The Lumière Portrait Station is a luxury portrait experience set up at your wedding, giving guests the chance to be professionally directed and photographed in a magazine-style black-and-white portrait, separate from the candid storytelling captured by your wedding photographer. While your photographer focuses on documenting the emotions and moments of the day, Lumière creates timeless, studio-quality portraits your guests can download and cherish — offering two completely different but beautifully complementary experiences.
What’s the difference between Lumière portraits and what our wedding photographer captures?
Everything you want to know about the Lumière Portrait Station experience
Facts & Questions
The Lumière Portrait Station is a luxury, black-and-white portrait experience set up during your wedding reception. Unlike a traditional photo booth, this is a professional, studio-style setup where a portrait photographer directs and captures elegant, editorial-style portraits of your guests — all on a high-key white background with professional lighting.
What is the Lumière Portrait Station?
Yes! While weddings are our specialty, Lumière also books select galas, corporate events, private parties, and editorial experiences. If you're hosting an event that deserves elegant portraits, we’d love to hear from you.
Is Lumière available for non-wedding events?
Think of Lumière as the opposite of a party photo booth. There are no silly props, no grainy prints, and no chaotic backdrops. Instead, our portraits are refined, directed, and polished — the kind of timeless imagery your guests will frame. While photo booths are playful and self-directed, Lumière offers a fashion-inspired experience with artistic guidance and intentionality.
How is this different from a photo booth?
We require a minimum 10' x 10' space with at least 10–11 feet of ceiling clearance, access to a power outlet, and ideally a location near the reception for high guest visibility. We recommend placing the portrait station near a lounge, bar, or guest flow area to maximize engagement.
How much space is required at our venue?
Our standard coverage includes up to 3 hours of continuous coverage, typically during cocktail hour and the first half of your reception. We recommend beginning just after guests arrive and continuing through dinner to allow maximum participation. Additional time can be added if you’d like it open throughout the night.
How long is the portrait station open during the reception?
Yes — always. Lumière stations are led by professional photographers who direct each guest for flattering, editorial-style poses. Our photographers are warm, personable, and trained to make everyone feel confident and comfortable in front of the camera.
Is there someone directing the guests?
Yes. We offer on-site editing and printing as an optional upgrade. Guests can leave with a beautifully printed, retouched portrait by the end of the night — a perfect take-home gift and conversation piece. Prints are done in black-and-white on luxe, archival-quality paper.
Can you print photos on-site?
Yes. Within 2–3 weeks of your wedding, you’ll receive a private online gallery of fully retouched portraits. From there, you and your guests can download high-resolution images or order fine art prints directly from the gallery.
Will we receive the digital portraits?
Absolutely. Guests will be provided a QR code or short URL on-site, leading to a gallery where they can view and download their portraits (depending on your privacy preferences). You can choose to keep galleries open or limit access to just you and your partner.
Can guests view or download their own portraits?
Yes — our Heirloom Guestbook is one of our most popular add-ons. It’s a 10×10" linen or leather-bound book featuring printed portraits of your guests alongside their handwritten notes. It’s a truly meaningful keepsake that becomes a living document of your celebration.
Do you offer a guestbook with the portraits?
Absolutely. After your event, we offer bespoke framing services and gallery wall design consultations. Our framing partner uses museum-grade materials, and our design team can help you curate a statement wall of your favorite portraits.
Can we order framed prints or wall art from the portraits?
Our base collection begins at $3,800, which includes 3 hours of coverage, professional photographer direction, and a fully retouched digital gallery. Most couples invest $4,800–$6,500, depending on enhancements such as live printing, guestbooks, or additional hours.
How much does the Lumière Portrait Station cost?
We accept a limited number of weddings each year to maintain our quality and exclusivity. We recommend booking at least 6–12 months in advance, especially for peak wedding seasons.
How far in advance should we book?
Yes! While we’re based in Chicago, Lumière is available for destination weddings and luxury events nationwide. Travel and accommodation fees apply for events beyond the Chicagoland area.
Do you travel outside of Chicago?
Absolutely — we love collaborating with planners to integrate seamlessly into your reception layout and guest experience. If you’re a planner, feel free to reach out directly and we’ll provide our full planning packet and vendor guide.