Alonzo DeLaine thought Judith Passley looked great when he first saw her sitting in a poolside beach chair at a Miami hotel. But he was half an hour late for their first date, and as he approached her, he was blocking her sun.
It was a bit of a rocky beginning, says Judith, but "he won me over as the night wore on." Throughout dinner and a walk on the boardwalk, they talked a lot. "He listened to what I had to say and he seemed genuinely interested in me," says Judith. And he called her that night to make sure she got home OK.
A birthday dinner shortly after that, for which Alonzo cooked Judith's exact request of chicken and mushrooms in wine sauce, salad and green beans, impressed her even more.
It set the two off on a courtship that led to a May 25 wedding at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Reisterstown. After the ceremony, guests enjoyed dinner, jazz music and dancing at Grey Rock Mansion in Pikesville.
Alonzo, a seventh-grade language-arts teacher in Camden, N.J., was spending a year's sabbatical in Fort Lauderdale to earn a master's degree in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University when he met Judith in the spring of 2000. Finding he still had plenty of time for partying and hanging out, he had joined a dating service that used recorded messages and voice-mail boxes sponsored by two Florida radio stations.
In his message, he said he wanted to meet a woman who was well-educated, was a good conversationalist, liked to travel and was family-oriented. Judith, a Baltimore native who had recently earned her doctorate in pharmacy at Nova Southeast-ern, was intrigued by Alonzo's message, so they arranged to meet.
Alonzo had free time in the afternoons and once they started dating, he would meet Judith at her home for lunch and The Young and the Restless on television. They also enjoyed dining out and weekend trips to Naples, Key West and other Florida locations.
"We really enjoyed our time together," Judith says.
At the end of the summer, Alonzo was due back at his teaching job. "I wanted definitely to maintain a relationship while I was back in Philadel-phia," Alonzo says. A few remaining college credits brought him back to Florida every few weeks at first, and he and Judith visited each other every month after that. And they spoke every day on the phone.
"That was a big part of it, keeping us together," says Judith, "the communication."
The next summer, Alonzo returned to Florida and the two started shopping for an engagement ring. Even after Alonzo bought a diamond for Judith, he took her ring-shopping one day to make sure she didn't suspect anything. Then he surprised her that evening with his proposal.
They kept up the relationship long-distance again as Alonzo returned to teaching in the fall of 2001, and bought a house in the Germantown area of Philadel-phia. In March, Judith moved to Philadelphia where she became director of pharmacy for Friends Hospital in that city.
"It was always my intention to move closer to my family," Judith says, but it was still a challenge for the couple to go from the single life in sunny Florida to building a life together in the Northeast.
Trips to Miami were relaxing, with lots of time for romance, says Alonzo. "Now it's more reality ... we deal with day-to-day issues."
"We're learning how to work together, to take the relationship to a new level of understanding," Judith adds, even if he likes the city while she likes the country and she can't understand his passion for professional sports.
In fact, some of their differences are beneficial. "I love his fun-loving attitude and sense of adventure, his spontaneity," says Judith, 32. While Alonzo, 37, says she does a good job reining in his impulsive side when she needs to.
"She's very levelheaded," he says. "She gives me companionship without a lot of drama."
Adds Judith, "No matter what, we want to be together."
Weddings and engagements
Wedding and engagement announcements appear Sundays in the Arts & Society section, as space permits.
* Weddings: To be published, announcements and photographs must be received at least 30 days before the wedding date, by mail or e-mail. They must include two phone numbers for people who can be contacted during daytime hours to verify details. Unverifiable announcements will not be published.
Photographs can picture the bride alone or the bride and groom, and must accompany the announcement if submitted. Wed-ding attire is not required. Photo prints should be larger than wallet size; electronic images should be in JPEG format and at a resolution of at least 200 dpi. Photos cannot be returned.
* Engagements: Announce-ments must be received at least 60 days before the ceremony, and note the wedding date, by mail or e-mail.
They must include two phone numbers for people who can be contacted during daytime hours to verify details. Unverifiable announcements will not be published. (Photos are not used with engagement announcements.)
Announcements should include the information listed in those published here. For complete details, please call 410-783-1800 and enter code 6240. To obtain announcement forms online, go to www.sunspot.net / weddingform. Forms can be filled out and e-mailed, or printed out and mailed in.
Mail announcements and photos to: Weddings & Engagements, Features Department, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore MD 21278.
E-mail announcements and digital photos to: weddings@ baltsun.com.
Just Married
Each Sunday, The Sun publishes the story of one couple's courtship and marriage. If you'd like to be considered for this feature, send us a brief letter by mail (Just Married, c / o Features Department, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore MD 21278) or e-mail (justmarried@baltsun. com).
Tell us how you met, about your courtship and about your plans for a life together.
Contact us at least 30 days before your wedding day. Include the wedding date and a day and evening phone number for both bride and groom. If you are selected, The Sun will contact you.