Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center

much to make the entire day perfect. The service, attention to detail and professionalism were top notch. The venue was beautiful and fit our guest count of approximately 160 perfectly. The food and bar service were exceptional. We couldn't have been happier with the service. Well worth the money spent and would easily choose this venue again.

The planning process was simple and hassle free. The food was incredible! We received so many compliments from our guests. The catering staff was excellent. We ordered our cupcakes through Monona Terrace as well. The cupcakes are DELICIOUS! The cost to rent the rooms was ridiculously reasonable for the beauty of these facilities.

rooftop and our reception was in Community Terrace, which both had gorgeous views of Lake Monona. The food was delicious! Staff did most of the cleanup, and we just picked up our stuff from the loading dock the next day!

ly with our floral theme. The staff was great and always helpful, and everything was very timely! The only issue we had was around clean up not being as organized and losing some items. They might have been a little too quick and efficient with that.

tiful and accessible. They were flexible through our two postponements, and Micayla Zapata was particularly competent and attentive.

o every detail. Specifically, Michelle was an amazing coordinator and was so helpful during the planning process as well as on the day of. Mickayla was so helpful in organizing the catering. The lake view is incredible, as is the view of the capital from the rooftop. I would highly recommend The Monona Terrace to any couple getting married in Madison!

e Monona Terrace staff was until the very last detail of our wedding day! A few highlights: - Marcia was an amazing catering coordinator, it was like having our own personal wedding planner. She walked us through every stage of our wedding day and curated a plan for the day that kept us organized and everything running smoothly the day-of. She really made us feel like it was "our day" and took care of so much in the background: timing the bridal party as they walked down the aisle, cueing our DJ, timing the grand entrance, saving us hors d'oeuvres, and having a cocktail ready to go for us when we sat for dinner! She probably did much more than I am even aware of. It was evident she is an experienced professional when it comes to events, she knew all the right places to get staged and had great timing. - Monona Terrace did most of the set up so we were only responsible for the centerpieces and a few more decorative items. They moved all our decor from the loading dock to the reception space so it was ready to go early! - We received a lot of compliments on the food. I thought my meal (Portobello Wellington) was absolutely amazing! Several people told me it was the best vegetarian option they've ever had at a wedding. Overall, there were great portion sizes and I didn't hear a single complaint. - Monona Terrace did all the cleanup after the reception was over, we just needed to pick everything up in the loading dock the next day. - The building is an architectural marvel. You can't ask for a better view, a better location, or a more beautiful space. I am being 100% honest when I say: the day was all I dreamed of and more. The Monona Terrace may seem like an expensive venue, but we compared the pricing to many venues in the area and it ended up being about the same price. We got everything we wanted by using the basic wedding package, moderately priced meals (pot roast & bone-in pork rather than steak & salmon for example), we had an open bar for cocktail hour and open beer & wine for the rest of the night, and it ended up being less expensive than we expected. With all the extra benefits we received from an event planning standpoint, not to mention how gorgeous the space is, the Monona Terrace is an amazing value. I would highly recommend The Monona Terrace to any couple getting married in Madison!

eremony space is perfectly situated facing lake Monona and it was a HOT, but beautiful day. Although we did not hire a day of coordinator, our site contact, Jeanette Moran, was very responsive leading up to and on the day of the event, and she as well as the MT staff put my mind at ease and helped everything run smoothly. After researching quite a few venues in Madison for our wedding, MT is definitely the best bang for your buck. Our guests raved about how nice the venue and food was too! Thank you so much for everything!

sure to set aside food/cake/late night snacks for me and were extremely attentive. I would highly recommend hosting your reception here. The entire planning process with them was stress free!

staff (like setting up specific items, etc.) that were not a big deal, but can be spotted in some of our photos.

rdinator on the day of our event. Every little details was accounted for and we were able to relax and enjoy the evening with our guests. Marcia was an excellent asset to have in the wedding preparation and it was so great to have her their during our reception as well. We had our dinner in the grand terrace overlooking the lake and our guests raved about the excellent view during cocktail hour!

ator, expect to work extra hard to communicate with the catering sales staff to get exactly what you want on your big day!

