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Bridal BFF comes from The Lumen House, a wedding venue just outside Charlotte, so we've had a front row seat to a whole lot of wedding planning. Each week, owner Britt Loukos and some of the top experts in the wedding industry tell you what they'd tell a friend over coffee: how the money works, what to ask before you sign anything, and the parts of planning nobody warns you about. No gatekeeping, no sugarcoating, just real answers from people who do this every day.
Welcome, Haley, with Hue Events. We're so excited you're here. You are one of our preferred planners.
I'm always excited to be here.
Yes, we are so glad to have you. And one of my favorite things about you is the packages that you offer and then also just the way that you love on our brides and the way your personality, I feel like really brings out so much confidence in our bride because they can trust you and they have confidence in you and you just make a day really fun.
That's my goal. Honestly, like I tell people all the time, I'm like, my absolute goal is that you wake up on your wedding day and you're like, do I am I going to look good today?
Am I going to be center of attention? And do I have my vows done?
Like, those are the only worries that I want anyone to have the morning of their wedding. Everything else is going to be done.
I love that. And I really do feel like you bring so much stability to a wedding day for art, for the vendors and for the brides.
Yes. So thank you. I have a bunch of questions for you because I want our brides to get to know you a little bit more and share more about your story.
So you worked in education, health care and retail before this.
So many other things.
I know. Yes. I think that all of that is why you have such a gift and it really does all culminate into weddings.
And so how did you ultimately arrive into the wedding industry?
I was always that confused girl that did not know what she wanted to do when she grew up.
I think when I was little, I told my parents I wanted to own my own bar and I wanted to have parties.
That's amazing.
That was my goal. And everyone's like, how do you know what a bar was?
I'm like, my family had bars.
OK, you guys, I want to own my own bar.
I want to have parties every day.
But ultimately, I just want to work with people.
So, yes, I went from working in a middle school for a period of time to working in radiology
and really like found myself when I worked for Louis Vuitton and got a job in visual merchandising and absolutely loved it.
That's where I like I was like, OK, I love people, but I love design.
I love being able to walk into a space and transform it and make it appealing.
So I think my longest job ever was at Louis Vuitton and I was there for five years on and off maybe.
Could not commit to full time because I hated the idea of having, you know, my time condensed into like 40 hours a week
and I couldn't take time off of work.
But it was probably my favorite job.
Once I left that, that position went into a whole different field of work.
I had a friend that I've known for my past and she was a wedding planner and she was like, you're really good at design.
You have an eye.
Can you assist me at a wedding?
And I'm like, no, I don't want to go to a wedding with you.
Like, I don't want to do that.
That's not what I want to do.
If you need help, just ask.
Say you need help.
I will help you.
I did that one wedding and I never stopped.
Fooled myself.
That's so cool.
Fooled myself completely.
And literally she looked at me and she's like, do you want to keep helping me?
And I'm like, yeah, absolutely.
Absolutely.
And I stuck with her for forever.
I mean, I still will help her at a wedding if she needs it.
And then went into more of like venue management, sales, learned the aspect of venues when it comes to renting out for weddings
and what other events look like, putting on galas, putting on nonprofit organizations, using spaces.
What do those events look like?
And I was doing like 80 events a year.
And yeah, I was doing 80 events a year.
And it was absolutely bonkers crazy.
That is crazy.
But it was good.
And it gave me such a good foundation for when I walked off on my own and I was like, I'm starting my own business.
I knew, you know, what a banquet event order was.
I knew what contracts should look like.
I knew the foundation of what weddings or what any of it looks like.
And it gave me the confidence to go off and say, OK, now I just have to learn how to be a business owner.
Yeah.
And that's so smart and something that we talked about the first year, too, because I didn't cap the books.
And I know a lot of venues do.
And I respect that.
And I definitely see the value.
And the first year, I remember meeting with Michaela.
And I was like, we've got to get our reps in.
And whatever lessons we need to learn the first year, I want to learn them quick, which means more reps.
And it's just going to be drinking from a fire hose.
But if we can do this year one, if we can accept this higher volume and just like be full out to learn, by year two, we can go into a rhythm and we'll still kind of be like a new venue.
But now we'll have 150 weddings under our belt and we won't behave like a new venue.
And I feel like it sounds like you did something really similar.
Sometimes it's best just like learn the lessons really quick.
Yes.
Make your mistakes if you make them.
Yeah.
Right.
It doesn't always even have to be a mistake.
Like you can walk away with excellence and just take little like nuggets of education and also working with people.
Like I always, every event from every vendor, especially new vendors, try to be like, okay, what can I learn from that vendor?
And what do I admire about that vendor?
Which is cool.
I was like, was I supposed to take like a learning from each of those jobs and apply it to what I'm doing now?
Well, also too, I have questions and we've planned questions so that we can help the conversation navigate a little bit, but also our goal is just to get to know you.
You know what I mean?
And I feel like we're accomplishing that.
But actually, that reminds me of when I first met you, which is like such a moment ingrained in my mind.
So we're trying to keep volume high.
We are under construction.
And I was willing to do tours like at all hours of the day.
If bride wanted to come on a Sunday night at 9 p.m., I was like, sure, let me show you around.
However, we did have a lot of vendors, and I get it, who wanted to tour as well.
But in that time when you are a new venue, it's a lot.
Like it's a lot to squeeze everybody in.
And I was running tours and made just like twist of fate, made a decision to like open up for one vendor slot.
And you came in and you were just so bubbly and like charismatic and fun.
And I had had a really long day of no's.
I had had a lot of clients walk through the space who I think it was under framing.
Yes.
Right.
Yes.
Okay.
The space was framed.
And I would have photos.
I'd be like, look, like don't you see the vision?
And they were like, no.
Absolutely not.
This place is a disaster.
Like you can't have weddings here.
We're not going to get married here.
I can't believe we just wasted two hours of our time to come out and see you.
And I had had that like one after another after another.
And I felt really defeated.
And then like you pulled up and you were just a ray of sunshine.
And I felt like it lifted my spirits to make it through the rest of the week.
You're welcome.
Yeah.
And I felt like we connected so much.
And I hope it's safe to say I felt like we were in similar places professionally.
Definitely.
Definitely.
You had a lot of experience, but you had kind of just launched two events, right?
Yeah.
And then I was just launching the Lumen House.
And I felt like I had something really cool to offer.
I just felt like it wasn't resonating with the clients.
And I'm not saying that you were in that space either, but I just like I kind of like clung to you like a safety net.
And I was like, oh, my gosh, we're going to do this together.
It's going to be good.
Like, I feel like the hardest part is selling someone on a dream.
And you're going to hear a thousand no's before you hear that yes.
But it's the same thing of when this place was finished, everybody was like, there's a new venue, there's a new venue, there's a new venue.
And all of those no's that you got in the past, all those people were probably like, dang.
And I missed out on something good because I wasn't really like willing to open my ears more than my eyes, open my ears on how passionate somebody is about this space and what they're building.
Because ultimately, yes, you can show someone a rendering.
