue for our party that day, so the ladies were able to get ready in the women's restroom/lounge area, which is a gorgeous space and was perfect for us. The guys were able to use the space in the downstairs Fireside room area, which I was actually a little jealous of because it's such a cool men's lounge feel, and it was a comfortable space for our gentlemen to hang out, have a few drinks, and get dressed. Justin worked with us to come up with the right plan for our budget and needs, and we got so many compliments from our guests about the food!!! I would highly recommend this venue for your wedding - it's amazing.
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    Lukas Sent on 10/28/2015
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    My wife and I had our wedding reception in the Great Hall at Memorial Union in summer of 2015. Everything about the venue, staff, amenities were fantastic! We had around 160 people total in the Great Hall and there was plenty of space for a harvest style head table surrounded by tables of eight for our guests. The hall also comes with a side adjoining room at no cost where we set up a photo booth and cocktail tables for guests to enjoy in case they needed a break of dancing. The staff was fantastic and we heard numerous compliments from our guests on how polite and accommodating the waiters and servers were. The venue also includes a small service fee for getting the space ready and cleaning afterwards but there is no hidden cost for tables, chairs, linens, napkins, dishes/glasses... which was amazing! The venue also includes a contact person who helps you make all the tough choices on room setup, food/drink choices, appetizers, late-night snacks which helped to take a lot of the pressure and planning off of our plate. The venue holds a once a month food tasting that may be different each month so it is good to look ahead and plan which tasting you would like to try (one tasting per couple is free and included). For any current or future Badgers looking for a wedding venue right on campus, this is the place to be and would highly recommend the Great Hall!
  • User6812940 Sent on 08/03/2015
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    I can't recommend the University Club enough. This venue is an amazing place for a reception. The food was great, but what you really get for your money is TERRIFIC service. Every worker was cheerful, quick and extremely helpful. My family can get pretty rowdy, but the University Club staff members were just the nicest people. Justin is also super responsive and will patiently answer any nitpicky bride question you have. Seriously--one of the best decisions I made for my wedding was having the reception at the University Club! Zero complaints!
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    Estefany Sent on 12/16/2014
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    The perfect venue! It's all in one, caterer, bar, you don't have to rent chairs or linen or cutlery. The spaces are very dynamic, It worked perfect for a heavy hors d'oeuvres kind of wedding. The chef is amazing! He prepared a family recipe and turned out delicious. The best part is that Justin Duris comes with it too, he is such a great person to work with.
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    Betsy Sent on 10/09/2014
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    Living in Florida and getting married in Madison, Wisconsin, I had this feeling that planning a wedding long distance would be difficult. I was wrong. Justin was so flexible and made my husband and I feel comfortable. He is professional, flexible and approachable. Kyle was also extremely great! The venue has so much beauty by itself that it made decorating extremely simple. This is the place if you are looking for simplistic beauty and class for your wedding or event.
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    Amanda Sent on 01/22/2014
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    Justin at the University Club is fantastic. We were panicking about finding a ceremony site that was meaningful to us and that we could visit after the wedding, and the University Club fit the bill. We both attended UW-Madison, and we met at the Memorial Union Terrace across Library Mall. Justin was so responsive to every weird question I asked (like, "How long does it take to walk the length of the room?"), and he made me feel so at ease about everything. I wanted to make sure our guests had snacks after the ceremony, because we had a weird chunk of time to fill before the reception; Justin made it happen, and even provided some delicious vegan Thai spring rolls for our guests with dietary restrictions. At the rehearsal dinner, he accommodated for a dairy-free guest, several vegetarians, a vegan, and a gluten-free groomsman. My vegan bridesmaid was still raving about her pumpkin curry the next day!

    The University Club also has a Ladies' Lounge, which is where we got ready. The only tiny issue we had was guests trying to use the ladies room when I was trying to get into my dress. Maybe some sort of folding movable screen or something would be nice so the bride can continue getting ready while guests come through the room. Aside from that, the lounge was amazing, and Justin even let us stash my wedding dress and the bridesmaids' dresses in the closet overnight so we wouldn't have to lug them in the next day.

