"You have some news to hear, now you are come back, that will rather surprise you."
"Have I?" said he quietly, and looking at her; "of what nature?"
"Oh! the best nature in the world -- a wedding."
--Emma, ch. 49
Who can’t use some good news these days? And so I was delighted to read this past weekend about a recent marriage made in Janeite heaven – or, at least, a marriage involving a Janeite who met her future husband at a Star Wars gathering. (Close enough.)
The bride in question, Bianca Hernandez, gained Janeite fame as half of the duo who brought us Drunk Austen, a witty and pop-culture-savvy Austen site that became the center of a vibrant and diverse fan community. Sadly, that partnership imploded last summer – Hernandez told her side of the story here -- but Hernandez remains a strong voice for inclusiveness in fandoms, including the Austen fandom.
I had the good fortune to meet an elegantly costumed Hernandez at the Jane Austen Society of North America’s 2019 annual general meeting, held in Williamsburg. (We had a delightful conversation during a Regency ball! What could be more Jane Austen than that?) At the time, she mentioned her Star Wars-loving boyfriend, so I wasn’t completely shocked to stumble over a New York Times story announcing that they had tied the knot last month, in a pandemic-appropriate, guest-free wedding at their California home.
Although Hernandez is now a member of JASNA’s board, she hasn’t abandoned her other fandoms, and certainly not the one that brought her together with her groom, Frank Knight. Accordingly, she accessorized her gown with a Princess Leia belt and carried a bouquet with a homemade light-saber handle. (After four years together, he’s also read Jane Austen; the Times reports that his favorite of the novels is Northanger Abbey.) The dress looks to have been white satin, or a reasonable approximation thereof. Take that, Mrs. Elton!
Both members of the happy couple are now going by Hernandez-Knight -- a bit like Jane Austen’s older brother Edward, who also changed his name to Knight in honor of the wealthy couple who adopted him as their heir. Here’s wishing the Hernandez-Knights a future filled with Empire waists, light sabers, health, and happiness.