Kari Cervilli and Josh Estock met in December 2012 at the Delaware Rock Gym in Bear. She was 23, in her last semester at the University of Delaware studying medical laboratory science and living at home in Newark with her parents. He was 28, working at Wilmington Hospital as a mental health associate and living in Wilmington with his brother, Jason. Josh had been allowed to leave his night shift early that day and decided to go to the rock gym for a few hours of climbing. Kari had been there for a while when he arrived, and when they saw each other, they said hello and exchanged a smile. About an hour later, Kari asked Josh about the Christiana Hospital scrubs he was wearing. She was about to start a college rotation at the hospital and was curious about where he worked. The two began talking and found out that they had a lot in common. They both loved the outdoors, especially kayaking in Lums Pond while looking for turtles and birdwatching. Both felt an instant connection. He asked her to dinner, but she had plans with her mom and said she would call. By the time she did, it was later than she expected. He suggested going to Longwood Gardens and came to pick her up about an hour after the call.
THE FIRST DATE: Christmas was right around the corner, and Longwood was romantically decorated with plants and lights. At the end of the night, Kari confessed she had been in a long-term relationship that was over, but she was having a hard time breaking away and didn’t want anything serious at the moment. Josh said he was fine being friends for the time being but hoped they could have a more meaningful relationship.
THE FIRST KISS: About a week later, Josh invited Kari to his house to watch the animated series “South Park,” a show they both enjoyed. They watched at least seven episodes, she said. A few hours into it, Josh told her he kept having the urge to kiss her, even though he knew he shouldn’t. By then, Kari was starting to realize she had genuine feelings for Josh. She sat there torturing herself about the right thing to do – for 10 minutes. Then they kissed and have dated steadily from that moment on. They were so sure where they were going that she moved in with him after about three months. By the end of 2013, she was expecting a spring or summer proposal.
THE PROPOSAL: On Jan. 10, 2014, the two had decided to spend a long weekend at Josh’s dad’s cabin in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Josh planned to propose, but he wasn’t sure where or when. He just wanted the moment to be right. That night, they were snuggled up in front of the cabin stove and Kari was feeling so relaxed, at peace and in love that she spontaneously told Josh that this moment right now with him was just so wonderful. Josh got up, walked across the room and retrieved the ring, which was hidden in a magazine rack, and told Kari he wanted to continue to have wonderful moments with her for the rest of their lives. Then he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. His hand was shaking as he put the ring on her finger. She was so shocked she couldn’t speak, and had to work to get the word “yes” out. Then she started crying and laughing while they hugged. They decided to take a little time for themselves to enjoy the moment and went down to Raystown Lake. Josh wanted to show Kari the overlook where he had considered proposing, but so many roads and paths were blocked by icy conditions, they never did. Instead, Josh and Kari walked around the perimeter of the lake and took several pictures. When they returned to the cabin, Josh sent a group text to Kari’s parents, his parents, his two brothers and his sister-in-law, with a picture of the ring and the message: “Surprise!” Kari found out later that about a month before her dad, a jeweler who had sold his store but continued working there, had been the one to sell Josh the ring and the diamond, and her dad had mounted it himself.
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THE CEREMONY: They married Oct. 4, 2014, outside the Bellevue Mansion at Bellevue State Park in Wilmington. At the time, Kari and Josh lived right across the street, so it was not only a beautiful location, but also convenient. They wanted to get married in the fall, but the fall of 2015 seemed too far away, so they decided to have a short engagement. When Kari went with her mom to tour the mansion, the only date that was available was Oct. 4. Kari accepted immediately accepted and texted Josh: “We are getting married on Oct. 4!” The couple decided to have a tree planting ceremony during their marriage. They obtained a white oak sapling from Josh’s parents’ house, planted it in a large pot in soil from both Josh’s and Kari’s parents’ yard, and watered it during the ceremony. The couple plans to plant this tree at their new home in Townsend.
THE RECEPTION: The reception also was at Bellevue. The old DuPont library was used as the dancing floor, while the Trophy Room was used for tea and coffee. Dinner was in a large tent in the back of the house. Josh is not shy about much, and that includes dancing. As the first song began, he marched out onto the dance floor by himself, throwing his arms about with a smirk on his face, as he tossed his jacket and vest off to the side. He proceeded to break dance in the middle of the floor, do handstands and more. His best man, Jeff Hermansky, joined him and then his brothers. Kari’s maid of honor, Hannah Foley, finally pulled her onto the dance floor. None of it was planned, but it was funny and made great photos.
THE MOST SENTIMENTAL GIFT: At the bridal shower, the bridesmaids gave the couple a personalized picture with the name ESTOCK spelled out with a different picture for each letter, the date of the wedding and the saying, “Love you now, love you still, always have, always will.”
THE HONEYMOON: Josh and Kari visited the British Virgin Island of Dominica for 10 days. They stayed at Manicou River Resort in the north part of the island, where they snorkeled, birdwatched and toured the cities, and then went to Crescent Moon Cabins in the south central part of the island, where they went on several waterfall and mountain hikes. Besides swimming at waterfalls, they really enjoyed the “Bubble Spa,” a shallow hot spring next to the ocean, so the cold and hot water mix, and visitors can see bubbles rising out of the water.
THE FAMILY TREE: The bride is the daughter of Denise and Nick Cervelli of Newark. The groom is the son of June and Jeff Estock.
WHAT’S NEXT: The couple just bought a home in Townsend, where they live with their cats, Ramsey and Siamun. Josh graduated from Salesianum High School in 2002 and the University of Delaware in sociology in 2009. He continues to work at Wilmington Hospital and would like to one day open his own business offering everything from personalized one-on-one training, yoga, mindfulness and meditation, as well as acupuncture and nutritional guidance. Kari, who graduated from Ursuline Academy in 2008 and the University of Delaware in 2013, works as a biochemist at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. They hope to have kids within the next few years and to one day add a dog to the family.
Each week, Sundaylife highlights a wedding. To have your ceremony considered, you must fill out a questionnaire and send us a photo. You can find the form on www.delawareonline.com on the same page the story is featured on, or you may email Sundaylife@delawareonline.com with “wedding” in the subject line. This is a free service, and we cannot guarantee a specific ceremony will be chosen. Couples also may have their ceremonies appear in Celebrations (324-2781), which runs weekly in Sundaylife.
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