Bruce & Gayle Meyer
February 14, 1987

My husband and I were married over 16 years ago on February 14, 1987. Like many couples, Bruce and I shopped around when it came to choosing a florist for our wedding. We became disappointed right away when we were told by the first florist we visited that roses would cost us double the regular price because we were getting married on Valentine's Day. This wasn't something we had ever considered when choosing our wedding date. Feeling discouraged, we moved onto our next stop, an old family favorite, Bridal Flower Shop on East 14th Street. We met with Joe and by the time we left, we didn't know what had hit us. All we knew for sure was that Joe would be the florist for our wedding. Joe asked all the questions, we gave all the answers, and he told us what to do...literally. Joe told me that I would have a traditional wedding, there would be no "throw away bouquet," I would be throwing my bouquet away to a prospective bride. We were told there were two types of aisle runners to choose from, paper, which was less expensive, or cloth. Joe wasn't really giving us a choice. We were getting married in February in Erie, Pa. and we were to have a cloth runner because the weather would be unpredictable. After a lot of talking, mostly by Joe, we were realizing that a florist can be responsible for much more than flowers when planning a wedding. A long list formed which included everything from pew bows to flowers for my husband's grandparents. When receiving a quote on the price from the first florist we saw, none of these items were even discussed. Joe had everything covered and now we were ready to talk price. I had expressed to Joe that I was hoping to have some roses in my bouquet, but I was informed they would be more expensive because of our Valentine's wedding date. Joe's response to me was, "Honey, this is YOUR day, not Valentine's Day. If you want roses in your bouquet then you will have roses in your bouquet." When the florist bill was finalized, Joe was at least 25% lower than anyone else we spoke with.

Bruce & I left Bridal Flower Shop that day in a state of shock. We weren't sure of what we had just purchased or what exactly Joe would be delivering to the church. When February 14th finally arrived, light snowflakes were in the air and our wedding had the most beautiful flowers we could have ever dared to imagine. Once again, Joe had shocked us. He didn't miss a thing. I had roses in my bouquet and Joe had made a young couple feel very special.