Married at First Sight‘s Jamie Thompson couldn’t believe his luck when it came to meeting wife Elizabeth Bice for the first time — at their own wedding!
Ahead of Wednesday’s all-new episode of the Lifetime reality series (produced by Kinetic Content), that follows four couples who take the leap and marry a stranger paired with them by matchmaking experts, Jamie opened up to PopCulture.com about his journey on Married at First Sight and why he decided to take the uncommon relationship risk from the start.
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“To say it simply, I was hoping to be matched with ‘my person,’” he explains. “This sounds really cliche, but I was really wanting to meet the person I could be with forever. I had been looking for someone to have a serious relationship for a while now, so it only seemed right to take this leap of faith.”
Seeing Elizabeth walk down the aisle was an emotional moment for everyone, and Jamie admits he was attracted to his new bride — and her vibrant locks — instantly.
“My first thought on Elizabeth was, ‘Wow, she’s tall, gorgeous, and holy red hair!’” he recalled of the big day. “I really didn’t try to picture what my bride would look like prior to the wedding, so I was so happy to finally get to see her and meet her.”
And while Jamie admits to being “definitely nervous” about marrying a stranger ahead of his wedding day, held at Alexander Homestead, Elizabeth put him at ease right away.
“Leading up to the wedding day, it was starting to hit me that I would be marrying a complete stranger and the nerves rushed through my entire body,” he tells PopCulture.com. “Once I met Elizabeth though, I felt like I had known her for years. We had instant chemistry and I felt completely comfortable being around her. I knew I had made the right decision and was so excited to go on the honeymoon with her.”
That connection didn’t protect them from the ups and downs of early married life, however, which he explains required “daily work” to overcome their trust issues.
“Our biggest issue as a couple was trust,” he confesses. “Elizabeth and I have both been hurt in past relationships and were fearful of each other and being hurt by the other person. It takes daily work to better communication and build trust that we had each others’ best interest.”
And while Jamie can’t give away what he and his bride decided for their future on Decision Day, he hinted that learning about personal responsibility was a major takeaway from his journey on Married at First Sight.
“I had to learn that only I can control my thoughts and emotions and overall state of happiness, and it’s no one else’s responsibility,” Jamie reflects. “On the same note, I can’t control Elizabeth’s thoughts and emotions either. It was a hard lesson to learn but definitely helps in being in a healthy relationship and remain in a healthy mindset.”
Married at First Sight airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
Photo credit: Lifetime
