http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20572162,00.html

I really am so happy for her. I guess that's why I keep posting updates on how she's doing. I hope this works out for her because she deserves a little normalcy - although deciding to stay a public figure by taking a job with ABC probably will keep her life firmly in the spotlight. Maybe she is just going with the inevitable...people will always be interested in her story.

I agree CA girl!

I'm a supporter of right to happiness!

I can't begin to fathom what she in particular, as a very young girl, and her family went through during those kidnapped days.
She learned how to survive and not be destroyed!
She had amazing courage and just plain "smarts" for her age.

She was thrust into the public and will probably always be a hero in a way to those that have been in similar situations and survived. She gives hope for a full, dynamic, successful life to all of them.
She is an amazing young woman!

It says they planned the entire event in just days.
She looks beautiful and happy. She's all growed up :)

I am delighted that she chose to stay in the spotlight. She is walking proof and a great example for young women showing that no victim need slink around in the shadows for the rest of life.

There is no shame in being the victim of a crime. It could happen to anyone. Also, she is a great role model in contrast to the "your-value-is-your-hymen-licked cupcake" view of Mormon womanhood.

Hopefully, she will continue with her career and be a further repudiation of the Mormon female role.


Anagrammy

Yes, I think she's very brave by taking what happened to her and using it to help others. Everyone would have understood if she decided to retire quietly to a private life but she chose to do something to help others instead. Surviving takes tremendous strength - surviving and having the courage to use your experience to help others survive is amazing. I hope she's very happy.

I thought the same thing. She looks beautiful.

I owe Elizabeth Smart my LIFE.

I will never be able to "repay" her for the (TOTALLY inadvertent on her part) good--incredible, almost unbelievable good--she did not only for me, but--by extension--to a number of other people who are now in my life.

She has (and can have) NO REAL IDEA that what she went through could (simultaneously, with the absolutely terrible experiences she endured) be, at the same time, used for so much good by others.

I wish she had never gone through what she did, but I am so grateful that she not only endured when she had to endure in order to survive, but that--in the end--she triumphed. Her triumph was the beginning of my real life.

Thank you, Elizabeth.

THANK YOU.

I will be grateful to you forever.

That was so beautiful--you should take the time to write her a letter the old fashioned way and mail it to her at ABC.

Anagrammy

Has she... or anyone in fam done a book/movie deal?
I wouldn't think any 'shame' there, btw.


also: was it a cop who spotted her, managed her release?
what happened to him/her?

Her parents wrote a book, heavy on the Mormon stuff IMO. The worst part was, from my perspective as a freelance editor, whomever edited it should be taken out and beaten. I thought it was incoherent and the story lost a lot of it's punch because of poor (ghost) writing and poor editing. It really distracted from what would have been an interesting book. Here's a link:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bringing-elizabeth-home-ed-smart/1100991526



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2012 03:21PM by CA girl.

Her uncle wrote a book also and it was much better. Very little religion and lots of details on the police investigation and the mistakes they made.

There was also a made for tv movie about it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380787/

For some reason, as a TBM when I watched it, the thing I remember the most from the movie was that the actress playing the mother wore a sleeveless shirt in a scene. Didn't wardrobe know that she needed her shoulders covered to be accurate?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2012 03:49PM by exmollymo.

A common mistake- production maybe didn't know they need a real Mormon or former Mormon to add authenticity. You would never see a mistake like that on "Big Love."

Ana

I wish her the best life any young lady ever had. She has been through absolute hell with the kidnapping, the aftermath, and her own emotions. It would probably have been impossible for her to hide, so being fairly open about what she's doing is probably the best strategy.

She needs all the prayers, good thoughts, etc. we can send her. What memories her wedding night must have brought back.

I loved seeing this and I am glad you are posting this stuff. Elizabeth has inspired me. I see that she is a good person with the Mormon haze lingering.

I think they should still keep the Mormon temples up and running for marriages...cause they are beautiful. Fly to Hawaii and elope, yes! She did it like I would want to do. She looks very lovely in her cover and on her wedding day. I wish her happiness and peace.

I hope that she can also see that the guy who kidnapped her was a Mormon "shaker" version crazed individual.

Blah, blah, blah...Elizabeth Smart...Blah, blah, blah

If you aren't a girly girl...you may not appreciate all this. I love People magazine and celebrity stuff. eat it up. Let's not forget about exmormon.org...lol --my fiance likes sports stuff and current events. I like that stuff to a certain degree.

