While we’re here to celebrate Julie Vash and Joshua Puram joining their lives, we also honor the families who raised, supported, and shaped them — whose love brought us all to this day.

Joshua Julian was born in Hyderabad in the Indian state of Telangana, where his family has lived for generations.

His mother, Audrey Prathibha Puram, worked as a principal and taught English at FIITJEE High School, and his father, Samson Praveen Puram, worked as a government insurance development officer at LIC of India, Hyderabad. Joshua’s elder brother, Jesse Jordan Puram, is a physics professor at Rhodes College in Lima, Ohio. He and his wife, Susan, live there with their six-month-old daughter, Rachel. Joshua’s maternal grandparents, Dorothy and Prabhakar Ravula, began life together in the small town of Siddipet (now a city); Dorothy was a high school principal who taught English and Prabhakar was a director of physical education. His paternal grandmother Victoria Puram also served in education as a high school principal and taught English and his grandfather Prakasham Puram worked as a government gazetted officer in the education department for the city of Hyderabad. The Puram family attends Wesley Church Ramkote in Hyderabad.

Joshua attended the Indian Institute of Technology, where he earned a bachelor’s in Materials Science and Engineering, and Georgia State University, where he received a master’s degree in Data Science and Analytics. He currently works as a Senior Labor Data Analyst at The Home Depot corporate headquarters.

Julie Elizabeth (имя при рождении: Юлия С. Алиева) was born in Moscow, Russia and lived there until she was 2½, when she was adopted by her American parents and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Her mother, Joellen (Jody) Vash, taught English and Language Arts at Tri-county Assembly of God School and then at Fairfield Intermediate School. Julie’s father, Paul Vash, worked as a librarian at Xavier University and the Cincinnati Public Library. Julie’s younger sister, Irina—also adopted—was born in Tula, Russia and now lives in Cincinnati with her husband, Kurtis Fields, and their daughter, Peyton, who is four years old. Julie's maternal grandmother, Eileen Wright, was a registered nurse and her grandfather, Weldon Dean Wright, was an accountant. Her paternal grandmother, Mary T. Vash was a home-maker, and her grandfather Ernest J. Vash was a truck driver by occupation, but also had a rose-growing business. Mary's parents immigrated to the U.S. from Hungary, Ernest's parents from Slovenia. The Vash family attends Royal Redeemer Lutheran Church in West Chester, Ohio.

Julie attended The Ohio State University where she received a bachelors of science degree in Architecture from the college of engineering. She works in architecture and film set design and is a member of the Art Director's Guild of America; local 800.