The Duggars are preparing for yet another wedding!
John-David Duggar announced on Wednesday that he is engaged to Abbie Burnett, the girl he has been courting for one month!
(This may be a new record for the shortest Duggar kid courtship ever!)
In a new video posted by TLC, John and Abbie gleefully announce their engagement.
“So, I have some news…yup, it’s official: we are engaged!” John-David proudly proclaims in the video as Abbie shows off her ring and giggles.
Since they just married off Josiah Duggar, it’s about time for ol’ Jim Bob and Michelle to have another one of their 19 children prepare to tie the knot. (The new season of Counting On is about to premiere, after all…)
According to TLC, John took Abbie to an old-fashioned airplane hanger to make his proposal, in a nod to his love of airplanes and side job as the Duggar Family Pilot. The couple later posed for engagement photos inside the hanger and outside on the runway.
John explained why engagement is a much bigger deal than courtship.
“Engagement is very different from a courtship because engagements actually says, ‘OK, I’m committed to this person, to marriage, for life,” he added. “A courtship is more of getting to know this person with the idea of a possibility of marriage. But now it’s actually that commitment towards marriage.”
When they announced their courtship last month, the couple explained how they met.
“We’ve known of each other for several years,” John-David said in a video posted to the Duggar Family website. “We fell in love very quickly and it’s been a wonderful journey thus far.”
“John flew in for a church event here in Oklahoma where I’m from,” Abbie said in the video. “We really got connected then…. it’s taken a lot of prayer, a lot of counsel, a lot of time together [to] decide to move on into courtship.”
As The Ashley previously reported, John’s bride-to-be is not the standard “teenaged and quiet” gal the Duggar boys tend to marry. Abbie is 26 and has had a years-long career in nursing. (She’s a registered Long-Term Care Aid and Licensed Practical Nurse.) She does, however, come from a large religious family like the Duggars. (She is one of eight siblings.)
In the new video, John says that he wanted to propose even earlier (is that even possible?) but he needed time to plan out a special proposal [for the cameras].
“We’ve been ready for this step for a little while, but I had a lot of things I wanted to get done to make it really special,” he said. “I don’t know if I succeeded or not but it was a lot of things.”
“He succeeded!” Abbie finally chimes in. “We are looking forward to planning a wedding so that we can get married.”
Jim Bob and Michelle posted a message about the engagement on the family’s official website.
“We are thrilled to announce the engagement of John-David and Abbie!” they wrote. “They are a wonderful match and make a beautiful couple! Abbie is a lovely young woman, full of tenderness and compassion. She has a deep love for the Lord and we are so delighted that John-David has asked her to be his wife! We love weddings in this family and can’t wait for this next one!”
John-David lets his new fiancé do the pitch to watch them on the upcoming new season of ‘Counting On,’ which premieres on July 30.
With John-David preparing for marriage, that leaves only four Duggar offspring who are over 18 and unmarried. They are John’s twin sister Jana (who is 28); twins Jeremiah and Jedidiah (who are 19); and Jason (who is 18).
Watch John-David and Abbie discuss their engagement in the video below:
RELATED STORY: Here’s What We Can Expect From the Upcoming New Season of ‘Counting On’
(Photos: TLC, Instagram)
21 Responses
Congratulations, Abbie and John-David!
Anyone else think they look alike?
I wish Jana would just stand up and say FUCK THIS SHIT IM OUT and leave that cult. I would love it if she went to college, got her own apartment and few tattoos and posted pics of her having a cocktail with friends LOL anything to set JB off
This is the only engagement I can support. Considering their age, I don’t think they will have a shit ton of children (also by preventing, they both seem smart enough) even if they have their first one right away, just look at Joy, she “beat” her brother by almost 10 years! Who knows how many kids will she have by the time she is 28. (which is sad) They both have jobs (even if inevitably they will make her quit, she did have it in contrary to Duggar girls and Kendra/Anna tho), are stable enough, also financially he is able to support his family, I don’t see a problem even if it is fast, the only problem I see is his twin sister will now REALLY have no one of her own age to talk to at home, her brothers are almost 10 years younger! I HOPE by the end of the year (or latest next year) she finds a mainstream Jeremy type of man. (And no, I don’t mean his bro, lol)
I hope JD lets her work. That’s a lot of good education, and a very admirable procession. JD seems like the type who wouldn’t care about keeping her barefoot and pregnant.
I’m not hating this Duggar engagement. John-David was already 28 and not living in the Duggar home. I feel like maybe they timeline the public (& his family) was given was not completely true. This is totally my opinion but I could see him “courting” her for a while now without letting anyone really know about it. Since he’s not living at home they can’t monitor his every move. Also I ove that she’s actually been an adult for more than 6mos-1yr and she has a job. I wish them the best.
Actually, this is incorrect. John owns a few homes, yes, but h as still living on the Dugga compound. None of the children live outside the home before marriage.
Actually, this is incorrect. John owns a few homes, yes, but h as still living on the Dugga compound. None of the children live outside the home before marriage.
Yes, it might be fast, but those eggs aren’t getting any fresher you know.
I personally am suspicious of all charismatic christian churches, but it absolutely is possible to be a fundamentalist christian who is not a part of the quiverfull/ATI extreme Christian patriarchy movement. I think Jinger’s husband’s church could end up going either way depending on if he gets more praise from traditionalists or reform-ish evangelicals. He might end up being basically Bill Gothard with a different style preference for women.
“It is your liberty as to whether you dress modestly with a modest pair of pants, or with a skirt, or with a T-shirt, or with a blouse,” – Reformish
“It is not your liberty, women, to wear sensual, seductive clothing that is designed to draw the attention of your brothers,” – ATI by a different name
Congratulations, he seems like he picked the right gal. At least she went to college and has a normal life. I hope people don’t hound her when she retires from nursing to be a mother, all of the Duggars bothers wives never lived there life to the fullest and they pop out babies before there first wedding anniversary. I am praying that if John David has kids he will let them go to college( and a normal one) regardless of gender. She is 26, and a medical professional so I think she will have a big family but not put her life in danger. I also hope Jinger will let her little one go to school and live in a big city a dream she had for herself when she was a teenager.
Oh come on, if they were really only courting a month then how do they have a side hug pic of them at a razorbacks game (I.e. last fall) duhhhh this all just part of the Duggar Marriage Machine, they all have to take a number.
It was a Razorbacks baseball game and the college world series just ended in June.
Maybe since they are older they don’t have to follow the side hug hand holding rules. He lives on his own so they probably don’t have a chaperone when going on dates either. Just my guess.
At least the girl actually looks happy about it.
The sad thing about the Duggar kids is that a lot of them (not Josh) would probably be nice people if they weren’t brainwashed by their parents and the Goddards. Hope they’re happy and John David lets her have some control over her life.
Evidently they have been spotted out and about (without chaperone) for quiet awhile but weren’t necessarily pressed to make the announcement to the world. They might actually not care about the difference between the “getting to know someone” stage and the “courting” stage.
Without chaperone? Are you sure that’s true? If so it would be all over the internet.
He seems like the male Jinger in the family, plus they are not hormonal teenagers or in there early 20’s. She went to a mainstream college, he probably wants a semi normal life which is possible when you are a Christian. I am so happy he put his foot down and said he would like to get to know Abbie without someone just breathing down his back, hooray for the second normal Duggar couple. Jinger used her marriage to get out of that crazy household and he found a man who also has a normal life before marrying Jinger.
poor jana-get working on those bridesmaids dresses-and be prepared for the inevitable’when you getting hitched’ questions.