{"id":4342,"date":"2005-04-30T07:21:20","date_gmt":"2005-04-30T07:21:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:8000\/\/?p=4342"},"modified":"2026-02-21T20:54:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T20:54:08","slug":"a-real-run-away-bride","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/peter.murmann.me\/?p=4342","title":{"rendered":"A Real Run-Away Bride"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"image\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Unlike in the romantic comedy with Julia Roberts, the story of this Run-Away Bride is leaving everyone with a sour taste in their mouths. But the reaction of her uncle made me smile: \u201cJennifer had some issues the family was not aware of. We\u2019re looking forward to loving her and talking to her about these issues.\u201d What a conversation that must be.<\/p>\n

Ga. Woman Found, Reportedly Got Cold Feet<\/b><\/p>\n

By MARY PEREA, Associated Press Writer<\/p>\n

A Georgia bride-to-be who vanished just days before her wedding turned up in New Mexico and fabricated a tale of abduction before admitting Saturday that she had gotten cold feet and \u201cneeded some time alone,\u201d police said.<\/p>\n

Jennifer Wilbanks, 32, was in police custody more than 1,420 miles from her home on what was supposed to be her wedding day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt turns out that Miss Wilbanks basically felt the pressure of this large wedding and could not handle it,\u201d said Randy Belcher, the police chief in Duluth, Ga., the Atlanta suburb where Wilbanks lives with her fiance. He said there would be no criminal charges.<\/p>\n

Wilbanks, whose disappearance set off a nationwide hunt, called her fiance, John Mason, from a pay phone late Friday and told him that she had been kidnapped while jogging three days before, authorities said. Her family rejoiced that she was safe, telling reporters that the media coverage apparently got to the kidnappers.<\/p>\n

But Wilbanks soon recanted, according to police.<\/p>\n

Ray Schultz, chief of police in Albuquerque, said Wilbanks \u201chad become scared and concerned about her impending marriage and decided she needed some time alone.\u201d He said she traveled to Las Vegas by bus before going to Albuquerque.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s obviously very concerned about the stress that she\u2019s been through, the stress that\u2019s been placed on her family,\u201d he said. \u201cShe is very upset.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mood outside Wilbanks\u2019 home went from jubilant to somber after Wilbanks changed her story. Family members ducked inside and the blinds were drawn, but friends expressed relief that Wilbanks was safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving cold feet is a joy compared to what the alternative might have been,\u201d friend Melinda Larson, who had planned to attend the wedding, told CNN.<\/p>\n

The wedding was going to be a huge bash. The couple had mailed 600 invitations, and the ceremony was to feature 14 bridesmaids and 14 groomsmen.<\/p>\n

Wilbanks\u2019 uncle, Mike Satterfield, thanked people who had helped in the search and supported the family.<\/p>\n

\u201cJennifer had some issues the family was not aware of. We\u2019re looking forward to loving her and talking to her about these issues,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Mason and Wilbanks\u2019 family planned to fly to Albuquerque later Saturday.<\/p>\n

Wilbanks, who is a nurse, was tired and thirsty, but was not complaining of any injuries Saturday, officials said. Her hair, which was long in pictures released by her family, was shoulder-length.<\/p>\n

Just hours before Wilbanks called her fiance, police in Duluth said they had no solid leads in the case and began dismantling a search center. Relatives offered a $100,000 reward for information and were planning a prayer vigil.<\/p>\n

The hunt for Wilbanks had consumed Duluth, a tight-knit town. Her picture and newspaper articles about her disappearance were on telephone poles and shop windows. Police had also seized three computers from the home she shared with Mason.<\/p>\n

Mason had become a target of suspicion and agreed to a private polygraph test, which Wilbanks\u2019 family said he passed. He had been negotiating with authorities for another test.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s been the hardest part for me,\u201d Mason said after Wilbanks called from Albuquerque. \u201cIt gives you a feeling like you can\u2019t walk outside your home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Larson, a friend of both Mason and Wilbanks, said she thought the bride-to-be had no idea her disappearance would draw so much attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes things take on a life of their own, just like weddings,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Postscript June 2, 2005<\/b><\/p>\n

\"image\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks, wears an engagement ring as leaves the Gwinnett County jail in Lawrenceville, Ga., Thursday, June 2, 2005 with her lawyer. Wilbanks pleaded no contest earlier Thursday to a felony charge and was sentenced to probation, community service and a fine.<\/p>\n

She looks better. The marriage is still on. Will she ever be able to upstage her first escape? <\/i><\/p>\n

Addendum October 11, 2006<\/b><\/p>\n

Georgia: Runaway Bride Sues Ex-Fianc\u00e9<\/p>\n

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
\nThe woman who attracted news attention when she fled days before her lavish wedding in 2005 is suing her former fianc\u00e9 for $500,000, saying he defrauded her out of her share of their assets. The woman, Jennifer Wilbanks, left, is seeking $250,000 as her share of a home and $250,000 in punitive damages for what she says is abuse of the power of attorney she granted her former fianc\u00e9, John Mason, to handle financial affairs. Mr. Mason\u2019s lawyer, James C. Watkins, did not return a call seeking comment. Ms. Wilbanks and Mr. Mason broke up this past May, about a year after her excursion to Las Vegas and New Mexico, which left hundreds of friends and family members searching for her in suburban Atlanta.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unlike in the romantic comedy with Julia Roberts, the story of this Run-Away Bride is leaving everyone with a sour taste in their mouths. But [Read More]<\/a> \"image\" \"image\"<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-humor","category-people"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/peter.murmann.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4342","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/peter.murmann.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/peter.murmann.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peter.murmann.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peter.murmann.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4342"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/peter.murmann.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4342\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5407,"href":"https:\/\/peter.murmann.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4342\/revisions\/5407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/peter.murmann.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peter.murmann.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/peter.murmann.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}