Meet the Wedding Venue Curators: Stephan and Carlos from Lumiere London

Where Fashion, Film, and Effortless Inclusivity Meet - Lumiere London is an LGBTQ+ Inclusive Wedding Venue that you HAVE to book!

Welcome back to the Rebel Love blog! Today, we are stepping inside the beautiful, design-led world of Lumiere London. Founded by fashion photographer Carlos Lumiere and his husband Stephan (he/him), Lumiere London is a collection of boutique, blank-canvas venues designed for to-be-weds who want their wedding day to feel a little bit different.

We sat down with Stephan to chat about how their creative backgrounds shape their stunning spaces, why true inclusivity can never be a marketing strategy, and the magic of watching chosen families grow closer on the dancefloor.

Tell us a bit about Lumiere London. What do you offer, and what makes your spaces so unique?

Stephan: Lumiere London is a collection of boutique, design-led venues across London - from light-filled lofts to an elegant townhouse setting. We offer versatile, blank-canvas spaces that marries can shape entirely around their own vision, whether they’re planning an intimate ceremony or a full-scale celebration.

What makes us truly unique is our background in fashion, film, and creative production. Carlos and I understand aesthetics, lighting, and atmosphere in a way that allows lovers to create something deeply personal and visually memorable.

Plus, as a proudly LGBTQ+ owned business, inclusivity is right at our core. Many of our team members and collaborators are part of the community or strong allies, which naturally creates the welcoming, open environment we’re known for.

Inclusivity clearly isn't just a buzzword for you. What inspired you to center it so deeply in your business?

Stephan: For us, it was never a corporate "decision" or a strategy - it’s just how we built the business from day one. As a gay partnership, Carlos and I have both experienced moments where spaces didn’t feel fully welcoming. When we created Lumiere, we wanted to ensure no one would ever have to question whether they belonged in our venues.

Many LGBTQ+ to-be-weds still approach wedding venues with a degree of hesitation, unsure of how they’ll be received. Being able to offer a space where that anxiety simply vanishes, where their love is normal, effortless, and genuinely celebrated, is incredibly important to us. Weddings are deeply personal, and everyone deserves to feel completely comfortable on their day, without compromise.

How do you practically create that affirming, safe experience for your clients?

Stephan: It’s built into our daily operations. From the very first enquiry, we drop all assumptions around gender, roles, or traditional relationship structures. We keep our language entirely open and let the marries define their own vision.

On a practical level, we’ve made conscious choices like ensuring gender-neutral bathrooms across all our venues and working with a diverse network of suppliers who share our values.

Ultimately, it’s about tone and energy. People often tell us they feel at ease with us very quickly because they don't have to explain themselves or navigate awkward, outdated formulas.

"Inclusivity is not about saying the right words once a year during Pride. It is about showing consistent respect and creating an environment where people feel safe and understood."

Can you share a memorable moment from a wedding that has really stayed with you?

Stephan: The moments that stay with us most are often the quieter ones involving family growth. Occasionally, to-be-weds come to us with parents who weren't fully supportive at the beginning of their journey. But something shifts during the shared experience of wedding planning.

There is absolutely nothing quite like standing in our venue and seeing those same parents looking proud, joyful, and fully present during the ceremony or the first dance. It reminds us that weddings aren’t just a party - they can be profound moments of healing, growth, and connection for everyone involved.

As an aesthetic-driven business, how do you approach diversity and representation in your marketing?

Stephan: Historically, a large part of our client base was corporate, so our imagery reflected that. However, we are currently revamping our website to include a dedicated weddings section, which is a fantastic opportunity to be highly intentional.

We want our visuals to reflect the full, beautiful diversity of the lovers we actually work with, across gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, and relationship dynamics. Because of our photography background, we value authenticity over highly staged imagery. We want to capture real people and real moments so everyone can see themselves reflected in our spaces.

What sets you apart as an inclusive supplier, and what do you hope people feel when they find you?

Stephan: Because Lumiere is run by a gay partnership and a diverse team, we’ve built an environment where there's very little we haven't seen or handled. To-be-weds don't need to justify or adapt their vision to fit a traditional mold.

We also take our commitment outside our venue walls. Lumiere is a certified LGBTQIA+ inclusive company, and we proudly support and sponsor organisations like the National AIDS Trust, Trans in the City, and OutBritain (where I actually serve as a board member).

When marries work with us, we want them to feel a profound sense of ease. When people feel safe and seen, everything else falls into place naturally.

Have you encountered challenges with inclusivity in the wedding industry, and how do you handle them?

Stephan: Unfortunately, we know that not all suppliers are equally comfortable or experienced with LGBTQ+ weddings. We’ve actually seen a situation where an outside videographer stepped away from a booking upon realising they were working with a same-sex relationship. It breaks your heart, but it reinforces why our job is so vital.

To navigate this, we are fiercely protective of our network. Our preferred suppliers are people we trust implicitly to treat all lovers with genuine respect. If a supplier doesn’t align with those values, they simply don’t work at Lumiere.

What is your number one piece of advice for other suppliers wanting to be more inclusive?

Stephan: Inclusivity has to be genuine; it cannot be a commercial exercise to attract a new audience. Lovers can sense performative allyship a mile away.

Start by looking inward. Ask yourself why it matters to you, and ensure your team, language, internal processes, and supplier lists genuinely match the values you talk about publicly. If you truly believe in it, it will flow naturally.

What is your absolute favourite part of a wedding day?

Stephan: It’s the entire journey, right up to the very end of the night. We love getting to know the marries from the beginning, understanding their dynamics, their stories, and what matters to them.

Our favourite single moment is probably when the music is winding down, the guests are exhausted but happy, and you can see this beautiful mix of relief and pure emotion on the faces of the newly-weds because the day turned out exactly as they hoped. Knowing we made a tangible difference in those lifelong memories is incredibly rewarding.

Finally, give us a fun, quirky fact about you or the business!

Stephan: Carlos and I actually met back in 1997 in Milan! He was working as a fashion photographer and I was in music and TV production. Between us, we’ve collected stories from living and working all over Europe.

Most people don’t expect that the ideas behind Lumiere's layout and style come entirely from our backgrounds in film and photography rather than traditional hospitality. Carlos has an incredible eye for lighting and how a room feels, while I focus on the production and flow. It’s probably why stepping into our venues feels a bit like walking onto a beautiful, creative film set!

Ready to bring your unique wedding vision to life in a stunning London space? You can find Lumiere London and chat with Stephan and Carlos via our directory [right here].