Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Even the saddest stories have happy endings, provided the person involved keeps faith and does not lose heart that there is something good in store for her in the future. This was proven by Elizabeth Smart recently as she recently received an engagement ring from Matthew Gilmour and married him soon after. The story of Elizabeth Smart is a chilling one but fortunately, it ends on a heartwarming note as the kidnap victim finally finds true love and happiness in life.
Elizabeth Smart married Mathew Gilmour in Hawaii in a LDS Laie Hawaii Temple. The marriage was only attended by close friends and family members. According to sources, the engagement occurred in the month of January when Mathew Gilmour proposed with a subtle but yet exquisite sapphire engagement ring. Mathew Gilmour also specified to the famous magazine People that he did not pick out an especially over the top engagement ring because he knew that Elizabeth Smart prefers to keep the bling to low levels. The engagement ring was picked out by Mathew Gilmour at a local jeweler from Salt Lake City. As per some reports, while Elizabeth Smart had to go through hundreds of wedding dresses to find the right one, Mathew Gilmour found it quite easy to pick out the engagement ring for her. The dress picked out by Elizabeth Smart is by Alita Graham which she found at the famous Kleinfeld’s Bridal Salon in New York.
Mathew Gilmour also stated that he kept the engagement ring in his pocket for a solid day and was very aware of the ring in his pocket for the time period that he had to keep it in there. However, the time to propose finally arrived for Mathew Gilmour when he and Elizabeth Smart were sitting together on a bench in the foothills that overlooked the lights of Salt Lake City.
Elizabeth Smart and Mathew Gilmour met each other when both were on their respective missionary years in France. The two married on a summer morning with Elizabeth Smart looking exquisite in her wedding gown and Mathew Gilmour showing off his Scottish heritage by wearing his late father’s kilt and a boutonniere along with a blue thistle that was specially sourced for the occasion. When asked about the wedding in Hawaii, the now Elizabeth Gilmour stated that the place is a form of refuge for her. The reason for this is simply that, in 2003, Elizabeth Smart was reunited with her family in Hawaii, after a harrowing stretch of nine months of her being kidnapped. She also stated that Oahu is a very special place for her because of this reason.
Elizabeth Smart and Mathew Gilmour’s wedding was held in the Mormon conservative style and lasted for around half an hour. Following the wedding everyone, that basically meant 12 guests and family members, went to celebrate the affair at the Turtle Bay Resort where they had lunch. The luncheon was mainly based around the island’s local cuisine and, hence, consisted of island fish, chicken, steak and sweet potatoes. Once the lunch was over the bride and the groom went for a romantic boat ride that involved native dressed rowers and ukulele musicians.
In the evening, all the guests and close family members had dinner at a luau. The dinner was buffet style and consisted of salmon, pig and even some instructional hula dancing. In effect, the whole day was littered with various cultural symbols from the island. However, the evening was also peppered with the Scottish culture owing to the groom’s origins. A good example would be the toast given by Mathew Gilmour at the dinner. The toast was begun by Mathew Gilmour in traditional Scottish fashion i.e. ‘on behalf of my wife and I’.
Elizabeth Smart is 24 years old while Mathew Gilmour is two years younger than her at 22 years. According to Elizabeth Smart, as soon as she met Mathew Gilmour, she found him to be her best friend. This is something significant especially if one considers the ordeal of Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapping which happened around 10 years ago.
Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her home on June 5, 2002 when Brian David Mitchell walked into her room and took her away with a knife at her throat. Elizabeth Smart was taken to the barren Utah forests straight from her home where Brian David Mitchell married her in a strange ceremony. After the bizarre wedding ceremony in 2002, Elizabeth Smart was raped multiple times by Brian. Brian David Mitchell was accompanied by his wife Wanda Barzee and both have been convicted for their crimes. Elizabeth Smart was held in captivity by the culprit for a period of 9 months before she was retrieved by the law enforcement agencies in Utah itself.