nowledgeable and helpful staff to the amazing food, I cannot say enough! I highly recommend the Monona Terrace to anyone looking for a wedding venue in Madison. Photos from Dutcher Photography (also highly recommend) http://www.robandsamphoto.com/archive-blog/2018/7/14/elaina-nate-a-modern-monona-terrace-rooftop-wedding

outset, Breanne was helpful and no-pressure as we considered potential venues. Once we chose Monona Terrace, Marcia and her staff provided clear guidance and answered all our questions along the way. We particularly enjoyed the tasting where you get to sample all the food offerings to make your selections! Matt was very helpful finalizing all details the week of, and the night itself came off without a hitch. The service staff was attentive and friendly (they even set aside a few of each appetizer for us at the head table, a nice touch), the food was delicious (a common compliment from our guests), the room set-up was flawless, and things just ran very smoothly. Would definitely recommend!

of your decor boxes are clearly marked with your name and room name so they all end up together when you pick them upthw following day!

Ballroom A/B for our wedding of 184. Since we were planning our wedding from out of town, it was so convenient to be able to have everything (ceremony, reception, decoration placement, caterer, drinks, bakery) handled by a single point of contact. We were able to plan the entire wedding without visiting the venue once. Unexpectedly, the Terrace essentially provided us a day-of coordinator, Micayla Zapata. She played a crucial role in making sure our day was planned and executed flawlessly. Early on, she went through all of the line items with us and made sure we knew about all of the options and possibilities that the Terrace offers. Later on, she went through the agenda with us to make sure things would run smoothly. She never made me feel like a burden no matter how many questions I asked, and I always felt as if our wedding was in good hands. She thought of everything that I didn't even know I had to think about. She could not have made our planning any easier or stress-free. As for the on-site staff and servers the day of the wedding, they were incredible. We received numerous compliments from our guests about how friendly, attentive, and perceptive the staff was. They were also amazing at coordinating with our outside vendors (officiant, DJ, and photographers). We got the Premium Wedding Dinner Package. We received a lot of compliments about the Green Peppercorn Sirloin, which was the entree that most of our guests ordered. Though I didn't have it, I was relieved that the chefs could perfect cooking steaks for the masses. As expected, this venue comes with a high price tag, so this is not the place for a budget wedding. But the price is well worth it if you want a perfectly planned and executed wedding with great food and amazing service without a lot of stress on your part.

the food was. I cannot reccomend them enough!!

holds their expectations higher than any other place we were considering, they take the experience of us and our guests very seriously. All staff, bartenders, event planners, etc. were so accommodating and flexible. We truly appreciated all the work they did. I would highly recommend this venue to any couple looking for the perfect wedding! We had our ceremony on the Rooftop and reception in the Grand Terrace, just gorgeous venue! :)

we found out about later. Our guests were very impressed.

on our date. When I asked why, she mentioned that the west circle on the roof was open and the community terrace room for the Friday before. I called my fiancé right away and told him. He said that was a deal we couldn't turn down. As I walked through the community terrace ballroom, I pictured my fairy tale wedding. The staff was beyond friendly from the start. Breann and Marcia walked us through the entire process and answered all our questions within a timely manner. Our day was truly magical and the food was fantastic. With the terrace being already so beautiful, we didn't need that many decorations. Why change perfection. Thank you everyone at the Terrace, it was a dream come true.

y lit up the room. EVERY person I worked with was so amazing. Micayla was the greatest. She was there through everything. Answered my phone calls and emails right away and was with us the day of. If we did it all over again we would choose the Terrace every time! We got so many compliments on the food, drinks, room, and the view. We also go access to the roof top to take beautiful pictures with their fountain, looking over the capital building, and the lake! Could not have been happier.

s to offer. We needed a place that we could hold our wedding ceremony and reception at so we didn't have to worry about guest transportation. Monona Terrace was on the top our list when we checked out our options as it met all of our criteria. We were surprised how affordable and comparable it was to other Madison locations. We are so happy we were able to secure a date at this excellent venue! From the moment Brianne showed us around the Monona Terrace we were impressed by the professionalism and of course the beautiful location. We had our ceremony and cocktail hour on the center rooftop, there is no other view like that in Madison! Our reception was held in the Community Terrace Room (the only room I wanted). The room was perfect because of the gorgeous views and we could have music in the same room as the dinner (guests didn't have to attend our dance in a different room). Wendy was our catering contact and she was so great to work with. She was always fast to get back to e-mails and answer the many questions we had. She worked hard to make sure our wedding day at the Monona Terrace was perfect, which it was. You can tell she knows her job well and loves it. All the staff were so professional, kind and excellent to work with.