You can show someone just the trees behind us and say, I'm building a venue there.
Do you believe in me?
It's the passion that they have that you have to listen to, not necessarily what's in front of you.
Yeah.
And I felt like you had that spark, though, you know, to be launching a business.
And like, this is a new venue.
So I think that a lot of people probably would have guided me to say, like, you need very seasoned planners to come in here.
Because I was green to the wedding industry.
So, like, I didn't know what I was doing.
And so you really need to partner with these planners that have, like, 20 plus years experience and only do full service or whatever.
And I just connected with you so much.
And immediately it was like, this is going to be one of our go-to girls.
And I think we're going to attract really similar clients that are going to appreciate the spirit.
Exactly.
And I think we have, honestly.
Yeah.
All my brides that are here, I absolutely love and adore.
And they adore you.
They adore the space.
They're obsessed with it.
They're so excited about their wedding.
They're like, okay, how can we make this different?
How can we, you know, what is my day going to be like?
And they're excited to come.
Yeah.
And I feel the same way.
All of our mutual clients are, like, jets and absolute delight.
We were talking about this before we went on air, too.
I think one of the reasons that makes them a delight is because of the space that you hold.
Because you are a very organized person.
And the way you communicate is really clear.
You offer a lot of kindness along with your clarity.
But I think that because you provide such a high level of clarity and communication,
the rest of your vendor team is able to rest easy.
But even more importantly than that, your brides can rest really easy.
And I communicate with brides a little bit.
Like, they might send me a message of, like, you know, they come to an open house.
And they'll say, oh, Brit, I love your sign.
Or something, like, tiny.
But when it comes to, like, the day-to-day planning, I love that all the communication flows through you.
It gives you an opportunity to advocate for your client.
And then on my end, I can actually respond much quicker.
Because you're, like, on my favorites list.
You know, versus we have, I think we have, like, 200 brides right now.
And that can be really difficult for me to, like, even when I make my phone settings.
Like, a few events when I'm working is one of the ones that will go off no matter what.
And so you have, like, that direct line.
In a really easy way.
I didn't know that.
Oh, yeah.
Direct line.
I know.
Be careful.
No, but I think, no, I think one thing to say and, like, is really important to say is that I always tell any couple that's inquiring with me, when you choose your vendors, choose, think more than can they provide a service.
We all can provide a service.
Like, it doesn't matter what planner you're using.
It doesn't matter what venue you're going to.
Service will be provided.
You will have your wedding.
Who do you want to talk to for the next year or more or less, depending on where you're at?
But who do you want to talk to?
Who ultimately is someone that you're like, I know for sure I can trust her.
I know I can, you know, send her a text if I have a crazy idea or send her a voice memo and I have, you know, 20 ideas going through my head at 1 a.m.
I know they're going to respond to me eventually.
That's the person that you want in your corner, especially as, like, your planner.
Because that's the person that's talking to every single vendor, venue for you.
So it's like that's important to have.
So I think I always tell people who meshes with you personally is where you need to go.
It's not going to hurt my feelings if you mesh well with somebody else.
Maybe I don't mesh well with you.
And that's why we have, I feel like, our range of planners especially, we have a range in price points and personalities because it's about a relationship dynamic.
It just has to be cohesive.
And if you're oil and water, even if you love the way their Instagram feed looks, it's not worth it.
It's just supposed to be fun.
Like weddings, I appreciate the covenant of marriage.
And so on the one hand, I understand the seriousness of it.
And I very much respect that.
And then on the flip side, remembering that not to take it so seriously that you don't enjoy the journey and you don't enjoy the day.
And hiring a planner is one of the biggest pieces to make sure that that happens.
But I just think, yeah, overall loving your vendors is key.
That's cool.
I love this.
You call yourself the couple's wedding bestie.
Tell me how that looks in practice.
It's crazy, honestly.
When I say that I absolutely love each and every one of my brides.
And another thing that I say to them on calls, and I especially say now more than ever, is you're not only choosing me, I'm choosing you.
There are some people that I don't think that I'm fit to work with.
And that is a-okay.
More so because I think of it as we're going out to dinner.
We're planning your wedding.
We're going to grab drinks.
We're doing so much more than just talking via email or on Google chats.
Like we're not just, we don't have this like virtual relationship.
We have a real relationship that we're cultivating.
I'm getting to know you.
I'm getting to know your family.
You're going to tell me all the deep, dark, crazy thoughts that are going through your brain about your wedding.
I'm right then.
I'm right there for you.
And if that's not a wedding best friend, I don't know what it is.
Yeah, I always keep up with your Instagram stories.
And you are always having a meal with a client.
I love to eat.
Do you even ever eat by yourself?
No, there's no way.
You know, sometimes I do.
And it's like really nice.
Sometimes I'm like, wow, I love this.
But I have like my certain places and they know they're like, oh, she's going to come.
She's going to meet clients.
And like they know me.
But no, I eat very frequently with my clients a lot.
And sometimes we don't even talk about their wedding.
Nice.
And I meet with it even, you know, after they get married.
Mm-hmm.
We still chat.
We still talk.
We still hang out.
Yeah.
Just think that's not with every client, obviously.
But I think it's really important to just have a solid foundation of just friendship at the core of it.
Yeah.
So, yeah.
If I always tell people, like, if you're not down for that, I'm not your girl.
You're so fun.
We're not having chips and caviar.
Not it.
Or you've been on the Caesar salad kick yesterday.
Caesar salad.
Which is so cool.
I love that.
A bride got me on that.
She made her homemade Caesar salad.
And she said, I want this at my wedding.
Of course, we made it to her recipe.
And she's like, you have to try the Caesar salad.
And so I tried it.
And I was like, I might like Caesar salad now, you guys.
I know.
And I'm sure hers is still at the top of the list.
Oh, yeah.
She actually got me the cookbook that has that recipe in it.
And gave it to me.
Yeah.
That's so sweet.
That is so sweet.
Okay.
Kind of getting into what happens before a booking.
Or what happens when a wedding has no planner?
Have you ever?
Yes.
When you were in venue management and stuff.
Have you ever seen that?
Yes.
Okay.
This is what happens.
Okay.
Buckle up.
It's a dangerous ride.
I try to warn people about this.
The importance of having a planner is not just, you know,
can she make the space look pretty?
Can, you know, is the space organized?
I have friends that, you know, have organized the space.
I have family that have done weddings and things like that before.
Great.
I trust them.
I believe you.
They might be amazing.
Amazing.
But are these people here to see you?
Are these people here to watch your love, share it with other loved ones?
That it takes away from the day.
You're asking your aunt that has watched you grow up work on your wedding.
Yeah.
And she's having her own emotional moment.
Like she wants to see you in from like that peaceful place and watch you marry the love of your life.
She wants to be included.
Yeah.
She wants to be in there with hair and makeup, chit-chat, giggling.
Okay.
Your aunt is chit-chat, giggling with you guys.
Then who's putting the tablecloths on the table?
Yeah.
Who is making sure that the candles are lit?
Because your aunt just saw your cousin that just came in from the other side of the country.
