A Delaware couple pays homage to their engagement with a ‘Jane Eyre’-inspired wedding.
Words by Lisa Dukart
“Reader, I married him.”
Those four famous words from Charlotte Brontë’s inimitable novel “Jane Eyre” were emblazoned on the bookmarks given to every guest at Genevieve Aucoin’s and Jordan Francis’ wedding on April 19, 2024.
Not only were they accurate but they were also a fitting tribute to a significant moment in the couple’s relationship.
Almost exactly one year earlier, Jordan and Genevieve were performing in the opening night of the musical rendition of “Jane Eyre” at the Everett Theatre in Middletown, Delaware.
As the cast took their bows in front of a packed crowd that included some of Jordan’s and Genevieve’s family and friends from out of town, the man who played Edward Rochester opposite Genevieve’s Jane made an announcement: The show had concluded, but there was one more act to follow.
There, onstage, Jordan—who had played the butler—got down on one knee and asked Genevieve to marry him. A very surprised Genevieve answered, “Yes!”
“It was very exciting,” she says. “It is [exactly] the way that I would have wanted him to propose.”
Prior to the proposal, the Wilmington couple—who met two years earlier via dating app Bumble and immediately hit it off—had been talking about an engagement and had even picked out several rings together.
Trying to find a way to surprise Genevieve with the proposal, Jordan was evasive about the ring’s arrival, though he’d secretly had it expedited so he could pop the question on opening night.
A longtime favorite book of Genevieve’s, “Jane Eyre” soon became a major reference point as they planned their wedding. Wanting to imbue their Big Day with Victorian elegance, they chose the Brantwyn Estate in Wilmington to hold their nuptials.
“We wanted something that was reminiscent of [Rochester’s Thornfield Hall],” Genevieve explains. “I think [that inspiration] really helped to pull the vision together quickly because we wanted Victorian-inspired, English garden kind of vibes.”
The couple was fond of the du Pont estate’s elegant grounds, which would just begin to bloom for their springtime wedding. They also liked that the mansion featured multiple rooms where guests could divide into intimate groups.
Subtly nodding to “Jane Eyre” and their engagement, the pair incorporated thoughtful details. Centerpieces included stacks of old books topped with florals. They used traditional stationery for invitations and place cards. Their guests received a bookmark and tea set. Signature cocktails harkened back to the book—“The Jane” was a take on the Tom Collins, while the “Thornfield Hall” was a spin on a mojito.
They even hired a live portrait artist to paint throughout the day, and a finished work now hangs in their home.
In a nod to the musical, the couple used “Brave Enough for Love,” the final song from the show.
“It was the last thing we ever sang together before we got engaged,” Genevieve says. “Also, to make a lifetime commitment takes courage. It’s a brave thing.”
When the misty April day arrived, the couple exchanged personal vows in private after their first look. The intimate moment was a way for them to share what they meant to each other while upholding the traditions of the Catholic ceremony they later held.
“That also felt very ‘Jane Eyre’ to me,” Genevieve says, “because their wedding in the book, it’s a very quiet, private affair, and so we got to have that moment together.”
Afterward, surrounded by 100 of their closest friends and family members—who’d traveled from all over the country, including Jordan’s native Wisconsin and Genevieve’s home in Georgia—they were married.
“I really feel like it changed my brain chemistry forever when I started walking down the aisle and I saw all in one place everybody from areas of both of our lives coming together,” the bride says. “That was so, so special. …I get tingles now thinking about it.”
