The Star Ledger

Here comes the bride -- There's no bridegroom yet, but she's sure her Web site will snare one

STOP PORING OVER personal ads, treating love like a used Buick in the Classifieds. If you want to get married, try Blaire Allison's approach -- set a goal, and make a Web site.

Tomorrow, Allison celebrates her 27th birthday. Spurred on by the approach of her 30s, this Bergen County resident, dating coach and events planner decided she wants to be engaged by December.

"Do you know my husband?" she asks on her home page at www.marryblaire.com. As a "Countdown to my Engagement" clock ticks off the seconds until the deadline, her glamour-shot photo seduces any potential suitors who come across her Web site. She asks that interested men -- ages 25-32, taller than 5 foot 8, and Jewish -- send in their profiles and a photo, but only if they are truly interested in marriage.

With a head of curls and a cool, confident disposition, she says she never struggled to find men to date. The right guys were harder to come by.

"I did online dating, went to singles events, and it didn't work," she said. "I'm not going to lounges, not going clubbing. I've always talked about getting married -- so why not do something about it?"

Although Allison only told a few close friends about her project, word spread to MSNBC and radio stations in Arizona and Seattle, prompting a deluge of publicity.

"It's taking over my life," she said. "I'm doing an interview a day at this point."

Before the Web site, Allison considered putting her face on a flier, handing it to people leaving temple on Saturdays, and asking if they knew her husband. After she heeded some advice from her brother's girlfriend, the idea evolved into marryblaire.com.

"I'm a creative person, and my family and friends know this fits my personality," said Allison. "They say I'm quirky like that."

"Quirky" isn't the only word people use to describe Allison. Under the "Comments from You" page on her site, she's referred to as "an inspiration," "clever," "gorgeous," "crazy" and "extreme but unique." Ex-boyfriends have reappeared, questioning Allison's methods and motivation.

Then, there are the men. Lots of them, according to Allison. E-mails flood her inbox from as close as New York City and as far away as Israel, India and Italy.

It could be hard to find a surplus of single Jewish men in Italy, but she refuses to limit the search for a soulmate to the tri-state area. She does have standards, though, and outlines the guidelines on her site.

Besides the age, height and religious requirements, Allison will not date "couch potatoes," men who aren't "hip," or men with "baggage" (divorcees and men with children). A University of Miami graduate, Allison plans on pursuing a master's and a doctorate in psychology, so intelligence and ambition are a must. Finally, she just hopes to find "a true nice guy -- a leader ... my king."

"I am picky," said Allison, poking at the bacon on her plate during lunch, "but you want to be picky. That's how you reach your goals."

Every Sunday, Allison chooses a "Man of the Week" from her e-mail files and asks people to vote on whether he's worth dating. Two men made the cut so far, but were dumped to the "Not My Husband" page after just one date.

If they don't want their online dating experience to end, Allison creates an e-mail account for each man dismissed, encouraging other women to contact them in hopes of creating a match.

Although the judgments are swift, Allison insists she knows right away if a guy is right for her. In the past, none of her relationships has lasted more than six months.

"She's all business at this point," said Matt Katz, a 26-year-old municipal reporter for the Courier-Post in Cherry Hill and the most recent "Man of the Week."

Katz, who also writes a dating column for the Courier-Post, didn't have any doubt how she felt. Allison posted her impressions of their date on her Web site the next morning.

"There just wasn't anything there -- mutually," said Katz. "She knows what she wants, and she's going about getting it as efficiently as possible."

Allison should know what she wants--she tells people how to date for a living.

She runs her dating coaching business (www.loveguru.net) and events planning company (www.metroplanners.com) from her apartment, conducting in-person sessions for $125 an hour and over the phone for $100 an hour. Allison declines to give her home address to the media to insure the privacy of her family, friends and clients.

By taking her own advice, Allison realized why she struggled to find the man of her dreams.

"I was hiding my intentions, and it was keeping me single," said Allison. "Women are told not to talk about commitment because it will scare men away. I have a mission now, and it's to tell women to break the rules. No, screw the rules! Be yourself."

"If you're looking to get married, you need to be focused," said Allison. "It's like he's interviewing for a job. I need to figure out what's going on before being swept away by the romance."

As Allison sifts through men, issuing Donald Trump-like declarations when the date goes awry, she knows the outcome will be in her favor.

"If I'm not engaged by December, I know I'll be madly in love and engaged a month later.

"I'm not doing this for the publicity -- I want to find one to keep. He'll treat me like a queen, and I'll treat him like a king. When that happens, we're done. The Web site did its job."