And they haven't seen each other in a while.
And it's those moments that people forget.
Oh, who's going to do that?
Yeah.
Because it's so easy to say, yes, my aunt does it for a living.
She does it for a living to people that she doesn't know.
She has no ties to.
She's going to be focused on that job.
I could never do my cousin's wedding.
I'd be chit-chatting away.
I talk a lot.
Yeah.
I think that's it.
And we've seen so many talented planners through here.
I'm even thinking of weddings that I've attended, not at my own venue, just personally.
And I feel like even the family that has either the gifting or the professional skill set, they end up doing one of two things.
They either neglect the aesthetic of the wedding, like getting the candles ready, chairs ready, tablecloths, the sign out, so that they can get the family time.
Or the whole day passes.
It's a perfect execution.
It looks stunning and professional because a professional did plan it.
But then she drives away and she didn't get to help zip up the dress.
She wasn't in any of the photos.
She didn't get to, like, give the bride a hug before she walked down the aisle and, like, took her seat.
And she missed all those little moments.
And that's almost more sad.
Yes.
Really.
On both ends.
People just want to be present.
And if you have someone that is close to you trying to plan your wedding, trying to execute your wedding, either end, it will be unfair.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So at the Lumen House, we typically have somebody on site to represent the venue itself.
But we still have all of our brides and couples get a wedding planner as well.
We do get asked a lot if this is the same job.
And if someone else is already here on site to represent the venue, why would I need a planner or a day of coordinator?
We can probably answer this a little bit together.
But tell me your perspective on that.
Very easy.
Since I've worked in both positions of my life, I feel like it's easy.
If I am a venue manager and I am here to make sure that tables are set out, make sure the chairs are set out, make sure the bathrooms are clean, make sure they're stocked, make sure that people can get into the dressing rooms, they can get into the main space for setup.
How am I going to also make sure that your hair and makeup is being done correctly, that you've gotten over to your photos on time, that every candle is lit when the bathrooms are overflowing?
We are not genies.
We are just people.
Everyone has to have a job.
Yeah.
It's the same as saying, oh, well, I hired a planner.
Why can't she take my photos?
She has fingers.
She has a camera.
She can take the photos.
It's the same thing.
Yeah.
Yeah, definitely.
And I've noticed, too, I mean, 90% of weddings, we always put our heart and soul into it, but I would say 90% of weddings, of course, from a venue side, is pretty streamlined, but it is still a venue.
And toilets do get clogged, or I don't remember if you were at the wedding.
It was outside, thank goodness, but there was a Copperhead on site.
No.
Yeah.
I don't know.
It was months ago.
But these things happen, and I need to, or the host, needs to be able to prioritize those moments and really be able to focus on what it is, because we can usually nip it in the bud and no one even notices.
Nobody even knows that these things are going on.
But if, in that example, there was a Copperhead out in the parking lot, at the same time ceremony is going on, that would become a conflict of interest where a person couldn't be there at two places at one time.
So I definitely think having the extra coverage, and if I were to think of some of, like, not even mistakes, but one of the biggest things that I recommend couples do is just to staff well.
It might seem like a lot of people, but when there is something that happens, it tends to always happen all at the same time, and you want to make sure that you have just really good staffing and really good coverage.
And everyone has their role.
Parking is another thing that we do, you know, helping people park.
But that happens to happen.
I mean, people, unfortunately, are still parking during processional.
Yes.
So me and my team is out there getting people parked and telling them, oh, golly, the wedding has started.
We're going to go in quietly while you are ushering people down the aisle.
Yeah, it just can't all happen by the same person.
And honestly, to have all that responsibility on one person, even if they were amazing at doing it, is a lot.
Everyone needs help.
So I feel like everyone being great at their job is what everyone needs on their wedding day, knowing that everyone knows their roles and that everything is going to be executed precisely.
Yeah.
Or I think about we had a wedding here recently where it rained.
Yes.
And that's one where you can't have too much staffing.
It's just impossible because there's just, you know, you're moving tables in, drying tables, making sure guests are comfortable and dry, making sure the dress stays dry, which takes a lot of hands.
And so we're staffing for that.
So that way I always think of the duck analogy where like the duck's on the water and it just looks so peaceful.
I think it's supposed to be a swan, but the duck.
And it looks so peaceful.
And then its little legs are underneath.
Yes.
And I feel like that's your vendor team.
And we're cool with that.
Like we're ready for that.
Running anytime.
Yeah.
We just had a really good flip.
It was our flip went perfect.
That was so fun.
That was always remember.
And they loved it.
I loved it.
They were absolutely obsessed with their wedding.
On the plane, they're texting.
It was the best day.
I'm like, we forgot about the rain.
Rain didn't even happen on the day.
No, I, I really, that was, that was a special one for me.
I'm not even going to lie to you.
I really loved that day.
What does a planner see on a venue tour that a couple doesn't?
Oh.
This, this space or any space?
Tell me about it.
Any space.
I, I feel like I can see a lot of opportunity in a space.
Yeah.
And a couple is like, okay, what do I do with this?
This is, you know, four walls.
What, what can happen?
I'm looking at the ceiling structure.
I'm like, oh yeah, this is great.
You know, we can do so much.
This is great for draping.
This, you could do this design.
People, people have a hard time visualizing.
And I like to get to know my couple beforehand.
And that's why I'm so like, if we can meet in person, let's meet in person.
I want to get to know who you guys are, what your style is.
Like, I want to know all of it.
Because then when I do walk into a space and we are on a venue tour, I can say, this is them.
Yeah.
And they might not be able to see it.
But after when I talk to them and I can paint a picture for them, they're like, oh, maybe we do love that venue.
But you've already built that rapport, having like the in-person meeting and things.
And so when you get to that place and there's like a, hey, trust me on this moment.
They know.
Everyone is on the same page.
Yes, they know.
I think coming into Lumen House or going into any venue, looking at what the top three needs of a client are.
And I will always ask that question.
I'm like, top three non-negotiables on your wedding day.
What are those?
If that venue can, if that venue has those top three, it's definitely a contender.
And then from there, I go into what the flow of the day looks like.
Because that's always another important one.
Yeah.
Does it have, you know, can it hold your guest count?
Is it aesthetically going to look good?
What we talked about, can that happen?
Because sometimes it can, but they don't think it can.
Yeah.
That happens here a lot.
This is a really unique floor plan where it's not like a banquet hall.
And I think it does take, I personally feel like it flows really well.
But it's a juxtaposition against a lot of like a standard event space for sure.
And it takes, ooh, like a can-do attitude and the best way to be able to see the potential
and then bring it to life.
And you have to have, you have to have, you have to have someone sell it, sell you the
dream sometimes and see it before you see it.
Even like working in this space.
It's like, yes, you can be outside, have your ceremony outside, go into cocktail or in
the greenhouse, come into the main reception space, have dinner, go back into the greenhouse
for dancing, but you can also do this totally different.
You can have your ceremony inside the greenhouse.
You can have reception outside on the turf.
Like I think that is gorgeous.
