Bridal BFF

The Lumen House
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Society & Culture

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.

Episodes

  1. 4d ago ·  Video

    Squid Ink Oreos and Grandma's Deviled Eggs

    Mikayla sits down with Alyssa and Jenny from Roots Catering, chef driven, thirteen years old, and one of the first food trucks in Charlotte. They talk about how a family recipe or a whole culture becomes a wedding menu, and what the process actually looks like from discovery call to tasting. Check your date at The Lumen House: https://thelumenhouseevents.com/inquiry?utm_source=bridal-bff&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=season-1&utm_content=ep04 CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Alyssa and Jenny of Roots Catering 02:34 What people outside catering don't realize 06:54 The emotional weight of the job 11:49 Discovery call to tasting to wedding day 18:03 Cooking off site, and what that rules out 21:31 Staffing, and what happens on site 26:26 What this venue makes possible for a caterer You can taste the food before you commit, so use that. Bring real detail on a family recipe, because the more specific you are the closer they get. Ask early about anything fried or finished at the last second, since off-site kitchens have limits. Plan roughly one staff member per twenty guests for stations. And you are not locked in after the first proposal. Roots is on our caterer list, so ask for the full list when you tour and book a tasting before you decide. --- Bridal BFF comes from The Lumen House, a wedding venue just outside Charlotte. 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. New episodes every Wednesday. thelumenhouseevents.com Instagram: @thelumenhouseevents #charlottewedding #northcarolinawedding #weddingvenue #weddingplanning #engaged #weddingcatering

  2. Sep 30 ·  Video

    The Vendor You'll Spend All Day With

    Mikayla talks with Christian of House of Willingham, ten years into wedding photography and also getting married here. They cover why she rebranded from her own name to a team, how she runs a discovery call without turning it into a pitch, and what separates good coverage from great. Check your date at The Lumen House: https://thelumenhouseevents.com/inquiry?utm_source=bridal-bff&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=season-1&utm_content=ep03 CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Christian of House of Willingham 03:22 Rebranding from her own name to a team 07:15 Running a discovery call without pitching yourself 10:08 How to vet a photographer nobody has heard of 13:35 What she notices first walking into a venue 16:44 The hardest parts of the job couples never see 17:12 What a great photographer gives you that a good one doesn't 20:48 Why vendor response time changes everything 23:36 What couples miss until they're standing in the space Anyone can buy a camera and start a business, so go deep on portfolio and word of mouth before booking on price. Ask whether a second shooter is included, because that is usually where the candids come from. And when you tour, look at the light in the getting-ready room. Photography is one of the few things you take home from the day, so if it's near the top of your list, ask us for an introduction. --- Bridal BFF comes from The Lumen House, a wedding venue just outside Charlotte. 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. New episodes every Wednesday. thelumenhouseevents.com Instagram: @thelumenhouseevents #charlottewedding #northcarolinawedding #weddingvenue #weddingplanning #engaged #weddingphotographer

  3. Sep 23 ·  Video

    Nobody Wants a Bad Cocktail Hour

    Britt sits down with Jake and Josh from Bartender's Plus, the in-house bar team here, fifteen years into the Charlotte market. They get into why cocktail hour is the hardest hour of the whole day, what is actually inside a bar package, and what happens in the months between booking and your wedding. Check your date at The Lumen House: https://thelumenhouseevents.com/inquiry?utm_source=bridal-bff&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=season-1&utm_content=ep02 CHAPTERS 00:00 Meet Jake and Josh of Bartender's Plus 00:25 The problem they started the company to solve 02:58 One of the first weddings they did here 06:14 What separates them from a mobile bartender 10:17 Why a professional bar service matters 14:37 Why getting the bar right matters to them personally 21:56 What the bar tasting is actually like 26:17 What couples wish they'd told them sooner 31:23 What the bar looks like running on a wedding day 35:55 The mocktail program 39:28 Setting the scene, not just pouring drinks 43:18 What couples don't appreciate until they're in the space Also covered: staffing ratios, signature cocktails and why pre-batching speeds up service, champagne toasts and second bars, and the martini and bourbon bars. Bar service at The Lumen House is in house through Bartender's Plus, so ask about the tasting and the mocktail menu when you tour. --- Bridal BFF comes from The Lumen House, a wedding venue just outside Charlotte. 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. New episodes every Wednesday. thelumenhouseevents.com Instagram: @thelumenhouseevents #charlottewedding #northcarolinawedding #weddingvenue #weddingplanning #engaged #weddingbar

  4. Sep 16 ·  Video

    The Lumen House Story

    Britt tells the story of The Lumen House in long form for the first time: how a career selling new construction homes, then developer finance, then boutique hotels and spas, turned into a wedding venue outside Charlotte with a greenhouse at the center of it. Check your date at The Lumen House: https://thelumenhouseevents.com/inquiry?utm_source=bridal-bff&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=season-1&utm_content=ep01 CHAPTERS 00:00 Why couples always ask "why did you build this?" 01:47 Selling new construction homes out of college 04:06 Pivoting into boutique hotels and spas 06:16 Designing so a five hour reception isn't one room 07:09 Her first house, and Charlotte's third Airbnb 09:08 A hammock, a skydiving field, and the greenhouse idea 10:43 Meeting Jonathan and deciding it was now or never 11:59 Two years hunting for land with no power lines 13:05 Why banks decide what buildings look like 14:54 The greenhouse never appraised 15:36 "Oh, like a barn?" 19:22 Building a business with your husband 21:41 The arches everyone told her not to do 23:10 What still scares her 25:05 Why the drive is the point 27:34 How to choose when you're touring five venues 30:03 The moment in a wedding day that gets her every time 31:56 If you're on the fence She and venue manager Mikayla Tate get into meeting Jonathan, the two years they spent hunting for land with no power lines running through it, and the fight to keep the greenhouse and the arches when everyone kept asking whether she was building a barn. --- Bridal BFF comes from The Lumen House, a wedding venue just outside Charlotte. 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. New episodes every Wednesday. thelumenhouseevents.com Instagram: @thelumenhouseevents #charlottewedding #northcarolinawedding #weddingvenue #weddingplanning #engaged

  5. Sep 2

    Welcome to Bridal BFF

    Bridal BFF comes from The Lumen House, a wedding venue just outside Charlotte, North Carolina. Host and owner, Britt Loukos, sits down with the vendors, planners, and couples who make weddings happen and asks the questions brides are actually googling at midnight. New episodes every Wednesday. No gatekeeping, no sugarcoating, just real answers from people who do this every day.

  • 1 Trailer
    4 Episodes

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    The Lumen House
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    5
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Lumen House
  • Show Website
    Bridal BFF