Villa Filomena

We had an amazing masquerade party here. It was an absolutely gorgeous venue with awesome lighting and ambiance. The staff was AWESOME to work with. I couldn't believe how accommodating and creative they were. Super helpful. Would HIGHLY recommend!!

Yes, the place is absolutely stunning, but what makes Villa Filomena even more amazing are the people that work there. Highly creative with great energy!

This is a lovely, historic event space (in a mansion!) in a great area of Milwaukee.I was here as a guest and reader in a friend's wedding, so I can only review it from that point of view.Location wise, it can't really be beat. You're blocks from the lake, near several hotels and plenty else to do (art museum, restaurants, festivals, etc.) and the neighborhood itself is green and vibrant.I helped set up before the rehearsal Friday evening, and I could see even then that it was going to be lovely. The front is all stone and columns and greenery, and right inside the front doors you find a carpeted hallway with bathrooms and an open area that looks into the ballroom. We helped set up the tables and there was a coordinator directing everyone, making sure everything was in order so our bride would not be frazzled. The ballroom space has two bar areas, a stage, and a large open floor where the tables and dance floor were set up. There are huge, beautiful chandeliers all over the ceiling.Adjacent to both the ballroom and front of the building was a smallish walled courtyard overflowing with greenery. This was where the actual ceremony was held, and it felt private without being too removed. It worked well for an evening ceremony although only the front half or so was shaded, though thankfully the sun was not directly in anyone's eyes.Throughout the night, both during the rehearsal and the actual wedding and reception, the Villa Filomena staff did a wonderful job of being helpful, friendly and generally great without seeming to impose at all. The food was absolutely delicious and everything went off without (it seemed) a hitch. Given the great experience my newlywed friend had, I'd say Villa Filomena is a fantastic event space with a great staff.

My husband and I were married at the Villa Filomena last month. We chose the location because it's historic and will likely be around long after we're gone. We liked the idea of walking past it decades from now and reminiscing. And because it's beautiful we did not have to spend a lot of decoration. We had the ceremony outdoors in their courtyard, and it was lovely. We brought out own PA system, which worked out fine. We fit 80 guests comfortably. We had the reception in their ballroom. The best man is a sound technician so he was able to work their existing system just fine. We played CDs and used their microphone. It is also close to some lovely parks and churches, which we took advantage of for photos.Unfortunately, if I had to do it over again I would not have my wedding at the Villa Filomena. It was absolutely stunning, but that is really the only good thing I can say about it. We rented the Villa about 9 months prior to our wedding. In the interim we communicated solely with Tina Sanfilippo, whom, I believe, is the daughter of the owner. Tina could not respond to simple questions over email. I had to ask repeatedly for her to describe their sound system and was eventually told that she didn't know anything about it. I started putting my questions in bullet points and even that didn't help. As a bride planning a wedding from out of state this was incredibly disconcerting. My husband and I flew to Wisconsin about 6 months prior to the wedding to meet with her to discuss the details as it would be the only time we could meet in person before the wedding. When we arrived for our scheduled appointment Tina did not even know who we were and was busy setting up for an event and told us to have a look around. It was clear she was not prepared for us. She kept referring to herself as the event coordinator and I was surprised that she wanted to be so involved. I assumed we were just paying for the rental. I did not tell her this, which is my fault, but my husband and I got the sense that she was very flighty and disorganized and we did not want or need her help at all. When we came to Wisconsin for the wedding last month I thought it would be prudent to meet with Tina once more just to make sure we were on the same page since her emails were not clear. She was incredibly insulting and condescending! I brushed it off because she is a young twenty-something daughter of the owner, but she "knew" the right way to set up a wedding and when I told her that I wanted it a different way she rolled her eyes and said "well we'll just do it your way then." Of course we'll do it my way! It is my wedding! I absolutely should have made it clear we didn't need her for anything but I didn't. The day of the wedding I heard from my photographer, decorators, and my family that she was very unprofessional. Before the ceremony she began to line up the wedding party, which we did not need her to do, and then she had a last minute change of plans and brought my husband inside when I was coming down the stairs. She realized her error and physically pushed my husband in the face out the door. He was rightly upset and startled. I hate that he had to deal with that right before the ceremony. Tina then went outdoors within earshot of all of our guests and made a scene about how difficult we were being. My mom told her to leave and she did.Her behavior was deplorable and unprofessional. I really hope she learned something from this.