You can have cocktail hour in here and dancing in here.
And this could be a fun space.
You can totally move your flow so many different ways here, which I think is hard for a lot of
other vendor venues, not vendors, hard because some of their spaces are truly like set for,
you know, this is the only space that we can have ceremony.
And it's really tough to move it.
We're here.
I feel like you, you can have that flexibility and it's fun.
And you guys love your clients.
And you, if there's an idea and you're like, let's just try it.
Like, I love you guys.
Cause you never knock an idea unless you're like, that is going to cause a fire, Haley.
Yeah.
Or like, we tried that.
Wasn't my favorite, you know, but we'll shoot you straight.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Okay.
You mentioned when you sit down with your clients, you asked them like top three most
important things and make sure it aligns with the venue.
I am really curious.
What are the three things when you hear a client say, those are their priorities that
you feel like is a good match with the Lumen House?
You think like light bulb goes off and you're like, oh, that's a Lumen House bride.
I will say top three, usually top three is around just overall like vibe of the space.
So a lot of people want that modern look.
And I feel like Lumen House obviously is it.
We want something modern.
We want something that's outside, but also indoors, which this is a good space.
And I'm like, and their AC is.
It's such a wedding bride question.
Their AC is great.
We want it all.
Outside and inside.
Yeah, but they do.
And it's like, it's like, what space can I have both, you know, the best of both worlds?
And another one is food.
Okay.
Wow.
Food.
That's a fun surprise.
Yeah.
Tell me more.
Food is top priority.
And I think you, with all of your list of vendors, I think you try to find variety.
And I think that's important to have variety, not only in what kind of food can be provided,
but also in that price tag that comes with it.
And I think it's very easy for a venue to say, oh, I just want to work with this one,
this one caterer.
And that's all you get.
But here's our space.
And you provide an option for everyone to come in and feel like, okay, no matter whatever
wedding investment I have, I can find something that fits within that and not, you know, go
over what my investment is.
Thanks.
That's quite the compliment.
It's interesting, too, whenever we do talk to brides about budget, we have a really large
range, which I see as a benefit.
I understand from a client perspective, they're like, whoa, that's a really big range.
How do you even arrive at that?
But part of it is because we have a very long and diverse list of planners and caters.
So you can choose a very cost-effective but still highly professional caterer, which puts
you at one price point.
But you can also have like a sit-down fillet dinner.
And that's why our range is so big versus there are other spaces that have an exclusive
caterer.
And so naturally now, if that's, you know, one of your second or third biggest spend,
now your range is so much tighter because they might start at hypothetically like $50
and only max out at $65 a plate.
Completely hypothetical.
It just tightens your range and we don't necessarily have that.
And I think it's a good thing.
I do think on the front end doing tours, it feels like there's more variables.
But I see it as a blessing because if food's not important to you or you just love pizza,
have pizza.
We have that.
That's fine.
And then you can spend 20K on flowers or whatever your heart's desire is.
If on the other side, you want a seated meal, but maybe you don't really care so much about
linens.
It's like we have that option too.
Exactly.
So very cool.
What is the most common reason that a couple would be on the fence with Hugh events?
And then what do you feel like ultimately changes their mind?
I feel like ultimately my packages, which I have messed around a little bit and changed
some things.
That's the first go to.
I'm like, let me modify a package.
Yeah.
I'm like, where are we at in life right now?
Where I previously offered, I offered three different packages for everybody.
It was going to be your month of planning, partial and full planning, where I recently
have nixed out that partial planning package.
More so because I thought that there were muddy lines between it.
A lot of, we're getting that feedback a lot from clients and vendors.
Yes.
It's a muddy line.
And I try to explain to people like, oh yeah, no, that was your stuff to do.
That's your agreement versus what I've agreed to do.
And so I just was like, we're not going to have any muddy lines anymore.
We're going to have all or nothing.
All or nothing.
Yeah.
One or the other.
But I feel like it's better for the client.
It's easier for them to understand.
But also, I feel like there is a point of, there are some really good partial planning
clients.
And it's like, there are truly people that can stick to it and I feel like would honor
it and would be okay with it.
But it's a hard sell to get them to say, well, I don't truly need all the full planning.
But I feel like everyone does in a certain extent.
But I feel like that push of just like, oh, well, is that price point the only thing holding
you back?
In my opinion, once they talk to me and they get to know who I am, I feel like that just
like pushes them over to say like, okay, let's do it.
I trust you.
I know that you're going to guide us in the right direction.
But I feel like that variation of packages and offerings kind of can push people back
and say, let me rethink this.
But ultimately, I think just them knowing that I'm truly there for them and that their
day is going to be seamless.
And I have tons of great vendors for them that I help them choose based off their personalities
and who I think would fit really well with them.
They feel more confident.
Yeah, I agree.
I even on my side of things, sometimes even explaining partial has been tricky because
everyone's partial is a little different.
Yeah.
And we've definitely seen it, too, where couples maybe go into something like a partial thinking.
I've seen it both ways, either like the bride handles logistics and then the planner
handles aesthetics or the couple is overseeing their own aesthetics, design, et cetera.
But then the planner is executing on logistics vendors, et cetera.
And maybe they think we can do this and they sign it and it's 18 months before their wedding
and then someone gets promoted or something else like a life event happens.
And then all of a sudden you have to modify scope.
And there's a lot of times where we can do that and we can absorb it.
But I think the idea of having very clear packages is, again, like one of the kindest things you can do
for everybody involved.
And then they know what is actually included with no gray lines.
And there's no scope creep on other side.
Because the other issue, too, with scope creep is if then you have to nickel and dime on our side.
And like I never want to do that.
I don't like nickel and diming.
Like that's just not me.
It's not my personality.
It's not your personality.
I tell people all the time, they're like, you know, how much communication is included in this?
And I'm like, girl, just text me.
Text me.
Call me.
If you have a problem, if you have an issue, I don't care what package you got.
You're getting married.
It's your first time.
No one's a pro at getting married.
Just call me.
I'm just not that person.
I will never tell someone, I'm so sorry.
You are two weeks off from the time that you can contact me.
Like, yes.
It's weird.
I know.
And that's the nice thing about full service.
You know, it's priced in such a way.
So it's priced in a way where you can call me at 1 a.m.
I may not answer, but I'll get back to you.
The second you wake up, though, I know you would.
Yeah.
I think that that was a really smart move.
And I think we're seeing more and more of that truly from a place of loving.
Yes.
Truly, truly just from a place because it's like a thing of, oh, is Haley doing that?
No, Haley is not doing that.
And something doesn't get done for X amount of time because I'm thinking that that's what
the client's handling.
They're thinking vice versa.
Also, weddings are a family affair.
And one thing I've noticed with, not to get too much on a tangent here, but some of those
gray areas is perhaps the couple who works direct with you has a very clear understanding.
Yes.
But then there's behind the scenes decision makers who are also participating in the event,
have a vested interest in the event.
Perhaps they're paying for part of the event, whether it's a parent or a sibling or whatever.
