Flowers keep coming: 'He's … so romantic'

When Dennis and Tonnie Pier went on their first date, he brought her flowers, hoping to impress her. And he did.

But that 10 years later he's made flowers a weekly tradition is what's truly impressive.

"He's just … so romantic," Tonnie said as she glanced at the flowers on a table in her shop, La' Shay Nail and Body Salon in Kalispell.

Every Wednesday, Dennis, who works for Flathead Electric, stops at Flowers by Hansen and selects flowers to put in a bouquet. Then he delivers them himself to his wife's salon.

Today, though, is their ninth wedding anniversary, so he'll bring her an extra bouquet (likely roses) to keep at home.

It's those special touches that have kept the romance in their relationship, the couple say.

Dennis, 51, admits that when he brought Tonnie roses on their first date, he was hoping to impress her. Tonnie, 43, says she appreciated the flowers but didn't think that kind of gesture would continue because plenty of men bring flowers during the initial months of dating.

"But when you get to three to six months down the road," she said, "it stops."

Dennis, however, was an exception to the rule.

"I thought, 'Oh yeah, this is going to stop,'" she said, laughing, "but it just kept coming and coming and coming."

Her husband is nonchalant about the habit.

"It's not a big deal," he said. "It's just some small thing I can do to show her how much I care."

Why Wednesdays?

"To brighten her midweek," he explained.

And it works. The flowers are a happy addition to the salon that she and her customers enjoy. Customer Minta Johnson of Kalispell is familiar with the floral tradition.

"Every week," she said, shaking her head.

Johnson has been coming to the salon for 10 years and has noticed the flowers are a fixture. She's impressed by Dennis' romantic dedication.

"That's not the norm," agreed Flowers by Hansen owner Debbie Snyder.

Plenty of men buy flowers for their wives, but few and far between are those that do so with Dennis' frequency, she says.

Over the years, the florist and her staff have gotten to know him and have noticed his generosity also spills over onto others. He occasionally brings them a joke to make them laugh or cookies on holidays, Snyder says.

The floral arrangements vary. Dennis picks them out personally, so they are always different. But special days such as Valentine's Day usually mean roses.

Dennis has never missed a week in the 10 years the couple have been together. He is quick to acknowledge he hasn't always been able to make it on a Wednesday, but it's been every week.

"And if we're on vacation," his wife said, "he does it then, too."

Dennis is the more romantic of the two, she said. But Tonnie occasionally prepares candlelit dinners, her husband pointed out.

Their romantic gestures have huge impacts on their marriage, the Piers say.

"I think it's made the marriage go a lot smoother," Dennis said.

But regardless of whether it's dinner or flowers, the thoughts behind the gestures are what truly make the difference.

"It's the 'I'm thinking of you' thing," Tonnie said.

She and Dennis are vigilant about saying the things that matter, not just relying on dinners and flowers. Phrases such as "I love you," and "I appreciate you," go a long way in the name of keeping romance alive, they agreed.

Dennis tries to call Tonnie at the salon once or twice a day, just to say those three little words. And she is quick to dole out thanks and hugs.

The couple met when Tonnie's sister introduced them. Her sister worked in a deli that Dennis went to, and she thought the two would be good together. She introduced them, but Tonnie was reluctant to date after having gone through a divorce.

"I didn't really want to date, but he kept bugging me and bugging me," she joked.

She agreed when Dennis asked her to go out with him as a friend. That showed her he was the kind of person who is compassionate, she said.

It was only about a month before Tonnie was ready for friendship to change to romance. Eight months later, Dennis pulled out his most romantic gesture to date - he proposed to her in front of her three children.

The couple and the children went to Bowman Lake and Dennis dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him. She asked him later why he did it in front of the children, and he said because they are a part of the relationship.

"And that's another thing that got me," she said.

Her children are Corey, 25, Josh, 23, and Shay, 15. Shay lives with the Piers.

Dennis chose Valentine's Day for their courthouse wedding because it's the most romantic day of the year. This year they will celebrate their anniversary with flowers (of course) and dinner out.

Stereotypes say men often find flowers to be a wasteful purchase because they die so quickly.

"That's true," Dennis said, "but you can give them again and again."

And he also said he simply likes flowers as much as Tonnie does. His mother worked in a florist shop when he was young, so he enjoys fresh flowers.

"Flowers are Mother Nature's art form," he said.

Where he learned to appreciate (and practice) romance, though, isn't as clear.

"Some people have it," he said. "And some people don't, I guess."

But judging by the flowers and the emotions behind them, Dennis Pier has it.

Reporter Camden Easterling can be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at ceasterling@dailyinterlake.com