Sazama's Fine Catering - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Maria S.

We were first drawn to the Marcus Performing Arts Center from the beauty of the ballroom, but quickly signed on the dotted line after just one meeting with Karin, who quickly instilled confidence that her and the team at Sazama’s Fine Catering could over-deliver on all our requests. Karin and the team were professional and flexible throughout the whole planning process, customizing nearly everything to our needs while being a creative resource to bounce ideas off of and proactive to ask all the right questions. All coordination was quick, timely, easy, and extremely pleasant.
Day of, Karin and the team were very attentive to all our needs, effortlessly liaising between vendors and watching out for our needs first as bride and groom. Above and beyond is an understatement when it came to the day-of detail of the space. I never had to worry about how the venue would be set up as I could trust her taste and professionalism to ensure it looked beautiful. All the events they do make them so solid in what they do, yet they still make you feel like you are the only client they have.
The flexibility, dependability, and care of the most important wedding vendor (venue and F&B) is what truly made the Marcus Performing Arts Center and Sazama’s Fine Catering such an asset to our special day. You will be so impressed as you move forward with them on yours as well!

Lorin V. W.

I would highly recommend Sazama's Fine Catering at the Marcus Performing Arts Center for a wedding venue. Not only is the venue absolutely beautiful (especially if you're considering an off season wedding), but the staff is wonderful and the food is phenomenal. We received so many compliments on every single part of our wedding. Lynn was absolutely WONDERFUL to work with. She makes the the planning process so easy. She works so well with all the vendors. The staff was absolutely wonderful. They packed up everything for us at the end of the night and kept it safe for our vendors to pick up the next day. Thank you Lynn and everyone at Sazama's for making our wedding day truly the best day of our lives!

Lorin & Nick: 12.28.2019

Mallory O.

I cannot express enough as to how wonderful our wedding was at the Performing Arts Center! Lynn and the PAC team are timely, efficient, and patient. Being a COVID-19 couple, we had to switch our day from April to October. They changed everything around in less than 24 hours without any issues. The food is absolutely fabulous. If you can swing it, get a signature drink! Our guests were thrilled with the space. Also, working with Lynn was such a joy. She is kind and an expert at her job. Thank you to Lynn & the PAC team for making our wedding day the best day of our lives!!

Katherine C.

This past summer my husband and I were married downtown Shorewood. We had our reception at the Marcus center of the performing arts in the Bradley pavilion. I would highly recommend this venue as well as the Sazama’s catering company. We had a great experience working with Lynn, she answered emails within hours, she was knowledgeable, and patient with the bombardment of questions I was constantly throwing her way. Our guest were amazed by the room, the overall presentation was gorgeous. The food was unbelievable and definitely earned us many compliments from our guests. So amazed by all the support, great people, great food, great experience overall!

Kelly W.

Booking The Marcus Center and Sazama's for our wedding was the best decision we have ever made; we will never forget our experience with them. It was truly unbelievable. We had SO many guests tell us they were left speechless and they had never seen anything like it. From day one, Lynn had gone above and beyond to ensure everything would go smoothly and would be exactly the way we wanted. The venue is stunning-from the Bradley Pavilion to having two other unique spaces for use; the Fitch Gardens and the private balcony overlooking the river. The service was like none other I have ever experienced at a wedding before (and I've been to A LOT of weddings) I couldn't believe how quickly they were able to serve a 5 course meal. The chef even allowed me to design the menu, and her interpretations on the dishes were beyond delicious. Our guests were absolutely blown away with the food. I cannot emphasize it enough that booking this venue will be the best decision you would ever make. I have some pretty high standards and the PAC and Sazama's team beyond exceeded them. Thank you again for allowing us to have our dream wedding! It would've never have been nearly the same elsewhere!

Rachel F.

I cannot recommend a place more highly than the Sazama's team at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. Everything about the process was stress-free and professional. It was clear that they had years of experience and dedicated staff. We did not have a wedding planner and we had a 230+ person wedding. Lynn with Sazama's made sure every detail was thought of and attended to. She was kind and flexible and had a calming way about her. Planning a wedding can be stressful, so to work with people who are calm and know what they are doing is a huge help. She did so many extra steps for us, like coordinating place covers and setting up our decorations. Their pricing was fair and transparent, and they were easy to work with when customizing packages.

Beyond the process, the day itself was perfect! I had guests say their steak was one of the best they've had- not just at a wedding but overall! The passed food during cocktail hour was delicious and the staff was great. Not one detail was missed. Somehow Lynn or the manager was always near by when I had a question and they were awesome at keeping things on time. They even brought cocktails to us from the bar so we wouldn't have to get up during dinner. The venue was so elegant yet the two outdoor spaces allowed us to have corn hole and giant jenga during the cocktail hour and cigars during the band break. We had a fantastic plated dinner and Saz's casual late night food later. They really had it all! The views of the sunset on river are so stunning and the long room meant tables were only two rows deep in front of our head table, so even though it was a large wedding, it felt personal.

You could really tell they took pride in their work and truly wanted your day to be perfect - and ours was. I would give them 100 stars and recommend them again and again.

Carolyn D.

While it wasn’t the easiest process getting there, we had an absolutely wonderful wedding at the Marcus Center! The venue itself is so lovely. We fell in love with ivy covered Fitch Gardens, the balcony overlooking the river, and the ceiling lights that added fun character to the classic ballroom space for our reception. We weren't able to use Fitch Gardens for our ceremony due to the weather, but the weather backup space is beautiful as well and we were really happy with it. Our guests RAVED about the food - one said we served the best steak he's ever had in his life!

For the most part all of the staff was great and very helpful. We planned our wedding during COVID19 and I believe that took a toll on the communication and organization during the planning process. Early on, Lynn and Karin assured me that I didn’t need to hire a wedding planner because they would handle everything and it wouldn’t be necessary, but I think I would have felt a lot more comfortable with a planner to help. I worked with Lynn and while she worked really hard to make my wedding perfect, I never felt completely secure that things were on track or that we were on the same page. Wedding planning is stressful and I would have appreciated some more guidance throughout the process instead of having to initiate check ins and next steps myself. While I’m sure that COVID19 provided some challenges on her end too, I often heard her admit to being unsure of something because she hadn’t had a wedding in a while, or just being overwhelmed in general. At one point two of our groomsmen were frantically handling a responsibility at the wedding that Lynn assured me she would take care of.

Overall it was an amazing wedding and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’d highly recommend the Marcus Center and Sazamas catering but be prepared to take charge and over communicate as you’re planning!

Nikala G.

Sazama's was amazing from the beginning. Karin and her team were always responsive and so happy to accommodate any of our requests as well as answer our endless questions. Chef Brett 100% delivered on our meal. Our guests are still talking about how delicious our wedding food was! The staff was so friendly to us and our guests. They also worked so well with all our other vendors. We would highly recommend using Sazama's Fine Catering for your next event!