Together Loves – La Lumiere

Tell us about La Lumiere, how long have you been established and who is behind the brand…

La Lumiere was established back in 2005.  I needed a change from the film industry where I was a freelance Art Director. My skills gained in the film industry have helped me with the design process as well as the practical side of what we do. It taught me the importance of coming in on budget, working with crazy schedules and surrounding myself with like minded people. I still love what I do 14 years on.

What makes you and your work/business unique: 

La Lumiere was the first company to offer an extensive range of fairy lights for hire. Before we started you couldn’t even hire a fairy light backdrop let alone any of the lighting we now have in our range. So we bring a lot of experience to the party. Our range of lighting and draping has grown immensely over the years filling two warehouses so we can cater to any size wedding. We are all about the details and the customer service. We wont leave a job until we are 100% satisfied that the installation is up to the La Lumiere standard and we are very efficient when it comes to answering emails. I have a great team of creatives who have a sharp eye for detail who help to make La Lumiere successful.

Any career dreams or aspirations you would like to share:

I feel very lucky to have a fantastic team with plenty of fabulous events to keep us busy all year round. My husband is a very valuable part of the team and together we are constantly striving for a good work/life balance, raising two kids at the same time… So I guess I am living my career dream right now.

Favourite wedding you have worked on so far or the one you are most looking forward to working on and why: 

I think my favourite wedding would have to be a very large fabulous Indian wedding a few years back. We imported all our large crystal chandeliers for it and I was involved right from the start with the lighting design and overall style for the wedding. I had many meetings over the most wonderful chai with the loveliest family. I was also invited to the attend the wedding and I was blown away by the colour, the grandeur and the cultural richness of the ceremony. I also loved being able to appreciate our lights from a guest point of view. It was an amazing experience.

Rules or words you live by: 

Trust your instincts but be flexible

Where do you see La Lumiere in 5 years: 

I have thought about this a lot – there are lots of ways I could expand the business – franchising or opening branches in other centres…but actually I love the boutique aspect of the business. I still (usually) manage to have Sundays off to spend time with my husband and two kids,  We eat dinner together almost every night so at the moment I am happy to keep things contained so I get to hang out with my kids as they grew up and we don’t loose the personalised quality service we are known for. Of course we will continue to grow our range so that we can provide something new for each season and who knows where that will take us.

Any artists, musicians, writers etc. who inspire you: 

I am constantly inspired by British lighting designer Tom Dixon, his work is timeless and stylish. I also have a bit of a chandelier obsession and follow several companies overseas who do the most incredible chandelier installations. This has inspired me to import our latest addition…the Sofia Crystal Chandeliers which will be the largest available in NZ. I will be sharing images of these beauties after there first outing next week.

La Lumiere | | lalumiere_nz