Clothed with Strength and Dignity…

Strength and dignity are two qualities of a virtuous woman, as described in Proverbs 31. They are also, according to verse 25, the two virtues that impart confidence in the future.

KatieLyn lacked confidence in her own future, so she ran away in the middle of the night. This was an act that revealed neither strength nor dignity.  Courage does not flee, but stands firm. Dignity holds its head high and does not go into hiding.
Here is Green's Literal translation of the verse:

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she shall rejoice at the day to come.
Proverbs 31:25

"The day to come" is an intriguing phrase. The Catholic Church often teaches this as being the day of one's death—that when death comes, she will joyously enter into her rest. Other denominations explain that it means old age—that in the days to come on earth, she will find satisfaction in what she has accomplished and find joy in her grandchildren. Still others take the stance that "the day to come" is all future—that her strength and dignity make her the eternal optimist. Using a Hebrew lexicon doesn't narrow the interpretation by much.  יוֹם can mean day (as opposed to night), a 24-hour period, the work day, a day's journey, a lifetime, a year, or any general time period! 

A few translations, most notably the NIV, translate rejoice as "she can laugh at" the day to come. This implies making sport of the future with a mocking laughter, and it puts a free-from-fear spin on it. Whether you like the merriment interpretation or would prefer the scorning approach, the main point of agreement between these two attitudes is that this woman is confident in the Lord. Her pleasure of full confidence is what stands out here.

Cause and Effect
Implicit in this verse is that the rejoicing of the 'day to come' is a result of strength and dignity. It would be a mistake to arbitrarily decide, "I'm going to laugh at the future," without first loading up on the prerequisites of strength and dignity. Without confidence in your God-given worth, it is unlikely that you will be laughing for very long. A person who is full of self-doubt does not have the strength, and a person who allows other things or people to strip away her initial trust in the Lord does not have the dignity that it takes to laugh at the future.

The Lesson
In order to really laugh without fear of the future, one needs to first know that her strength comes from the Lord. The night that KatieLyn ran off, she did not have any confidence in the Lord's plan for this marriage at all. In order to really laugh without fear of the future, one must have the self-assurance of knowing that God is not going to abandon her to twist in the wind. The night that KatieLyn ran off, Joe was unable to convince her of that; other voices had so stolen, killed, and destroyed her self-worth that she simply had no faith left.

Strength and dignity impart confidence in the days to come. If KatieLyn had been clothed in strength and dignity, she would have laughed at the future. If KatieLyn had been clothed in strength and dignity, she would be happily married today. But she listened to other voices of condemnation and fear that drove her off, fleeing half-naked into the night.