On March 7, 1869 she married ship’s carpenter John Thomas Stride, from Sheerness (Kent) at the parish church, St. Giles in the Fields, in the London Borough of Camden, in the West End. John was born on February 8, 1827 (being 22 years older than her), son of William and Elenor Monk, and was one of nine children. The Service was conducted by Rev. Will Powell and witnessed by Daniel H. Wyatt and N. Taylor. Stride gave her address as 67 Gower Street. Soon after the marriage John and Liz were living in East India Dock road in Poplar, Tower and Hamlets, London. They kept a coffee shop at Chrisp Street, Poplar and in 1870 in Upper North Street, Poplar. Their income was also supplemented by John Stride continuing his trade as a carpenter. They moved themselves and the business to 178 Poplar High Street on April 2, 1871, and remained there until the business was taken over by John Dale in 1875. In March 1877, Liz Stride was admitted to the Poplar Workhouse, suggesting that the couple may had separated.
In 1878 the Princess Alice, a saloon steam ship collides with the steamer Bywell Castle in the Thames. There is a loss of 600-700 lives. Liz will claim that her husband and children were killed in this disaster and that her palate was injured by being kicked in the mouth while climbing the mast to escape. The post mortem report on her specifically states that there was no damage to either her hard or soft palate. It was less demeaning to lose her husband and two children in a tragedy than a failed marriage brought on by alcohol and financial failure; and it served to gain sympathy and charity from others, including the Swedish Church.
Census records from 1881 indicate that John and Elizabeth had reunited and lived together in the district of Bow (London borough of Tower Hamlets), but separated permanently by the end of that year.