Mary Kay On Her Upcoming Wedding
If you thought former teacher Mary Kay Letourneau would have a nice, quiet, low-key wedding, think again.
Letourneau spent more than seven years in jail after having an affair with her then-12-year-old student, Vili Fualaau.
Fualaau is 22 now, Letourneau is 43, and after having two daughters together, they're walking down the aisle. "The Insider" licensed the exclusive rights to their story. "The Insider" anchor Lara Spencer spent some time with the couple.
On The Early Show Tuesday, Spencer told co-anchor Harry Smith the wedding will be a big one, with six bridesmaids, six groomsmen, and some 200 guests, thanks in part to the many people in Fualaau's family.
"She's treating this like it's the biggest day of her life," Spencer says, "and it is, to her."
Any bride would be nervous, Spencer suggests, but especially one in the national spotlight, as Letourneau has been.
"Are you nervous?" Spencer asked Letourneau. "Do you have jitters?"
"There's a few things that we still, a few detail areas that we have to lock down," Letourneau answered. "And then I think, uh, it's just gonna roll at a very fast pace. That gives me a little bit of it. They're not jitters. It's a, 'Whoa, this is gonna be fast!' You know, the days just keep going. Time doesn't stop."
Letourneau's dress just arrived in Seattle from Cristiana Couture. The sight brought tears to her eyes.
Looking at the dress, an emotional Letourneau asked, "Am I really this little?"
Spencer tells Smith that Letourneau is "definitely not a runaway bride, this one. She'll be there. She's in it for the long haul.""I have to tell you," Spencer continued, "I definitely had reservations going into it (the interview). Let's face it: She was a teacher. He was 12 years old when this began. She spent seven-and-a-half years in prison. They barely talked. So I wondered what kind of a relationship this would be.
"But, sitting next to them for three hours, you couldn't help but notice the loyalty, the trust."
And, says Spencer, they looked deeply into each other's eyes for "endless amounts of time. I wanted to escuse myself! I felt like I was interrupting something. There's a lot of love there."
The celebration will not only be big; it will be traditional, Spencer says. Fualaau will be wearing a tuxedo. Their two children are expected to be flower girls. And they're working on their vows.
"I'm still stuck on my first line," Fualaau admitted to Spencer, though he does have one.
Letourneau whispered to Fualaau that he didn't have to reveal what he's thought of so far.
"You've just been instructed," Spencer laughed.
What about the bride's and groom's mothers? Will they show up at the wedding? Will they stand up for this couple? This wasn't an easy subject for them to talk about, Spencer observes.
"We're planning for them to be there," Letourneau said to Spencer.
"And are they both supportive of the union, of your future together?" Spencer asked.
Answered Letourneau, "My mother, I know, will, she will share in our joy. But there still is that life, the philosophy she has, which is very Catholic, that, she will recognize our marriage when it is a Catholic ceremony."
Fualaau hesitated, but said his mother will attend.
Not only will their mothers be there, Letourneau's four older children also intend to be, Spencer says. And there are rumors her oldest son, who is near Fualaau's age, even plans to go to the bachelor party.
Smith remarked that a lot of people think this relationship isn't proper, even if they're getting married. He wanted to know if they seem to be aware that much of America perceives them in a negative light.
Spencer says their response all along has been: This is right for them, for their lives. They don't really concern themselves with what other people think. She's served her time, and all they ask is "for peace."