Katrina & Josh’s Luminare Wedding in Melbourne

Two years of planning, then a simpler way forward

Katrina and Josh booked their wedding two years ahead, which meant the planning process had a long runway. As anyone who has planned well in advance will know, that can be both helpful and exhausting; there is plenty of time for decisions, opinions and second-guessing to find their way into the mix.

But as the date drew closer, the process became more straightforward. The couple had support from their venue, videographer and photographer, allowing them to focus on the things that mattered most to them rather than carrying every decision alone.

Their choice of Luminare was immediate. As soon as they saw it, they knew it was the one. Katrina loved its elegance and the view—something she and Josh simply couldn’t get out of their minds afterwards. There was no prolonged search for a backup plan; they had found the place that felt right and moved forward from there.

That certainty seems fitting for a couple whose best advice to other brides is to “just do you”. Katrina is refreshingly direct about the noise that can come with wedding planning. Everyone will have an opinion, she says, but the day belongs to the two people getting married. Her advice is to keep it that way.

The dance nobody expected

Katrina’s favourite memory arrived with their first dance.

Choosing the song had taken time, but once Katrina and Josh had made their decision, they decided against a straightforward slow dance. Their remix began gently before changing into salsa—a turn that caught their guests off guard for one very good reason: nobody had seen Josh dance before.

It was a bold choice, and it changed the room. What began as Katrina and Josh’s first dance quickly became an invitation. Their guests joined them on the dance floor and the party gathered momentum from there.

That moment says more about the day than a formal timeline ever could. It wasn’t simply that there was dancing; it was that Josh surprised everyone, Katrina and Josh committed to the idea together, and their guests responded by getting involved rather than standing back to watch.

The details people will keep retelling

There was tequila. There was endless dancing. There was a priest, an unfortunate spill of wine, and a dress that proved capable of creating its own obstacles.

For Katrina and Josh, the memorable parts were not limited to the carefully planned ones. The day had room for mishaps, quick recoveries and a first dance that became a full-floor party. It was energetic, a little unruly in places, and clearly much more fun because nobody expected it to stay perfectly on script.

Their wedding at Luminare will be remembered for that willingness to lean into the moment—especially when the music changed, Josh started dancing, and everyone else decided to follow.