University alumna Melissa McCormick works in the governor’s press office, so she is used to keeping tabs on what’s going on around her.
But when the production team from The Learning Channel TV show “Perfect Proposal” came to Baton Rouge last week to videotape her then-boyfriend’s marriage proposal, she was “totally surprised.”
“Perfect Proposal” showcases “truly romantic and memorable” wedding proposals, according to the Learning Channel Web site, www.tlc.com.
Sitting beside Brian Landry — her new fiance who also is a University graduate — at Perk’s Tuesday night, Melissa’s eyes filled with tears as she recalled Brian’s “perfect proposal.”
“It was all a complete surprise,” she said. “I’ve said after this has happened that he could be a secret agent from the FBI.”
Melissa said she and Brian spend so much time together that she does not understand how she did not realize he was going to propose to her — or that the they would be on television.
Brian laughed and jokingly said it was much easier than she thinks.
In a separate phone interview, though, Brian admitted his worries about Melissa learning about his secret because she is “too smart of a girl.”
“It was like paranoia,” he said. “I thought Melissa knew.”
To go on the show, applicants must explain why their proposals will be worth videotaping. Producers decide whether applicants have made thoughtful, feasible and romantic plans.
Brian’s plans won over the “Perfect Proposal” producers.
The couple met and fell in love while they were both in college and working at Cippriani’s, a family-owned Italian restaurant that was located off College Drive. Cippriani’s was in the building now occupied by Phil’s Oyster Bar.
Brian wanted to recreate the atmosphere where they fell in love. He contacted the former owners of Cippriani’s and former staffers, and they were all willing to help.
Melissa showed up on the planned date thinking she was part of a TV report on the way College Drive has changed, so she was not suspicious about the video cameras.
“It made sense to me that Cippriani’s would be a part of the story of College Drive,” she said.
When she walked into a side room in the restaurant, Melissa felt like she was stepping back in time. The atmosphere was just like she remembered it — the “specials board” she used to write daily menus on, old movie posters that were hung all around the restaurant walls and a singing waiter.
With all the nostalgia mixed in with the proposal, Melissa was so excited she forgot to answer Brian’s question.
“I forgot to say, ‘Yes,'” she said.
Robert Holberg, one of the “Perfect Proposal” producers who came to Baton Rouge for taping, said in a telephone interview that he is honored to be a part of such intimate times during people’s lives.
“You give them something a little more special than just going to dinner and saying, ‘Will you marry me?'” Holberg said.
Holberg does not know when Brian and Melissa’s episode will air because the editing process is not complete.
To find out when their episode airs, go to www.tlc.com to the “Perfect Proposal” schedule.