eremony outside despite the potential of rain. They also made the day so much easier, even when we forgot to order food for my sister-in-law and didn't even find out until that morning!

windows lining the back hall with an overlook of Lake Monona. Breanne and Wendy were with me every step of planning and made sure the day ran as smooth as possible. Everything was perfect and I couldn't ask for a better experience!

ure. The service by all the members of staff was also impeccable, from the moment we first toured the venue, all through the booking process, with excellent wait-staff on the evening itself who also packed the last slices of (externally catered) wedding cake for us to take home at the end of the night. Our only suggestion to future couples is that you DO take them up on their offer of a free tasting of their meals before selecting your menu. As with many other full-service venues, they do not allow external catering, and we were disappointed by the quality of their fish on the evening (broiled champagne tilapia). We might have been able to avoid this if we had done the tasting, so please learn from our experience. Otherwise an excellent venue and an excellent experience.

nd beautiful places in Madison. The staff were good to work with and responsive, especially the catering staff (we had strawberry lemonade available before the ceremony). There was initially some confusion/ conflicting answers around when the space was available, as they have quite a few weddings there every day. This was difficult initially, but we didn't any other communication problems once it was resolved. Overall, I'm glad we had our ceremony there. However, I didn't love the ballrooms, especially for a wedding of our size (130), so we ended up having our reception elsewhere. Because the space is so beautiful, they book up very fast, so make sure you contact them early!

tasting of food at from Monona Catering. Delish! We met our Catering Manager there: Micayla Jones. Separately rating her performance and professionalism: 5 stars+++ She was AMAZING! She always responded quickly, always professional, and was there every step of the way no matter what the question was. She was also there on our wedding day to make sure everything went smoothly. I can't say enough good things about Micayla. Monona Terrace staff was also very pleasant. They set up our space to exactly what we wanted....nothing was out of place!! We had wonderful feedback from our guests on the wait staff as well. Very polite and efficient! My only complaint about this venue were the bartenders. We paid for 3 bartenders for the entire night. We thought by using 3 bartenders, working for a great venue, (with a 20% gratuity included) they would be top notch. We had numerous complaints from our guests of them being extremely rude. My husband and I had very few drinks throughout the night, and when we were greeted by the bartenders...(keep in mind the BRIDE and GROOM!), we were asked "What do you want" in a very rude tone. I am hoping new staff are hired, or the current staff is trained better. They were my only complaint of the entire venue. However a HUGE Thank You to Micayla and everyone else on the Monona Catering staff, you were all wonderful!!!!!!

uldn't have been more helpful! To anyone getting married at the Monona Terrace I'd make a special request to have Micayla take care of you. From the moment we said we were going to have our wedding at the Monona Terrace they were nothing but welcoming and helpful. They sent numerous "thank you for choosing us" notes in the mail which was a nice touch and went above and beyond when it came to being organized. The groom and I had no worries or stress the day of the wedding because we knew Micayla would take care of everything and make sure it was exactly how we wanted it. Everyone at our wedding raved about the food - and you get so many choices! We were able to offer our guest 4 choices (no extra fees)! We did a dessert bar with all desserts coming from the Monona Terrace and they displayed it in such a beautiful matter. The wait staff was awesome and the crew who set-up all of our decorations did it exactly how we wanted. We couldn't have ask for a more perfect day! I would highly recommend the Monona Terrace to anyone getting married in Madison - you couldn't ask for a better venue with exceptional service!

harity events and fell in love with their friendly event staff. Every e-mail and phone call is answered immediately. Every effort is taken in advance to make sure the day is perfect. And on the day of the staff is more than helpful and ensures everything runs 100% smooth. The food from Monona Catering was outstanding, and the waitstaff extremely polite and helpful. Our waiter Lester treated us like royalty! We will continue hosting events at this amazing venue, and are so lucky it is in our hometown of Madison. Thank you Eartha, Breanne, Greg, and Lester!

