About this feature The News Journal is telling the personal stories of just-married and soon-to-be-married couples who reside locally or who have local ties. To be considered, e-mail Kris Thoma at Kris Thoma@PensacolaNewsJournal.com with the story of how you met and how you became engaged.

About the couple R.J. Marks and Meri Beth Boyd will wed Oct. 7 at Pensacola Naval Air Station, near Lighthouse Beach. They became engaged Aug. 25.

Boyd graduated from Pensacola Private School of Liberal Arts in 1977. Marks graduated from Falmouth High School in 1974. His most current college degree is from the University of West Florida -- a master's in software engineering.

The bride-to-be is a pharmacy tech at Jackson-Pace Pharmacy on Nine Mile Road. Marks handles quality assurance for Tybrin Corp. in Fort Walton Beach.

When Cupid.com asked R.J. Marks to try speed dating for a second time, the 49-year-old said: "No thanks. I'm about to marry a woman I met speed dating."

Marks met Meri Beth Boyd on Match.com in 2004, but they never met in person because he lived in the Fort Walton Beach area and she lived in Pensacola.

The concept of speed dating is that participants meet 12 or more people in one night. Each "date" lasts six minutes and then you rotate to the next person.

When Boyd arrived at Zea restaurant on Feb. 22 for speed dating, Marks recognized her immediately. But there was a problem: She was with another guy.

After suffering through a handful of other dates in anticipation of talking to each other, Boyd and Marks finally were paired together. They already knew a good deal about each other through their online communication, so there was no awkward ice-breaker conversation.

"It was hilarious," Boyd said. "He took the ring box out of his pocket and set it on the table. He said, 'Meri Beth Boyd, will you marry me?' And then he slid the box over to me and he said, 'Here, open it.' "

He couldn't look at her because there were tears in his eyes. Marks said the tears were just a bit of nervousness mixed with the grateful feelings of knowing that he was going to marry Boyd.

This will be the third marriage for both of them. And another similarity: Both have one son and two daughters, and one grandson and one granddaughter.

Their tropical-themed wedding planned for Oct. 7 is above all a family affair. Their sons and daughters will comprise the wedding party, and their grandchildren will be the ring bearers and flower girls. Marks' son-in-law will be the officiant.

Both credit speed dating with getting them together. As for online dating, they recommend it. They advise participants be choosy, not get disappointed if a relationship doesn't happen immediately and expect to form friendships in addition to possible relationships.

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