And they might not have read your proposal and your contract.
And I've watched that create unnecessary friction behind the scenes for me.
Like not even, you know, including me, but perhaps the family is having a separate conversation
because there's just a lot of people involved in these big days.
There's tons of people involved.
Yeah.
And I think everyone knows what a full planner is.
Nobody knows what partial is.
They're like, what does that mean?
And they're like, wait, have you asked your planner about this?
And then the bride could be like, well, no, or yes, or whatever.
And I just think it's streamlined.
It just helps everybody at the end of the day.
What do you have to see your experience at the Lumen House before you really understood
what this place is, what it means, who it's for?
I think I just had to do a wedding here.
Honestly, I had to do a wedding here.
I had to just see how it ran because sometimes you're not here.
Yeah.
So it's like, what are the other ladies doing during the time?
And when I say that you've cultivated a great group of women that when I come in, they're
like, do you need anything?
What can we do?
Can I help you?
Can we move these?
I'm like, you guys, I got it.
It's fine.
But they are so ready and willing to help beyond just what they're here to do.
And I think that makes me feel like I'm in great hands and the environment that you've
created unmatched.
Unmatched.
There are some venues that I could go to and I don't even see.
Great.
I don't see a person.
Cool.
I'll do whatever I want to do.
Yeah, that's that's amazing.
I actually feel like you really thrive in that environment.
I do.
I'm used to like, I'm here on my own.
Cool.
Yeah, I see you and I actually try to be a little bit more stealth because I'm like,
she likes to cook.
Yes.
She's pretty self-sufficient.
She'll let me know.
I am.
But it's also just really nice to know that there's other eyes and ears around.
And I know that when I come here, I'm going to be a OK.
Mm hmm.
Something we talk about as a team all the time is I think that a lot of people who are
new to the wedding industry see it as a design business or even like event business, which
I kind of get that.
I see it as hospitality first.
This is a service business.
Yes.
Like we're there to serve.
We're there to serve the vendor team, serve the clients.
And we talk all the time about like, it's so cliche, but just going above and beyond
when you can.
And if you see that the florist is bringing stuff in by hand, like grab them a cart, walk
out, see if you can help.
One person's lighting candles, two million candles.
You better go get a dang lighter and light the candles.
That is way outside of our scope.
We are not contracted to do that.
But if you have nothing else to do, you're going to go help them.
Yes.
And they do.
Yeah.
And they do.
They're very helpful.
And it makes the day go so much better.
I see the wedding industry.
I compare myself to a boutique hotel.
Yeah.
That's what I am.
I'm a boutique hotel.
I'm here to help.
Yeah.
I have rules.
I have parameters.
Right.
Don't bug me.
I will kick you out.
Yeah.
But I'm still here and I'm still providing a service for you and I want to do my best,
but I want it at a personal touch.
And I think that's what Lumen House also provides.
Yeah, exactly.
And some of the cool things about both of us being, I guess you could say small businesses,
like we're not corporate.
And so it really gives us an opportunity to lend a helping hand when we can.
And I actually find it very difficult to hold boundaries.
I'm personally still working on that because I want to say yes to everything.
But if you say yes to everything, you're saying no to everything also.
And so I'm always thinking about, you know, how that impacts downstream brides.
Like we can't put command strips on the altar because there's a wedding the next day.
And it takes like four days to do that stucco.
So like we just truly can't.
I love you, but we can't.
We do not.
And I have to like give myself a pep talk every time before I hold a kind boundary like that.
No, it's good.
Yeah.
We both can work on our boundaries.
Yeah.
But we just love them.
We love them so much, our couples.
So I think this is a really interesting question.
Talking about you've modified your packages.
You've modified your branding.
I've modified everything.
It's time though.
Yes.
You're right.
Two years.
Yep.
Yeah.
A little over.
You've outgrown.
I've definitely outgrown.
Version one.
Yes.
Version one was fun, cutesy, Haley, Hugh.
And like I said, I think of myself as a boutique hotel.
And what would that look like?
Okay.
Needed full rebrand.
Needed full update.
And I have it.
I have an 80 page document now.
And it has where he was going and what I want Hugh to be for my clients, who I want my clients to be.
Even down to like why my colors and what those colors represent for me and what he represents for me.
And how does that resonate with when other people see it?
Not only what I see in it.
And how I want to involve other people in my business and how I want that to grow.
So this year has been a year of elevation.
That's been my word this year.
And I'm sticking to it and trying to elevate myself, elevate my brand every step of the way.
And we got to this half point of the year.
And I was like, what have I been doing for the last six months?
And I've been rebranding.
Okay.
It looks really good.
Thank you.
You said that you want the colors to basically tell a story about what Hugh is.
What is the story?
Yes.
Like what do you want the colors to?
And like the new branding, what do you want it to emulate or showcase?
So Hugh, the name of Hugh is, I want it to impact.
Yes, Hugh, there's so many colors on the color wheel.
And I want everyone to not only say, oh, Haley loves colors.
Haley loves to do these fun and colorful weddings.
If she can, please like let me do it.
I love that.
But also I want it to represent all the people.
I want to be able to have different cultures come to me, different ethnicities come to me and say,
can you please do my wedding?
I want everyone to feel like they can come to me and feel welcomed.
Whatever your background is, whatever you've gone through in your life,
I want them to be able to come to me and say, I can feel safe with her.
I can, you know, share her, share like my deep, darkest secrets with her about my family,
about, you know, how my wedding day is going to affect the rest of my life,
what that looks like culturally.
What can I bring into my wedding?
Is she going to be able to execute it?
Does she understand what, you know, some of these cultural, it might be, I don't know,
a Huppa for all I care, you know, it might be a Huppa.
It might be something completely different.
But is she going to understand that?
Is she going to take the seriousness of this and be able to execute it and for help my family
feel like they feel seen as well?
And so that's like the storyline and background of like why even named my company Hugh.
I did not know that.
Well, you know, learning lessons.
Yeah.
That's really special.
And I kind of been tossing and playing with colors and I wanted them to be vibrant,
but also I wanted them to still feel grounded in a way.
Yeah.
So I have two different yellows because yellow is like fun.
It's vibrant.
I think it describes who you're getting in myself,
but also have also have like a little like gold or toned yellow to go with that.
And then have like a brown that really like gives this elegance,
but also this sophistication in it.
And then have some like lighter colors like where we're bringing in a very light blue
and bringing in like a chartreuse green kind of tone in there
because those are things that spark like my design interest
and colors that I love to work with as well.
And also very popular colors for a lot of my brides.
So I might as well include that in there.
And they made me put white in there, but it's fine.
You need to have something.
Yeah.
It's been really cool.
Trends always come and go.
But I do feel like this year, the way brides are using color, I really appreciate it.
I'm trying to knock the barriers down.
Yeah.
2025 was stunning.
It was a lot of white and we're already like a white blank space.
And I also do think it took couples seeing things you and others did bringing color
because white feels so safe and it is beautiful.
Not knocking a white wedding at all,
but it's been fun this spring and summer watching people take some risks with color,
with their florals, with their tablecloths.