I love all of the orchids. I grow orchids as a hobby. Very pretty!

Well... at least it's a subject to take the public's mind off of Whitney Houston...

And she is a beautiful bride. I hope she has her nice private life and a happy marriage.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/22/2012 06:50PM by knotheadusc.

with some lady (who was maybe from "People" magazine) gushing about what a lovely wedding it was, how the groom's family had brought a tie in their family's tartan for Mr. Smart to wear at the wedding, yada, yada.

And they showed not only Elizabeth's lovely dress, but the groom, complete in Scottish regalia, stockings, kilt, sporran, etc.) but it sounded like this lady was suggesting that all of this had been worn FOR THE WEDDING AND THAT SHE HERSELF HAD BEEN THERE!!!

I thought, "Either the Mo-church is making some SERIOUS concessions for Elizabeth, or this lady only saw the post-sealing goings-on and not the wedding itself."

What think you??

I had the same thoughts.

My best friend from high school married a super nice/smart Scottish guy. They got married in the Salt Lake Temple. When they exited from the double window doors she looked beautiful and he was adorned from head to toe in Scottish traditional wear, a bagpipe was there playing and all...along with his brother and father in the same type of dress. I was in awe and surprise mode. I was there with a few friends, we froze for a second when my best friend goes..hello...give me a hug! We all ran at her. I had just never seen that and wasn't expecting it. It was a beautiful wedding.

We then went and had a big lunch-in in the JS memorial building. It was so weird because I have three best friends from university and one of them is from Ogden, UT- her best friend from high school got married on the same day, and was having their lunch-in in a different part of that beautiful building.(still weirds me out to this day) I haven't remained close to my friends from high school but we write mass e-mails here and there, send christmas cards, and I get occasional baby announcements... We are all really different with different interests.. the ones from university are drifting further away too. One I talk to every couple of weeks. She is very open-minded. Outside of my family, she is the only Mormon I talk to really.

I feel you just go through life, go through different stages-meet people and help each other learn and grow- then slowly move on.

I will never forget the people that made a huge impact on my life. We had amazing times together- and lots of laughter. I miss so many of them. It's truly a beautiful life.

makes me wonder...

How much 'Special Handling' do celebs in Morland get from ChurchCo?

Maybe she had a real wedding first. For the press.
I don't think she particularly wants a private life.
I think what happened to her is horrible beyond imagination.
However, I think she is going to use it to leverage her fame and face recognition now, and in the future.
I'm not sure how I feel about that.

My guess is that the lady was just at the reception. She probably just assumed what the wedding itself was like, based on how traditional weddings are run.

dclarkfan1 29 minutes ago in reply to I'm Standing Right Behind You

The reason why that dress is "modest" is what this article DOESN'T tell you. Smart as well as her groom, are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints AKA Mormons. They were not married the way this article is telling you. They were quote "sealed" in one of the two mormon temples in Hawaii. My guess would be the Kona, Hawaii temple. The pictures you will be seeing in this issue are of Smart and her groom's wedding reception. Brides in the mormon temple, must wear "modest" wedding dresses, as well as other apparel over their wedding dress. Grooms must wear white tuxes. People that do not hold "temple recommends" are not permitted inside the temples, nor are video cameras, cell phones, computers, or anything that would be able to capture pictures or videos of the temple procedures or ceremonies.

For more information about the ACTUAL operations of the mormon temples, and what is REALLY expected of brides and grooms when getting married in the temple, the part the LDS church DOES NOT WANT THE PUBLIC TO KNOW please visit www{dot}exmormon{dot}org

Really....I am not interested in her continued story. She seems to have adjusted....is able to live a good life again and she is happy. So just let her live and let her alone.

I hope that she did alot of therapy and didn't just push everything aside and put on a happy face. I remember reading that her father didn't think much of therapists and was in favor of just move forward with your life and act happy.

I wish her well, but the numbers are not in favor. Her husband will be in the US with no friends and family and that is lonely. They are both young and have not known each other very long plus they were doing the mobot thing of having to marry.

Doing good for others does not mean that one has dealt with one's own problems. Given her father's actions, she came from a family with a disfunctional marriage.

Pretty pictures, but happily ever after....don't know.

well so much for the Smarts doing this on the sly to not seek public attention..... ( like that was ever the case )