in this field. They are one of the more pricey places to hold a wedding reception, but it was worth it for me to not have to worry about any details the day-of.

ork with and they have options to fit a variety of budgets. They won't set up for the wedding rehearsal though including audio. Overall recommended!

reception!

move the ceremony inside due to rain which was hard, but they gave me an extra hour to make the call since it was "iffy" in the morning, and everything turned out wonderful inside. The food was fantastic. The only reason I give 4 stars is because they're very strict in what you can bring in (no cupcakes, no mints or anything open), and they get you with costs of extras such as up-lighting. It came with the DJ package for free, but he had to be around the dance floor. He couldn't do the up-lighting on the pillars around the room. Overall everything was great.

amazing and you can't go wrong with any choice. Service was outstanding. Nothing went wrong the entire day and guests commented that it was the best wedding they've ever been to. Thank you Monona Terrace!!!!

the Hall of Ideas for our reception and the Grand Terrace for our cocktail hour. Although the carpet is kind of ugly, the food was excellent. The staff was great at serving in a timely and organized manner and we heard so many great things from our guests.

Madison. The staff was professional and courteous. Everything was set up exactly how I wanted it. Food was delicious. Our caterer was incredible - made sure our day was exactly what we wanted.

Wisconsin football games, which greatly impacted getting hotel rooms blocked for out of town guests. We also weren't told that at least 2 other weddings were taking place at the same time as ours. The service from our event coordinators was very professional and they were very flexible in working with us when we had a last minute floral change. The wait and bartending staff was not very friendly. They seemed less than enthused to be servicing our guests -- I went up to get a glass of wine from the bar and no one greeted me or smiled. It was quite strange. Overall, I was happy with the venue and service, but the few missteps along the way dissuaded me from selecting 5 stars.

a so the view was amazing. The staff did an excellent job of working with us both prior to our event as well as the day of and after. They knew myself and my mom (our contact person) by name and they were so helpful with any request we had. The Monona Terrace had a great way of assuring us everything was under control and they were absolutely right. Also, we had so many comments from our guests about how great the food tasted. We had a customized buffet with East Indian and American food and everything on the buffet was delicious! We were also surprised that our bill came in at the price it did with having the customized buffet. I would highly recommend this venue to anyone in the Madison area not only for weddings but for any large event.

due to the cold weather we had to move the reception inside. The staff was very professional and did everything they could to make my day easy and perfect. Side note: if you do want to get married on the rooftop, be aware that you cannot have any open flames (the material the roof is made of is flammable) and you cannot put a dance floor up there due to the tiles. Also, to reserve the space doesn't cost much, but be aware that if you are paying for an open bar, and food, and a few rentals the cost will add up. My wedding was 115 people, open bar, stations for food. We did not do a cake, but also know that they do not provide tiered wedding cakes - and if you bring one in they charge you per slice to cut it.

ing to us noticed my husband and I weren't eating so she put together a box for us to eat once we got hungry! I highly recommend them!

y in terms of what they wanted for things. I did a lot of negotiating to get things more affordable. It took a lot of time, but I did get some prices down, but not all. I was surprised for how much they wanted to nickel and dime you for everything. I was doing most of the work, but I felt like I was paying them for it all. Once I got the prices figured out, things were fine. Their catering staff was very nice to all of our guests, and they followed my instructions for set up, which was important. I would just caution anyone having cocktails/dinner there to make sure that people keep their drinks with them. We had people who placed their new drinks on the table to take a picture, only to have the drink taken away by a waiter/waitress. That left them going up for another drink and us paying for many drinks that were not even touched! The place was beautiful (other than the carpet) and is a wonderful place for a beautiful lake overlook. I would recommend that if you have the time and patience to negotiate with people there, it can be very much worth it.

r backwards to accommodate us on the actual day. We worked with Eartha as our catering contact and I can't say enough good things about her. She was approachable and always available for questions. She was extremely helpful and spent the entire evening on site to help out. The site was perfect and I couldn't have asked for more.