Yes.
Patterns, something.
I'm a big fan of a tablecloth now in a way I never knew.
I love a good tablecloth.
Patterned tablecloth, thick.
Something great about it.
It elevates the space for sure.
Yes.
When you're talking cultural events,
do you mind sharing some of the different cultural events that you've helped host
and what you have experience in?
Yeah.
Indian, Congolese, white, black, American.
Of course.
Of course.
Those Asian, depending on where they're from.
I've also done Sri Lankan.
Did one here.
Yes.
Uh-huh.
That was really cool.
I'm asking because we see a lot of different...
This is America.
Like, we just have so many different cultures.
Yeah.
And I'm not claiming to be an expert in all cultures,
but we do try our darndest to make sure that we're honoring them.
I feel like the rules that we have in place are in light of the fact that different cultures
are going to have different ceremonies.
Like, even our access time is technically 10.
You can make it earlier because a lot of non-American weddings,
non-traditional American weddings, do like a midday ceremony with a break.
And that can all be executed here.
And I mean, there's thousands of cultures all over the world.
And I'll, you know, God willing, we'll get to do and host a lot, all of them.
And we'll learn something every time.
But I think also hearing that you have experience
with a lot of those different cultures really helps families know,
okay, this isn't her first rodeo, her first Indian wedding, or her first...
We've hosted a couple of different African weddings here too,
which has been really fun.
So fun.
We've done a couple of Caribbean ones too.
All so unique.
And also, like, their order of events is always a little bit different,
or they have really special, just different special cultural things that they do.
I love it.
They're fun.
They're fun.
I love a good Caribbean wedding.
Yes.
Okay.
What is a timeline mistake that couples make most commonly?
Not making one.
Yeah.
Is that better?
Because then you can make it.
Yeah.
No, I love it.
I love it.
But I think I've had so many different aspects of brides where I have my, like,
type A bride down to the T.
And I'm like, some of this timing needs to shift.
I think when we think about what a timeline overall should look like,
I don't need it down to 233.
Mm-hmm.
I need it high level.
We all need it very, it needs to be high level.
A timeline is a guide.
It is not Bible.
It is going to, there's going to be something that will come up.
There will be something that's going to take a little bit of time.
People have to walk from one area to the other.
All that stuff has to be thought of and incorporated while you're making a timeline.
And those are usually the things that people don't think about.
So I will have my type A bride that has it down to literally a second.
And she's like, I'm thinking this time.
And I'm like, no.
And you kind of give yourself a little moment for whimsy too.
Like, you don't want to think to yourself, oh my gosh, my husband is so hot,
but I don't even have time to give him a kiss because I have to go somewhere and I have to be there at 1230.
I have this strict schedule that I made for myself.
Take a breath.
The day is going to flow and what you want it, you want it to flow.
So we're going to get all the things that you want pictured, you want done,
you want to make sure that you experience on your way today.
It's all going to get done.
No matter what time it is, it will get done.
The thought is the only reason why we have a timeline is so that all the vendors can stay on track.
We know what's coming up.
We know what's ahead.
Other than that, I tell brides, you guys don't even know what time it is.
You won't know what time it is.
You won't know what's coming up next.
The worst thing that I can do is have a bride running through the time during the day.
I don't want you to know.
I want you to go without a care, flow, enjoy yourself.
And if I pull you in one direction, you're just going to float over there and you're going to have a great time.
And I'm going to pull you in another direction.
I'm going to say, cut your cake.
And then I'm never pulling you again.
Have fun.
That's how I want the day to go.
And so for my type A brides, it doesn't need to be down to the minute.
Tell me what time your ceremony is and tell me what you want to do on your wedding day.
And I will make sure the timeline is according to that.
That's it.
Yeah.
Then on the other hand, I have some brides and they don't even know what time their ceremony is starting.
And I'm like, how did we get here?
Let me do it all.
Yes.
But also, it's just like, I'm going to keep harping on it because that's why we have preferred vendors.
And again, like a lot of planners can plan a timeline.
It's not that.
It's just we, the three like heavy hitters are like your venue, your planner, your cater.
Yes.
All of us, no matter what, you know, we have a bunch of planners, bunch of caterers, but we've all worked together.
And I kind of know how you like things.
And the caterers know, okay, Haley with Hugh events, like we know her expectations.
We know that she wants us arriving and like fully set up.
You know, I don't know what your rule is.
Two hours before ceremony.
And she holds a tight ship.
So we're going to do it.
And I think all of those things make it.
So yeah, bride doesn't really even need to know timeline.
She doesn't.
Truly.
Which is awesome.
Yeah.
And so freeing.
I just, you know, show them to show their family so that everyone's on time.
But other than that, they don't need to see it.
Just show up on the day.
You arrive here, nine o'clock, hair and makeup, sit down on that chair and have a blast.
That is so fun.
Talking about family, family dynamics at weddings.
I almost just want to leave it open-ended.
Do you have any tips for brides, either when it comes to their guest list or managing family
expectations with their own family or the fact that they're introducing a whole new in-law
dynamic that most of them have never had in-laws before?
Yeah.
I think it's rough.
I think it is one of those.
It depends.
It truly depends on the families.
I have seen people meet each other's families for the first time the weekend of the wedding.
I have seen two moms do a ceremony together.
You gave me chills.
That was the sweetest thing.
Their families, you couldn't tell who belonged to who because they were so intertwined.
That's true.
So you see it from both spectrums.
I would say with any family dynamic that you have, everyone will be an adult on the day
of your wedding.
And if they're not, get me.
I will kindly guide them out.
The most important thing is for the bride and the groom to have an amazing day.
And if there's any family dynamic that they feel is up in the air or is going to give them anxiety,
then those are things that we need to address to say, is it even worth it going through on your wedding day?
Or is this someone that needs to kind of just be radar?
Because that's the worst thing.
We want the bride and groom to, out of sight, out of mind, enjoy the people that are truly there to enjoy their day.
And for everybody to have an amazing time.
So family is tough.
Yeah.
Everyone has a different dynamic.
I think just preparing your planner more so than anyone for what that dynamic could possibly be.
And knowing, you know, they will handle it from there.
I don't ever want anyone to be worried or feel like they have to deal with any issues.
I've dealt with it on a wedding day before.
I'm like, please escort to the left and let's have a combo.
Yeah.
And, you know, it doesn't happen that frequently.
When it does, I never mind intervening or, like, offering a helping hand with a conflict.
I never mind.
I just always do it in light of the couple.
And with, like, a lot of care and intention for them and making sure that, like, we're preserving their day.
And also what comes after their day because it is just one day.
And we want to make sure, you know, if you're getting married on a Saturday, we want to make sure Sunday with your family is smooth too.
And Michaela, I think she offers what I believe to be good advice.
Love your feedback.
But she talks to couples a lot early on in the planning.
And we're talking about, like, budget or family dynamic or even guest experience on, like, make a decision on who the wedding is for.
And just commit to it.
Because if the wedding is for you and your spouse, own it.
