The ATRIUM by Camp Bar — Attraction in Shorewood

The Atrium is where wedding joy goes to die! Don’t get me wrong, it is a beautiful venue, the roof top is amazing, and the reception/dance floor area was unique. It was the type of venue that we had been hoping for. Giving guest both outdoor enjoyment and inside statement sights. After a quick drive by, I knew I had made my decision, to have our wedding/reception there, at least we hoped. There are a few things that you should know though, before you sign up.

The Atrium is owned by SoundbyDesign, a DJ company. Owner, Paul Hackbarth and Director of Operations, Josh Erickson, were some of the hardest people to deal with. Especially after being told in an email that "Maybe we shouldn't be working together." All I wanted was understanding, about what I was getting for all the money that they were going to charge us. The truth came out as little, except the limited use of their space and equipment. They promised us much more than they actually deliver. Including, but not limited to, a manager for your wedding day at The Atrium, to supposedly help make your wedding day a special day. Well, we can attest that is not what you will get. Our experience was full of inflexibility, nickel and diming, and standoffish behavior.

It's important to know, that they advertise the ability to accommodate up to 250 guests. That is a lie, the bottom floor could comfortably seat 150 guests MAYBE. And the roof top, which is where we initially wanted to have our ceremony, could hold 100 people, NOT if they were seated! Instead, we felt we were only able to host our reception there, based on our estimated guest count. Forcing us to move our ceremony site to the nearby park. When we inquired, for them to take care of the music there, it was a resounding yes, for a nominal fee of $400 more, on top of the booking of The Atrium. And even though, our reception was on the mail floor, which was the only place they had to set up tables and chairs, be prepared to pay an additional 5 dollars per guest, for a chair moving fee, despite NOT have any chairs moved. So, with 100 guests you can slap another $500 on your bill for chair moving expenses!

Because we reserved The Atrium, we were able to use the Camp Bar, another establishment they own, for our rehearsal dinner. In order to have full use of their back room, we only had to meet a $500 minimum. This was a great space, very rustic and comfortable. Yet, we were still left lacking... heat, a designated bar tender, and very little in the way of food. Unless, you're only planning on bar appetizers and pizza, you'll need some heavy drinkers to make up the difference. And to my disappointment there was, NO on on-site that seemed to know what was going on and not even any signage to let the people know there was a private event, or for our party to know where to go.

All in all, our DJ Zach Dewitt, did a good job with the music and assisting in a dinner snafu. We recommend that you think long and hard about hiring SoundbyDesign for anything other than their DJ services. They are not forth coming, will charge you without giving you a receipt, unless you ask, and are not high with giving a couple the service and comfort, they should have for this once in a...

Hands down, one of the best venues in Milwaukee! We love The Atrium. Jeremy & I were so thankful to have our wedding here as they remained optimistic the entire time working through the challenges of the covid pandemic. This venue is gorgeous by itself and needs minimal decor. Our guests were blown away and fell in love with the space as well. They adored the bi-level structure providing both indoor & outdoor event space. The intimacy of this space along with the garden rooftop sold us immediately. On top of that, all of the staff at The Atrium are amazing to work with! Ray worked with us all the way through rehearsal, and Josh was our day of Event Manager (as well as toured us in the beginning). Both of them made us feel so special and gave us their undivided attention every single step of the way. Ray made sure we did not stress about a thing during our entire planning process! We even requested Torie from Sound by Design to DJ our event, and they arranged their schedules to make that happen! Josh was so upbeat and happy to be a part of our wedding day. We loved seeing that!! Communication with all of them was top notch. As a planner myself and the Bride, I recommend Ray and Josh to anyone who books here! The entire staff at The Atrium along with the Sound by Design team (Torie Gamez) go above and beyond to ensure everything is absolutely perfect for your special day. Not to mention they are so fun & personable...

I really hate writing posts like this but need to share my disappointment. The Atrium was at the top of my venue list when searching for a new venue for our wedding celebrations. We got there a little early just to view the venue and were excited to see it. When we got inside the little vestibule, we saw a group sitting at a table on the other side of the venue, which looked to either be a planning session for another event or a staff meeting. We did see a few people see us and there was a bell when we walked in, so we waited outside not to disturb.However, no one took the time to come over and even share that they were running behind or any sort of introduction. While being very patient, it was almost 20 minutes and not one person made any effort to share that they were running late. I checked my email and didn’t receive anything from Josh either who I had coordinated the tour with. While I know this was a short amount of time in hindsight to wait, it was just such a negative tone for us to not even be greeted in anyway, even if it was a “hey, will be there shortly.” For this being one of the biggest celebrations we will ever host, I would not be able to confidently go into a setting where we cant even be communicated with. Such a disappointment and...