The households of Kelly Dianne Newsome and Devin Darnell Rambo have recognized one another for years. Every household is a powerhouse in a group of domino gamers in Kansas Metropolis, Mo., passing down a love of the sport over generations. Years in the past, Ms. Newsome’s uncle, Travis Newsome, taught the sport to Mr. Rambo’s father, Rickey Rambo, the present doubles domino world champion.
However Ms. Newsome and Mr. Rambo didn’t meet till June 2022. A month earlier than the forty sixth annual World Championship Domino Event in Andalusia, Ala., she attended a preparatory seminar that he was educating in Kansas Metropolis. They have been each set to compete within the doubles bracket on the match.
When Mr. Rambo first noticed Ms. Newsome, he was intrigued. Her uncle had instructed him that she was a lawyer in New York, and Mr. Rambo had anticipated a “diva.”
Ms. Newsome, 40, is a associate at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, a regulation agency. She has a regulation diploma from Georgetown and two grasp’s levels, one in financial regulation from the Paris Institute of Political Research and one in public administration from the College of Missouri.
Mr. Rambo, 31, is a monetary administration adviser at CommunityAmerica Credit score Union in Kansas Metropolis. He has an affiliate diploma in enterprise administration from Metropolitan Neighborhood School, additionally in Kansas Metropolis.
On the match in Andalusia, Mr. Rambo and his associate took first place, whereas Ms. Newsome and her associate positioned second in a comfort bracket. Then, in a collection of post-tournament debriefs hosted over Zoom by the Kansas Metropolis domino group, the 2 met once more. They have been nonetheless solely acquaintances, however quickly sufficient, they started flirting.
Ms. Newsome’s uncle had inspired her for years to satisfy Mr. Rambo. Her father, Jerry Newsome, was additionally joyful to make a proper introduction. Throughout one of many Zoom conferences, Ms. Newsome talked about that she didn’t have Mr. Rambo’s quantity. “And actually, my dad was like, ‘Right here it’s,’” she stated. “He texted me his quantity on the facet.”
Whereas Ms. Newsome was in New York and Mr. Rambo was in Kansas Metropolis, they started speaking one on one. “These have been 10-, 11-hour calls,” Mr. Rambo stated. Ms. Newsome stated that the 2 of them “missed a variety of work.”
However their nine-year age distinction gave her pause. When Ms. Newsome flew to Kansas Metropolis in mid-August to go to her household, she was ready to finish their correspondence. However Mr. Rambo had one thing up his sleeve. “Simply give me the weekend, see if you happen to change your thoughts,” he instructed her.
Mr. Rambo had as soon as instructed Ms. Newsome, to her shock, that he had by no means seen “Black Panther,” a Marvel film. So he arrange a non-public viewing at a theater in Blue Springs, a Kansas Metropolis suburb, scattering rose petals within the aisles and hiring a server to dole out refreshments.
This turned their first in-person date. Afterward, Mr. Rambo requested Ms. Newsome, “Is it too quickly to be falling in love?” Across the identical time, Ms. Newsome instructed a buddy, “I’m going to finish up marrying this man.”
They quickly turned inseparable, Ms. Newsome stated. Mr. Rambo began splitting his time between Kansas Metropolis and Ms. Newsome’s condo in Harlem. On Aug. 25, 2022, the couple turned official. That November, Mr. Rambo started planning a proposal.
At first, there have been many failed makes an attempt. “Each plan I made simply fell by the wayside,” Mr. Rambo stated. Quickly, he determined that sufficient was sufficient. Early one morning whereas they have been collectively in New York, he shocked her. “I used to be trying raggedy, I had a hair wrap on my head,” Ms. Newsome stated, laughing. “He stated, ‘Right here, open this field.’” Inside was a two-carat emerald solitaire ring.
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On Oct. 7, they have been married in entrance of 100 company at Maison Principale, an occasion house in Montreal, by Rickey Rambo, a pastor on the Daylight Missionary Baptist Church in Kansas Metropolis.
Whereas the couple knew that dominoes would play a task of their wedding ceremony, Ms. Newsome drew the road when Mr. Rambo recommended a domino-themed wedding ceremony cake. As a substitute, they paid homage to the sport with a black-and-white costume code at their welcome celebration, which occurred at Galerie 203, an artwork gallery in Montreal.
The couple plans to reside collectively in Ms. Newsome’s condo in New York. Mr. Rambo stated that the velocity at which their romance progressed — from acquaintances to bride and groom in a little bit over a 12 months — was onerous to consider. Household and pals who have been out of the loop for a couple of weeks missed what felt like “a 12 months’s price” of updates, he stated. “However there was one thing completely different about our connection — that is the way it’s purported to be.”