Enjoy it.
Make decisions based on what you want.
And everyone else can deal.
And that's one path.
And both of these paths are just fine, in my personal opinion.
Would love your feedback.
Or you can be the hostess with the mostess.
And you can bend to your guests.
And you can do what you need to do to make your guests comfortable and happy and give them the best time.
And you can do that.
But you can't get resentful about that decision.
You know?
And she would tell people to kind of, like, pick a lane.
And we'll support you.
You know?
But what do you think about that?
Oh, all the way, don't care about the guest.
Although I don't care.
Maybe that's because me and Michaela are people pleasers.
I, not to say that I don't care.
Everyone's going to have a good time regardless.
But ultimately, why are we here?
You're right.
Why are we here?
Okay, great.
I tell people all the time, oh, this person might not like that food.
What do you want?
What do you want on your wedding?
Because if we need to give them a one-off meal, we can get that person a one-off meal.
Well, we are feeding you.
And we're going to feed the overall mess.
If nobody wants any of your food that you're offering, but you guys are enjoying it, they
can go to Waffle House.
It's not that far away.
Burger King, McDonald's.
There's something.
They could go thereafter.
They can go during.
They can leave and go get it and come back.
They have options.
You know, it's wild to me the audacity that someone, like, you wouldn't do it in any other
instance.
You wouldn't go to a friend's house.
I mean, I wouldn't think.
I'd be like, oh, you're serving spaghetti tonight.
I actually wanted pizza.
But I do feel like it's a really interesting, hypercritical, like, vacuum that weddings
are in that it gets talked about a lot.
And so I think people feel the pressure.
People feel the pressure.
They're like, oh, I don't want my food to be gross or anything like that.
Your food won't be gross.
You're going to try it.
You're going to try it ahead of time.
It's going to be fine.
But ultimately, everyone is coming to celebrate the two of you.
So my goal is to make, I want people to walk in and say, oh, my gosh, this is so them.
Yeah.
Like, I would expect nothing less from them.
The way this wedding is ran, this makes sense.
You know, not every wedding has to be on the same timeline or has to have this immaculate
seating chart or, you know, it doesn't have to happen if it's not that couple.
Walk into a room.
Walk into a room and just pick a seat, you guys.
Find a new friend.
And sometimes I think weddings have gotten so, like, shoot me for saying this as I am
a planner.
And I do like some of these things, but I feel like weddings have gotten overcomplicated
for no reason.
I'm like.
Yeah.
Hot take.
If I had to get rid of anything, I do think it would be a seating chart.
Yeah.
I'm like, can we just mingle?
It's OK.
You can mingle.
Especially when it's a buffet.
I'm just like.
I'm like, we're all getting back up to sit back down anyways, right?
Am I out of line?
No.
No, you're not out of line.
I think about it a lot.
You know, I'm like, shoot me for saying this.
And, you know, I love aesthetically what certain elements can bring.
Love, pomp, and circumstance.
But ultimately, people just want to come.
They want to eat.
They want to drink.
They want to dance.
If I'm going to a wedding, sure, assign me a seat.
But if you don't, I will be OK because I'm an adult and I can figure out where to find
a seat.
It is OK.
I've been doing it without a seating chart my whole life.
My entire life.
It is fine.
I just, I think we've gotten so in the midst of everything has to have a thing or a sign
or a place like we don't need a welcome sign.
We all know why we're here.
The welcome sign.
Which I, again, like I do think is stunning.
I just think there's so much to care about.
And I just feel like if you don't want it, then just don't do it.
If you want the welcome sign, we will put it up.
We will take photos of it.
And I comment on how beautiful they are a lot of the time.
You just, if you don't want one, just live your life, girl.
Don't do it.
We're all here.
Yeah.
I'm sure no one just drove, you know, out to women's house for no reason.
Listen, they're not making a mistake.
Yeah.
They knew they were coming to this wedding.
Yeah.
They knew they were coming to this wedding here.
We all know who we're here for.
Yeah.
And, you know, something else that I hear a lot about both from, like in the vendor world
and couple world is like, you know, people are moving to experience and experience matters
and dah, dah, dah, dah.
But I do see couples spend a lot of money on experiential moments, like a photo booth, whatever.
And since the dawn of the age, you know what all people really want is like, they want
some food.
They want a little drink.
They want to sit down.
They want to talk.
And like, you can have that photo booth sitting outside or you can have like all of these
very fancy experiences sitting at it.
If it's important to you, like go for it.
But just the pressure to have it because ultimately 90% of your guests are going to be sitting likely
in this room talking and catching up.
And like, those are the weddings that like feel fun to me in my soul.
Like they're fun to work because I see everybody else just loves each other.
And there's not an upgrade or an experience that you could add on that can make that happen.
No.
Yeah.
One of my, one of my favorite weddings, we did a family style dining and I just remember
looking around the room and plates were being passed.
People were talking, people were laughing, hugging.
The couple was just smiling, laughing with their friends that were sitting with them.
And it just felt good.
Yeah.
Like when you can walk into a space and you can feel the love and some of these people
are meeting each other for the first time or they haven't seen each other since the last
family reunion and you can walk in and you can feel it.
That is the perfect wedding to me.
It's all about feeling.
I agree.
You said that very well.
Describe a Hugh wedding day at the Lumen House from your side start to finish.
Ooh.
Okay.
Start to finish.
I'm driving.
I won't go that far.
I do love that you drive a truck and you can definitely start there.
Oh, thank you.
And it is because you were.
Yes.
Yes.
I'm usually, I'm like lugging something up here.
I've become, I call myself a real truck girl now because now I'm like, I'm like rigging
things into my truck now.
I'm like, all right, who's going to help me unload this?
Yeah.
You are not afraid to like.
No.
Get in it and get, do what needs to be done to make the wedding day right.
Yes.
I will definitely do so.
If I'm like, Hey, I am driving up 77.
I'm going very slow because I have something in the back.
Don't trust my skills on like actually tying this thing to the truck.
Like we're going, but we're going to make it.
But usually it's very smooth.
You know, I, I feel like all the tables and chairs are set up, ready to go.
I'm either bringing linens or linens have already been dropped off or a mix of both,
depending on where I get the linens from.
And setup goes really smooth.
I don't.
Some of the smoothest setups I've ever seen.
I, I'm not a frantic person.
I think I've only been frantic, not frantic, but very high anxiety at one wedding ever.
But all the rest of them, I feel like have, they just go really smooth.
Like I always have a solid vendor team.
My vendor team knows me very well usually.
And I will come in, drop linens and florists can get going.
I try to space out all vendor arrival times as much as possible.
So it just makes it smooth.
Everyone can, you know, have their time to get in, set up.
Girls are usually here ahead of me.
And then guys will usually come check in with the bride, make sure that her, her family are good to go.
But I try to, I try to tell my brides, please don't bring a lot of stuff.
Keep it minimal.
I, three boxes are my max.
Like three boxes and a sign, you guys.
We're not bringing any U-Haul trucks of anything.
We will not.
Is that actually a rule?
