Located downtown Milwaukee our venue features 2 historic wedding and event venues; the HYDE and the ABBEY. Each of our venues boasts its own interpretation of European elegance, inviting guests to take their vision to new heights. Enjoy the entire event venue for the complete Royal Wedding experience or simply choose the space that best suits your celebration.
Both of our venues feature large gathering areas to ensure appropriate socially distanced events can occur safely.
Both of our venues feature large gathering areas to ensure appropriate socially distanced events can occur safely.
Services
We want to provide the ultimate guest experience. In doing so, our venue rental fee includes private "getting ready" rooms. Each venue offers a luxury bridal suite with stylist station, private bathroom and a comfy sitting area for our brides and wedding party to get ready. Also, each venue offers a Grooms Quarter with The Abbey's Grooms Quarter designed as the "ultimate man cave" including a bar, flat screen TV, ping pong table and lounge area.
St. James 1868 provides a beautiful and comfortable setting for the gathering of friends and family celebrating the life of your loved one. We offer an alternative memorial service and luncheon from other Milwaukee funeral homes. We are here to help families design a highly personal and meaningful celebration honoring their lost loved one.
A thoughtfully curated collection of furniture rentals to elevate your event and perfect your vision. Browse our online collection of curated rental pieces and put together your wishlist. Remember, each St. James venue rental includes use of it's custom chairs and 60 round tables! Email your St. James event coordinator, who will work with you to create the perfect layout for your event using any additional rental pieces you've chosen.
Book our St. James historic apartment rental and have your bridal party or family stay right next door to your wedding venue! With availability of a 1,500 sq ft apartment, including full kitchens, living rooms, bathrooms, and three bedrooms, your guests can stay in designated spaces designed for comfort and convenience.
Reviews (10)
Rebecca Gutzmann
Jan 30, 2022
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We absolutely loved working with Kate and the entire team at St. James 1868. We booked the Hyde for our wedding reception, having only seen pictures online, as neither myself nor my husband lived in Milwaukee. My mom had spoken with Kate on the phone and we placed our trust in her from miles away. When we finally saw the Hyde in person, it was even better than online. The space is gorgeous and needs very little decoration. Kate responded to emails quickly and had an answer for every question I had. Her vendor recommendations (floral, catering, DJ, etc.) were fantastic as well. The weekend of our
Dan Weber
Jan 17, 2022
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Kate and St. James Team, We sincerely want to THANK YOU for having the vision and drive to create the St. James 1868 event space. Our Son and Daughter in Law's wedding was PERFECT!! We feel so very honored to have been able to enjoy your impeccable property and our guests were so very complimentary and impressed. Your staff was very professional and friendly and had every detail covered. It will be a cherished memory for us all.
Courtney King
Dec 26, 2021
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We unfortunately did not book our wedding at St James for date driven reasons, but we toured and the space is incredible. The detail, the consideration of the flow of the day, the two unique spaces giving brides awesome options... it was absolutely breathtaking. Jo was so helpful during the tour and passionate about the space. The location is ideal for pictures day-of, etc. I am envious of any bride who snags this venue, it is a dream come true!
Taylor Trovillion
Oct 14, 2021
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We are thrilled with the outcome of our wedding on 9/10/21 in the Abbey venue. We moved our wedding three times due to COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, and the St. James 1868 team and Gracious Events, their caterer, were so flexible. The venue is beautiful and offers many options to customize but the great thing was that we didn't need to do too much and kept within budget. Patio is beautiful. Onsite amenities to get ready were great. Their recommended vendor list was perfect and with that list all we required was a day-of coordinator through St. James/Gracious rather than a planner.
Belinda Bonsall Leonard
Sep 24, 2021
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I’m looking at photos of my daughter’s St. James wedding as I write this review. Of course, I’ve been looking at the photos constantly over the last couple of weeks, because the wedding truly was a dream come true! St. James 1868 is an exquisite venue. The dramatic arched ceiling, rich woodwork, and stained glass just takes your breath away as you enter. The 72 foot aisle makes for a stunning entrance for the bride. No detail was overlooked as the St. James was restored…even the chairs provided by St. James are perfect, not only classy, but comfortable too. There are so many wonderful opportunities
Catherine Leonard
Sep 23, 2021
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The best decision of my wedding experience (besides my husband of course!) was choosing St James as our wedding venue. It is a beautiful and unique space that will remain classic until the end of time. I loved not having to worry about weather for our ceremony or reception, but still got to enjoy the court yard for our cocktail hour. Our guests were blown away by the beauty and grand-ness of the Abbey and loved not having to switch venues between the ceremony and reception. It photographed beautifully and had more than enough space for our 180 person guest list . It is also in a perfect location
Kristen Owens
May 23, 2021
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The St James is truly in a league of its own when it comes to wedding venues. As soon as my fiancé and I stepped foot into the space for the first time, we knew we were somewhere truly unique and special. No detail was sparred in the creation of the St James and it shows. From the beautiful red doors at the entry of the property, to the gorgeous bride and grooms suites, the amazing ceiling and windows I guarantee you will be blown away.
Steph - Th Photography
Mar 21, 2021
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St. James is a gem in Milwaukee. With it's endless charm and wonderful staff you can be sure that hosts and guests will be taken care of from the first interaction. The owner and interior designer of St. James is Kate Crowle, an entrepreneur, stylist and wedding professional. Kate and her team, along with Gracious, the exclusive caterer for the venue, are a team of visionaries and experts in their craft. I've worked with them for multiple events now and can only say that I'm beyond impressed with their professionalism, attention to detail and kindness with their clients. Kate, Marija and Vesna
Madison Garland
Nov 13, 2020
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Where do we even begin! We could not be happier with our experience with the St. James 1868 team. Having volunteered may times at the Gathering, St. James is completely unrecognizable and the venue spaces that Kate and her staff have created are simply breathtaking. We could not recommend hosting your event at this venue enough! As we were St. James’s first wedding, there were some minor hiccups along the way, but when it counted St. James far exceeded our expectations!
As you can see from the attached photos (courtesy of our amazing photographer Anna Page Photography – check her out, you
As you can see from the attached photos (courtesy of our amazing photographer Anna Page Photography – check her out, you
Katie Geis Artist & Event Painter
Oct 06, 2020
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I've had the pleasure of painting at the St. James twice in the past month. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this venue and the owner/staff are! They are so kind and accommodating to everyone there, vendors included!
2020 has not been a great year for events and has made it extremely difficult for businesses, especially new ones (St. James) to succeed. Postponements and restrictions on guest counts have made for an interesting wedding season and has been very hard on venues, especially because it is very difficult to fill a date once someone has postponed. I'm so glad the weddings I've
2020 has not been a great year for events and has made it extremely difficult for businesses, especially new ones (St. James) to succeed. Postponements and restrictions on guest counts have made for an interesting wedding season and has been very hard on venues, especially because it is very difficult to fill a date once someone has postponed. I'm so glad the weddings I've
