Love: Weddings: Emily Leonard & Aalok Joshi
Hello there Aalok had a rough couple of years. He graduated with a marketing degree from Temple University in 2008, and had worked at internships and his family's gas station/convenience store all through college. The plan was to work alongside his parents, Pallavi and Kirit, just until he had enough experience to run his own business. Then the price of gas approached $4, and fewer customers came to the family's station. In 2009, his girlfriend of six years said it was over.
Hello there
Aalok had a rough couple of years.
He graduated with a marketing degree from Temple University in 2008, and had worked at internships and his family's gas station/convenience store all through college. The plan was to work alongside his parents, Pallavi and Kirit, just until he had enough experience to run his own business. Then the price of gas approached $4, and fewer customers came to the family's station. In 2009, his girlfriend of six years said it was over.
Brokenhearted and plain old broke, Aalok needed a win.
Tonie, mother of Aalok's close friend Samantha, gently reminded Aalok of his talents and worth, and firmly told him to stop feeling sorry for himself and maybe try online dating. She helped the Bensalem native create a profile.
His first dates were not magical, but it felt good to be out there again.
In October 2010, Aalok spotted Emily's OK Cupid profile. Intrigued by her looks and brains - she was a chemistry major at the College of New Jersey in Ewing - he said hello.
"I thought he was handsome, and he had this good sense of humor," said Emily, who grew up in Long Valley, Morris County, N.J. "His messages were not the generic ones you get a lot - even online, his wit came through."
After two weeks of emails and texts, Emily cut to the chase: "When are you taking me out?"
In mid-November, Aalok picked her up at her Ewing apartment. They shared a meal at Tortuga Mexican Village, a Princeton BYOB. "I liked this person a lot," he said. "I don't want to be corny, but we held hands right away."
Aalok, who is now 30, realized he was quite serious about Emily on a December walk through Longwood Garden's holiday light show. He loved everything about her, and he loved how he felt when she was with him. "She never judged me, or made me feel like a second-class person when I was having a hard time," he said. "She made me feel hopeful, inspired, and more confident."
Emily, now 26, was just 20 then. "I hadn't dated anyone in a really long time, so I wasn't taking things super seriously in the beginning," she said. "But I liked him, and I wanted to keep hanging out with him." Within six months, she, too, knew they had the real deal.
Gas prices returned to lower levels, but the family's supplier raised its prices, squeezing margins to the point where Aalok needed to seek a job outside the gas station. He returned to his alma mater for help retooling his resumé. "I started applying for entry-level jobs in corporate America, and I got a position as a channel manager at Cardone," an automotive aftermarket company. A couple of promotions later, he's now a product manager and also works part time at his parents' gas station.
Emily's first job was in North Jersey. "It was not fun at all to be that far away," she said. In February 2014, she was hired as a project manager at Philadelphia's Lannett Co., where she is now manager of business development. Emily found an apartment five minutes from Aalok and his parents.
How does forever sound?
Emily looked forward to revisiting the little Mexican place of their first date on their four-year dating anniversary. "I had no idea it was going to be more than that until he pulled up on time - he's never on time!" Her inkling made her a little nervous.
Aalok was nervous, too. His parents, who immigrated from India, decided to marry and that was that. They had no advice on a U.S.-style proposal. "I didn't even know which knee to kneel on," he said. That day at work, he sought the advice of his boss at the time, Bill. Bill invited Aalok to practice, and he played the role of Emily.
Aalok spoke to the restaurant owner ahead of time, and Emily's second clue that this was a very special night was how happy and hyper-attentive the restaurant staff was.
They ordered, and Aalok couldn't wait another minute. He offered the ring with his right hand and knelt on his left knee, for good balance.
"We picked at our food, and then just left - we were too excited to eat," Emily said.
It was so them
The couple married in a ceremony mixing American and Indian traditions under a tent at Brandywine Manor House. They wrote their own vows. His mom and hers, Sherri, placed scarves around the couple's necks and tied them together, symbolizing the joining of their lives. They couldn't have a fire pit, so Emily and Aalok lit a candle for the saptapadi, circling it seven times as the pastor asked God to bless them and their families with good health, strength, prosperity, and other fabulous things. The couple exchanged wedding rings, and Emily also received a wedding necklace called a mangalasutra.
Musically talented friends of the couple, Kenny and Anita, performed a song. "Aalok and I looked at each other, just taking it all in, and he whispered that it was their wedding anniversary," Emily said. "It felt special to me that our new marriage was just starting, and they were enjoying their older love right there next to us."
The couple, who now live in Horsham, had both guy and girl attendants.
The reception for 180 took place in a barn next to the tent. Emily and her mom decorated the tables with bowls, ceramic birds, and other items that suggested a comfortable home more than a wedding reception. The couple's initials, lanterns, and hearts all glowed with light.
Emily had played softball her whole life, and her dad, Tim, went to every game and practice. "It was always our special time together, and so we did a softball toss instead of a first dance," she said.
The couple's golden retriever, Molly, spent most of the day at doggy day care, but Aalok arranged for her to make a short trip to the wedding as a surprise for Emily. "There are some pictures where I'm doing an ugly cry," she said. "That's when I first saw her."
Awestruck
When Aalok walked down the aisle with the pastor, the wedding guests cheered him on. It was amazing to see all of their friends and family in one place. Because everyone stood for Emily's entrance, Aalok couldn't see her until she and her dad turned the corner to walk toward him. "It was a privilege to be the guy standing there in front of everyone - her loved ones, my loved ones - to be the guy who made it to this point with her," he said. "I had gone through a dark period in my life, and the person who helped me was the person walking toward me. It was incredible."
The couple chose Ray Lemonte's "Let It Be Me," for their first dance. "It was so beautiful to be under the lights in the barn, dancing with him, and having our first few minutes together as a married couple," Emily said.
Budget crunch
A bargain: The couple bought their gentlemen attendants suits that were on sale at Macy's for a great price. They also bought dresses for the ladies, but those were not such a bargain.
The splurge: The videographer was a last-minute, nonbudgeted decision they are glad they made.
The honeymoon
Seven nights - including the bride's birthday - at Paradisus la Perla in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
Love: BEHIND THE SCENES
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Officiant: The Rev. Reuben Scheeringa, Grace Church on the Mount, Netcong, N.J.
Venue: Brandywine Manor House, Honey Brook.
Food: Sage Catering, Berwyn.
Photography: We Laugh, We Love.
Videography: Solidity Films, Newark, Del.
Flowers: Blue Moon Florist, Downingtown.
Dress: Bijou Bridal, Ardmore.
Music: DJ Jamie Grimble, Philadelphia.
Planner: Details Made Simple, Westfield, N.J.
Do you have the date? Email us - at least six weeks before your ceremony - why we should feature your love story: weddings@phillynews.com. Unfortunately, we can't respond individually to all submissions. If your story is chosen, you will be contacted.
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