    Overall, I couldn't imagine a more wonderful place to get married. Every time we visit Madison now, we'll have lunch at the University Club, in the same room where we became husband and wife. That's so lovely.
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    Angela Sent on 09/05/2013
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    I cannot say enough good things about our reception venue. Justin is amazing. He was always willing to work with us to make our wedding unique and to calm us down. About 2 months before the wedding we got freaked out about price and he told us to wait until we had almost-final counts and then we could talk about reducing costs. We did, and he found ways to save us about $4k. The venue itself is romantic and it's so nice that you get the whole place to yourself so you don't feel like you're in a wedding factory like other places that have multiple weddings going on at the same time. Our guests loved the multiple rooms. While I thought the decor was a bit Nordic and wouldn't fit with our theme, when I look through the pictures, it looks perfect and provides the perfect backdrop for an amazing night. Also, the food was delicious and the chef was more than eager to work with us to create the perfect menu, which we wanted to reflect our heritages.
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    Lindsey Sent on 11/30/2011
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    everything was great!! steve was so calm and great about answering our many questions, and while he wasn't there the day of, things went amazingly! the venue is staffed by students and they did such a great job! everyone had food without waiting forever. they worked fast, we barely noticed them. food was great too. it was nice to have everything there that we needed. a great value too!
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    Aleice Sent on 08/09/2011
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    The Great Hall is beautiful! It is the ideal location for a wedding ceremony in Madison! The staff was fantastic and worked with me to make my day perfect!
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    Dj Sent on 07/30/2012
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    Hattie & team took great care of us from A to B. Having a same sex reception wasn't an issue for them at all. If you're looking for 'the' place to host a larger event in Madison, look no further!
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    Joshua Sent on 01/24/2012
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    Our Reception was held at the Memorial Union, in the Main Lounge. Instead of a plated dinner, we had a large variety of hors'dourves. Food was B+ for a good price. We had two kegs on hand of quality Wisconsin brews, as well as wine. The standard wine list is a little limited, but anything is available via special order. We ordered from the standard list, and the wine as respectable. Service was excellent. In addition to Cake, we had Babcock Icecream served with the Cake, which was a big hit.

    Prior to the date, we had three meetings with the host and catering director, including a tasting of a large variety of potential items.

    The staff went out of their way to ensure that all of our needs and desires were met or exceeded. I would definitely suggest the Memorial Union for any UW Alumni.

    Be aware, though, that the Union is in high demand, and books 18 months in advance - often through a lottery system during the busiest months. Plan far ahead!
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    Katherine Sent on 10/06/2008
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    We used the Great Hall and everyone we talked to about food, beverages, timing, etc, were all very helpful and courteous. We loved it!
  • Lee
    Lee Z. Sent on 06/11/2019
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    Good overall

    I had my wedding in the Great Hall. It was beautiful. Hattie was really helpful in accommodating all our changes. We had to move up the sequence of events during the reception. The Union workers were a bit slow to respond but they followed through with the requests, which I really appreciated.

    Ours guests liked the union workers, said that they were really friendly which is great. They were kind enough to set aside a plate of food for my brother-in-law, who had to stay home and watch his younger brother that has autism and didn't like socializing, until someone switched places with him. The food was also awesome, everyone loved it.
  • Nadia
    Nadia Sent on 06/16/2019
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    Perfect wedding in the Great Hall

    We got married in the Great Hall at the Memorial Union. Since we had to book so far in advance (in-person lottery 18 months prior to month of date), there was little communication at the beginning except when we went for our group tasting. But, as the wedding approached, the union and especially Hattie SHINED! I was blown away by their professionalism and work ethic. Everything went off without a hitch. Did they know our names? NOPE! But they do weddings all the time and they do them WELL. The catering was also amazing. My only small complaint was that I had to keep calling the finance office to give them my credit card number, even though they told me every single time that they would put it "on file."
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    Brynn Sent on 05/10/2008
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    The Memorial Union is a fantastic place for a reception. The food and service were fantastic. The food and bar options will fit any budget. The only downsides are the additional fees for setting up outside linens/chairs, etc and the 18 month advance booking date. They are pretty flexible with the set-up fees, we had our coordinator do most of it to save us the money.
  • Brett
    Brett A. Sent on 02/03/2020
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    Beautiful venue, some unlucky frustrations

    Venue was super beautiful. Catering was great.

    An unfortunate speed bump was our wedding coordinator leaving the Union a week before our wedding. We had an interim coordinator in the meantime who helped the best she could, but she was not there on the day of the event so we didn't have a consistent contact for if things went wrong.

    We were also told to have the band buzz into the loading dock to have the building manager let them in to load their equipment, but no one answered after buzzing for 20 minutes. This added a lot of frustration and friction for the weekend.
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    Natalie Sent on 01/31/2015
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    We had our ceremony and reception at Union South (UW Madison); loved the venue; you have to book your room very far out , +14 months b/c of how popular the Union venues are. Union South is the most expensive of the UW venues, but I was very happy with it. The room is relatively new (as is the furniture), had a good experience w/ our coordinator. It's unfortunate this Union is not on a lake like Memorial Union.

    Extra $500 to have the ceremony there; we paid extra to have up-lighting as well; you can bring all of your own decor in,
    Tons of food options and lots of options in terms of open bar, free beer/wine, etc...

    Our event coordinator, Hattie, was exceptional; very detail oriented & willing to meet w/ us several times. We also dealt w/ an intern Jenelle, who was helpful and attentive. My only complaint for the staff would be that Hattie was not there the day of our wedding, it was someone we had never met. I would have preferred to have been told that Hattie would not be there, but they didn't tell me that until the day of.

    Overall, good experience; weddings are so expensive and I feel this was a relatively good deal since you don't actually have to pay for the room, you just have to pay a minimum towards food, drink, etc...
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