Runaway Bride May Still Wed

Her Family Pastor Predicts A 'Good Possibility' For Wedding Bells

(CBS/AP)  There is a "good possibility" runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks will wed her fiancé, but the couple are focusing on dealing with the issues that caused her to flee and fake her abduction, says her family pastor.

The Rev. Tom Smiley tells CBS News The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith the couple are not talking so much about getting married "as they are talking about getting better."

On Thursday, Smiley ready a statement from Wilbanks that said she was "truly sorry for the troubles I caused." The statement insisted her flight was prompted by issues that went beyond simple cold feet.

Wilbanks' statement said she her flight by bus to Las Vegas and eventually to Albuquerque was not in response to her pending wedding, which had been scheduled four days after she vanished.

"Those who know me know how excited I've been, and how excited I was about the spectacular wedding we planned, and how I could not wait to be Mrs. John Mason," the statement said.

She said her flight was the result of "a host of compelling issues, which seemed out of control."

Wilbanks' three-day disappearance led to a nationwide search and a media sensation.

"She told us she just wasn't aware." Smiley told Smith. "She's becoming more and more aware of all of the inconveniences and the difficulties that she caused, and she is truly appreciative of the Duluth community and Hall County community and Gwinnett County community and those who helped."

She initially told investigators she had been abducted by a Hispanic male and white woman with a handgun, a story that quickly unraveled.

Albuquerque, N.M., police said Thursday that Wilbanks also claimed she had been sexually assaulted, but recanted that claim with the rest of her story.