Bride who went on a run... and kept on going
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Your support makes all the difference.A case of the jitters before one's wedding day is nothing new. But a bride-to-be in Duluth, Georgia, took pre- nuptial nerves to a new level when she disappeared for three days, sparking a national hunt and leaving her family distraught. The groom was not particularly impressed, either.
A case of the jitters before one's wedding day is nothing new. But a bride-to-be in Duluth, Georgia, took pre- nuptial nerves to a new level when she disappeared for three days, sparking a national hunt and leaving her family distraught. The groom was not particularly impressed, either.
Jennifer Wilbanks disappeared on Tuesday evening after going for a run. For three days her family and fiancé, John Mason, appealed for help in finding her.
Mr Mason was even asked to take a lie detector test to prove he was not involved in her disappearance.
On Friday night Ms Wilbanks telephoned Mr Mason from Albuquerque, New Mexico, saying she had been abducted by a gang who had just released her.
Yesterday - the day she was due to be married - she confessed to police she had actually run away because of the pressure of the impending wedding. "It turns out that Miss Wilbanks felt the pressure of this large wedding and could not handle it," said Randy Belcher, the police chief in Duluth.
Ray Schultz, chief of police in Albuquerque, said Ms Wilbanks "had become scared and concerned" about her marriage and "decided she needed some time alone".
He said she travelled to Las Vegas by bus before going to Albuquerque. "She's obviously very concerned about the stress that she's been through, the stress that's been placed on her family," he said. "She is very upset."
The mood outside the Wilbanks' home went from jubilant to sombre after she changed her story.
"Sure, we were all disappointed, maybe a little embarrassed. But you know what, if you remember all the interviews yesterday we were praying, 'At this point let her be a runaway bride'," said the Rev Alan Jones, who was to perform the wedding. "So God was faithful. Jennifer's alive and we're all thankful."
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