There is no blueprint to a long, lasting marriage, but for Mel and Joey Schwanke, their closet holds a key component of their union.
The Fremont, Nebraska couple have been married 64 years and for the past three and a half decades, you'll find them in matching outfits.
Meaning Mel's tie is an exact match of Joey's dress. "We don't dare go somewhere without being matching outfits," said Mel.
That's 146 custom-made matching outfits to be exact, and they've been doing it for so long, even they don't remember when it started.
"But it was before we traveled in '76," Joey ponders.
Though these days, it sometimes takes a few extra minutes to locate the matches, 81-year-old Joey and 86-year-old Mel always work it out.
"Every day, every day, my tie matches her dress," Mel says.
There is a flower pattern in their ties and dresses. That's not a coincidence. It's because the Schwankes owned and operated a flower shop for more than six decades. And that flower shop had actually been in Joey's family since 1896.
"It's the oldest business in Fremont. Still in the same family," says Joey.
In addition to matching, the Schwankes admit there is another secret to their marital bliss.
"We kind of decided early in the game that he would be boss from 8 to 5, and I would be boss from 5 to 8 in the morning," Joey explained.
But Mel sees it just a tad differently.
"I get to have a word in edgewise once in a while, and I think she's still the boss," he says.
