Her parents were married in a basement by a judge wearing bedroom slippers.
So when Lisa Kassay got engaged this summer, her mom wanted to give her daughter the wedding that she never had. Something like the wedding plans discussed by brides-to-be on a reality TV show called “Say Yes to the Dress.”
“The second I got engaged she started watching that show religiously,” said Lisa. The Learning Channel show, which takes place in a world renowned wedding dress store in Manhattan called Kleinfelds Bridal, features the stories of brides going through the process of dress selection.
That’s why, when it was time to pick a dress for Lisa’s upcoming wedding, the mom and daughter made an appointment at Kleinfelds.
“Every girl needs to be a princess once in their life,” said Rebecca Kassay of Lewiston. “If you don’t do it then, you don’t get to redo it.”
Lisa, a 1997 graduate of Lewiston-Porter High School, works as a stage actress in New York City, and has performed in musicals including “Cats,” “Hairspray,” and “High School Musical.”
Although familiar with the spotlight, Lisa wasn’t especially captivated by the idea of having cameras follow her while dress shopping so when making the appointment with Kleinfelds she declined when asked if she wanted to be considered for the show.
Regardless, when the mother and daughter showed up in the massive waiting room of the fancy dress store, a camera crew approached and asked again whether they would like to be on “Say Yes to the Dress.” Lisa took one look at her mom’s face and changed her mind.
“It made her so happy,” Lisa said of her mom. “There was no way I could say no, and you know, I wouldn’t want to.”
So, the ladies signed the consent forms, got microphones pinned to their clothing, and what started out as an hour-and-a-half long dress shopping appointment turned into six hours. Eventually Lisa’s fiancé, John, met them at the store. The crew put a mike on him too and included him in the segment.
Throughout the shopping, the trio were taken aside and interviewed by the camera crew, and asked pointed questions in an apparent effort to shape a story from the filming.
The story, it appears, is that John watched the dress shopping, which goes against wedding tradition. When asked by the crew about the tradition, John told them, according to Rebecca, “that’s OK, we’re not traditional.”
So, the crew went with that. On the TLC “Say Yes to the Dress,” Web site, Friday’s 9 p.m. show is being promoted with the headline “Lisa Uses Her Finance John as a Style Guide.”
Since reality television shows are known to sometimes make a big deal out of nothing to further the story arc, mother and daughter are crossing their fingers that their episode reflects the event.
“They seemed to think John was picking out the dress for me,” Lisa said. “I think they saw an angle they could take and they took it, even though it wasn’t my angle. I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out.”
Lisa plans to watch the show Friday with her finance and some friends. “I’m sure they’ll give me a hard time about it. It’ll be fun,” she laughed.
The wedding dress selected, more traditional than either mother or daughter expected, will be worn in May when Lisa and John are married in Buffalo.
And, ultimately, when the celebrations are over, Lisa knows the TV show segment will only be a footnote among the memories.
“I’m lucky in that my parents are supportive,” said Lisa, “They’re very sweet, they want whatever I want.”
“I don’t know how many people get this lucky,” she added. “To have such a pleasant wedding experience.”
Contact reporter Michele DeLuca at 282-2311, ext. 2263.
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