We had both our wedding and reception here and it was fabulous, to say the least! We had the wedding, about 120 people, on the patio, visiting/guestbook area in the parlor and the reception in the ballroom. Our bridal party got the second floor to ourselves to get dressed and ready for the day. The exterior and interior are gorgeous and unique (awesome wedding photos), Tina was a sweetheart to work with and the price was surprisingly affordable. I highly recommend The Villa for any event :) It was unforgettable.

Gorgeous place for a wedding! Always enjoy attending an event there. The staff is fabulous and the venue itself is breathtaking

We had an appointment to look at Villa Filomena as a possible venue for our wedding reception. The web site looked beautiful as was the exterior. However, when we arrived on 1/12/13 to meet with the coordinator there it was an absolute joke. Not only was the hall beat up, poorly maintained with shoddy fixes (for example they slapped some paint on the wall to cover scuffs or marks and it was the WRONG SHADE OF PAINT), it was dirty. The floor was so sticky my shoes stuck to it. The banisters for the stairs leading up to the stage (and how tacky is a stage in a banquet hall, i felt like we would have been putting on a play) was unstained, raw 2x4s just nail gunned into the wall. Then we meet the coordinator. She had another couple she was wrapping up with but made a point of coming over to tell us they wanted one of the same dates we did and if we would write her a check now we could have it before them. How awkward and tacky?! This kind of attitude also warned me she and the venue would not have out best interest at heart. When we broke it to her the venue really wasnt in the shape we had hoped it to be, she responded by suggesting that dimmed lights and candles would disguise that. We paused, debating how to respond, especially since this place was going to cost around $15,000 for a wedding, she told us we should probably just leave and showed us the side door! I would have assume part of her job description would involved SELLING the venue. We were open to talking prices. No effort at all. Dirty place, poor customer service.

I had the MOST AMAZING Bridal Shower for my sister back in January. We had a quick turn around time for booking this and Tina went above and beyond her duties to make this event outstanding. I worked with a wedding planner, Events to a T, and Tina worked with all of us to accommodate any requests we had. The mansion is so unique and you can definitely add the decor you want to give this venue the wow factor. The chandeliers are my fave. They also have a bridal room upstairs that hasn't been over modernly remodeled. It has that victorian touch which is hard to come by. Great for photo opps. I was also to a wedding here recently and I was blown away with how the bride transformed the space. The outdoor garden is perfect for an intimate wedding ceremony. Where else could you have that in the middle of downtown Milwaukee! Make this a definite must on your list of places to check out.

Villa Filomena truly is "as good as it gets" in terms of a wedding venue! It is a beautiful, classic, formal Italian villa. As soon as my fiancé and I got engaged, we thought of the Villa Filomena immediately because we've been to a silent auction charity event and a friend's wedding there in the past and both events were gorgeous! VERY elegant.The Villa Filomena is perfect for couples who want flexibility in being able to choose any caterer, any florist, any DJ, etc. The Villa Filomena's Tina Weber is a party planning guru who has been extremely helpful to me. She has wonderful, tasteful suggestions and I love that we're free to take them or use different vendors entirely. Tina has seen hundreds of weddings (I would guess-timate) and she has a wealth of local, efficient, and tasteful suggestions on what will work within the Villa Filomena's space, depending on head count.It is an elegant space that does not require much decorating at all! (Which is a $-saver.) Gorgeous Chandeliers throughout!! My fiancé and I are going with a lot of candle light + very minimal flowers (to keep costs down). Other than that and tablecloths from the caterer, you don't really need anything more to have a beautiful event. The space is decorative all by itself.I think the Villa Filomena is getting more popular (so call Tina early), but it has been one of Milwaukee's little known gems. It is also within a 2-block walking distance of historic, gorgeous hotels (the Astor, Knickerbocker, & County Clare). This is very convenient for my fiancé's large extended family who are all coming in from MN.I am so excited this is our venue!!

We recently had our wedding reception at The Villa and have nothing but great things to say about our experience. From the first time I saw the venue, I was blown away by its uniqueness, charm, and elegance. Tina was amazing to work with throughout the whole process to make sure our day was exactly as we envisioned and took any worries/stress of the wedding day away (no need for a wedding planner!)Our families and friends have all given us positive feedback~~but most importantly, my husband and I couldn't have dreamed of a more perfect place to have our celebration. This is definitely a hidden treasure and we are so happy we found it!