Celebrating Black Brides: Profile #73

Couple: Florence Griffith and Al Joyner

Date of Wedding:  October 10, 1987

Place:  Las Vegas Wedding Gardens (Las Vegas, NV)

Fun facts

The bride's wedding dress had been her Halloween costume the year before.

The groom first spotted his bride in 1980 at the U.S. Olympic trials but they did not begin dating until 1986 when the bride began training with coach Bob Kersee who would later marry the groom's sister.


The couple's special number was 7.  The groom proposed on 7-17-87 at 7 pm.

The couple set a wedding date for late 1988 after the Olympics but a 5.9 magnitude Los Angeles earthquake on October 1, 1987 made the bride want to get married as soon as possible.  They married nine days later with an impromptu Vegas wedding.

Their favorite song throughout their courtship and marriage was "All My Life" by K-Ci and JoJo.  The bride died unexpectedly in 1998 and the groom had the song played at her funeral.




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