Oh no, it's serious.
I will not.
I'm not.
I should, I should add that.
You learn as you go.
I've learned we're not bringing U-Haul of stuff.
If just rent it, rent it and get a move on.
It's something cheaper.
Yes.
Cheaper because you don't have to deal with it after.
Nobody wants to deal with all the stuff after their wedding.
It just makes it so much easier.
I'm like, you bring your guest book, you can bring, you know, little tchotchkes, little things.
If it's in the three bins, we're good.
More than that, no, I'm not unloading it.
I'm not setting it up.
I'm so sorry.
That's so smart.
You know, but the reason is for context for those who are not in the wedding industry.
So I saw a bride who bought her own candles and her own candle holders.
They were not tested in advance to make sure that the candle fit in the candle holder.
That sweet girl brought, I mean, 15, 20 boxes.
That ends up being-
Unloaded them.
120.
They didn't fit.
The candle didn't fit in the candle holder and nobody had tried it in advance.
It was a rainy wedding.
And so it was just, it was just a lot to bring them in, take them out, explain to her that
like you have tapered candles.
They can't sit by themselves.
They have to have a holder and then your holder doesn't have candles.
And like, that's, that's the intention behind it.
And that's why you have these rules.
Yeah.
Not to be difficult.
It's actually because like that allows us to plan months in advance.
So when you get here, you are right.
You are not frantic, but it's because you've done, you have all these guardrails already
in place.
It's, it's, I have guardrails in place because I want to protect myself, but also I want to
protect my client.
I don't want you, I don't ever want to go into a room and say, oh yeah, you bought, you
spent $600 on these things and they will not work on your actual wedding day.
I can't do that.
I rather say, I have it handled.
This is the cost.
This is what we're going to do moving forward and know that it's going to be executed and
I don't have to worry about it.
She doesn't have to worry about anything.
Yeah.
It makes it easy.
That does make it easy.
And then when you go home and after your honeymoon, you don't have 80 boxes to unload or resell
or any of that.
Yeah.
You could just be in bliss of being married.
I think that's a really good point and probably something that's not like talked about or planned
enough for sure.
When was the last time that you felt genuinely moved at a wedding and what happened?
This was easy because it just happened.
Sweet wedding that happened here on the 4th of July.
I love that wedding.
And you brought those clients to me.
And when I say it was a match made in heaven, I think from the beginning it was.
That was a phrase I was going to use too.
I enjoyed them from our first call.
And as I've gotten to know the bride, got to know the groom and then met her mom, it just
it just worked.
And then I got to spend the weekend with them.
I, you know, I was at their their house that they rented out at the lake and we had rehearsal.
We had rehearsal dinner.
We had hibachi.
We were taking we were doing sake.
It was fun.
We had a great time.
And I looked at them and I said, tomorrow's going to be perfect.
And it's going to be.
It's going to be better than you even think because of how your families interact with each other.
And I knew that when I was just with their immediate family and close friends.
And when it came to the wedding day.
I was right.
It's all lovely human.
Every single hundred and twenty person that were there.
Yes.
Every single person leading up to the weeks of the wedding.
The moms were their officiants and they they had a whole speech and they sent it to me to proofread.
And then they were like, hey, can you do a part?
And I was like, they wanted you to do what?
And so I, you know, I like got up there at the beginning of their ceremony, introduced myself.
And I'm, you know, laying out the land for people.
I'm telling them that this isn't going to be, you know, your typical wedding.
We want you to after this.
I want you guys to have so much energy as they walk down this aisle.
We want to have a fun time.
And, you know, just sharing what's going to be happening.
You know, like in the greenhouse, we have charcuterie and it's laid out and we're going to have some more snacks in there.
But feel free to like mosey around this entire property, like find a seat wherever.
Everyone's welcome everywhere.
We didn't truly have like a cocktail hour.
It was maybe like 25 minutes.
And then we had food rolling out and like people can sit wherever they wanted to sit inside the reception space, inside greenhouse, outside.
We had serpentine tables going on.
It was such a fun wedding.
And there was so much love in the air.
And to see the moms and how they stood up there, we planned that the groom's mom would be next to the bride and so forth.
So they're looking at their child as they're saying the vows.
And truly my favorite ceremony.
And obviously, you know, it's hard sometimes for me to really be present sometimes during a ceremony.
But because the setup and just how we had the whole timeline of the day set where, you know, everyone can kind of just mosey around.
It just gave us all like a relaxed feel.
And I got to enjoy some of it and like really hear it, even though I've already read it.
But just being there in the space like made such a difference.
Yeah.
So July 4th will always be a special place.
I don't know if I'll ever do another wedding on July 4th because I want to leave it.
Yeah.
Oh, it's like in like the NBA when they have a number and then they retire it so no one else can have the numbers like that for you.
Yeah.
I think it's forever going to be the Tiangas.
Yeah.
Oh, that was a really sweet day.
From your professional perspective, not as a friend of ours, but as someone who actually works events here.
What does the Lumen House make possible for you that most venues don't?
I think the Lumen House makes being a planner possible.
And I say that in a way of if I have an idea or if I have something that needs to get done on my timeline where I'm like, hey, like, you know, these vendors, I need these vendors to come in at this time.
I know, like, I know, you know, wedding didn't pay for that timeline, but it would be truly like for the vendors to come in and kind of get ahead of the game so that the rest of the day can run smoothly.
I think you guys help work, you know, like you guys help with that and you work with me on time.
You work with me on logistics on the back end, which is amazing.
A lot of venues won't do that.
They're like, you know, time is time, you know, and then I have to go back to my client and say, hey, you know, we have to pay for additional time.
We're for X, Y, Z, and this won't be able to happen.
And, you know, we do we do it because obviously, you know, it needs to get done.
But just having having a venue and having people that truly just care about, OK, this is going to make you not even just the couple's day, but this is going to make your day easier and something that you could already have checked off your list when you get here.
And it's not causing, you know, a catastrophe like let's do it.
I think it's important to just have that trust and know that, like, OK, I can logistically make some things happen if possible.
I know some things are not possible all the time, but more so, you know, like you at least try to make it work.
And I think that's really important just so that, you know, you guys are amazing for your couples, but you guys are also really amazing working with your vendors as well.
And I think that's important. So, yeah, thanks.
I mean, of course, just like any other business, we have rules.
Mm hmm.
And there's times we have to hold a rule and there's a lot of times that we're able to offer a little bit of grace and flexibility.
And when we can, we will. And sometimes there is another wedding the next day.
And so that pickup has to happen or whatever it is.
But we're definitely here to be team players.
And we're in it for the long game, too.
Like a when it comes to the vendors, like we want to do lots of events with you because I do feel like we have a really good dynamic.
And so if we can make it easier on the whole team, which creates less stress the day of the wedding, which ultimately helps the couple and it frees you up to do other things.
And we want to make that happen. So.
I love it.
OK, we're glad that you came and we're so excited to share all of this information with our couples.
And thank you for being here.
Well, thank you for having me. I'm always excited to come.
Yes, this is so fun.