It’s official: Jana Duggar is a married woman.
News leaked on Thursday that Jana and family friend Stephen Wissmann had filed for— and received— a marriage license in Arkansas earlier this week. Hours later, People magazine confirmed that the former Counting On star and Stephen tied the knot on Thursday afternoon in front of a whopping 500 guests in Prairie Grove, Arkansas!
The article revealed all the details of Jana’s wedding, including a few that raised some eyebrows for fans.
Here, The Ashley breaks down some of the most-surprising things about Jana and Stephen’s wedding.
Introducing the new Mr. and Mrs. Wissmann! Congratulations Jana and Stephen! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/5uFgAUQ6vd
— Duggar Sisters (@DuggarSisters) August 16, 2024
Jana Confirmed The Internet Actually Got It Right Years Ago:
In an interview with People two days ago, Jana confirmed that the rumors that circulated a few years back– which stated that she had been dating Stephen— were, indeed, true. The couple dated, then broke up, but eventually found their way back to each other.
“[They] dated briefly before going their separate ways,” the article states. “Despite breaking things off, they remained in touch and ‘talked to each other on and off over the years.’ Around the same time, Jana’s brother Jeremiah Duggar married Wissmann’s sister Hannah. It wasn’t until earlier this year, when Jana and Wissmann reconnected again for a final time.”
Jana stated she was impressed that Stephen wasn’t scared off by her “big crazy family,” even though he had to put up “with a lot of things.”
“I’m like, my goodness, there are not too many people that do that. He must really, genuinely care about me,” Jana told the magazine.
Jana’s Sister Jill Duggar Dillard Wasn’t Part of the Bridal Party
When People posted a photo of Jana and Stephen (smooching!), surrounded by their bridesmaids and groomsmen, fans were quick to notice that one smiling Duggar mug was suspiciously missing from the photo. Jill— who made Jana her Maid of Honor at her 2014 wedding— not only missed out on the Maid of Honor role but apparently didn’t even make the cut to be a bridesmaid!
According to People, Jana chose her sister Jessa Seewald as her Maid of Honor, and had her sister-in-law Abbie Duggar and sisters Jinger Vuolo, Joy Forsyth, Johannah Duggar and even Jordyn Duggar as bridesmaids. (It is also interesting that Jana skipped over her 17-year-old sister Jennifer and chose 15-year-old Jordyn instead to be a bridesmaid.) The girls all wore champagne-colored gowns.
It is unknown if Jill— who has been estranged from her father Jim Bob Duggar for several years and recently strained relations with the Duggars even more by publishing a tell-all book— was one of 500 guests who attended the wedding. Jana did tell People that it meant a lot to her and Stephen to have both of their big families there. (Stephen is one of 13 kids.)
Jana & Stephen Allowed DANCING At Their Wedding
According to People, Jana and Stephen had a “first dance” following the wedding party toasts. As ‘Counting On’ fans know, the Duggars have been outspoken against dancing. In a 2014 interview with E! Online, Michelle Duggar stated that dancing encourages “sensual” feelings. Jim Bob has been quoted as saying his family does not believe in “shaking body parts” around and drawing attention to their bodies by dancing.
In her tell-all book, Jill wrote that dancing was strictly forbidden in their house growing up; however, the kids were allowed to “jump for joy,” but would quickly have their moves shut down if they resembled dancing.
In recent years, though, a few of the Duggar siblings have been seen dancing publicly.
Jana— And Some of the Other Duggar Gals— Showed Some Skin
Although the older Duggar girls have relaxed on their parents’ strict dress code somewhat— with most of them now wearing pants—it’s still somewhat surprising that Jana sported an off-the-shoulder gown for her wedding day. Her ivory dress showed off plenty of shoulder and collar bone— two areas of the body Jana rarely exposes.
Jana wasn’t the only Duggar to wear a “risqué” (by Fundie standards, anyway) dress. Joy also sported an off-the-shoulder bridesmaid gown.
Jana is (finally) getting off the Duggar Compound
Jana— who, at 34, is by far the oldest Duggar kid to get hitched— told People that she is leaving Arkansas and moving to Nebraska after the wedding. The Wissmanns are from Nebraska, and Stephen works in his family’s business there. According to Jana— who has lived at home her whole life— she and Stephen bought a fixer-upper house in Nebraska for them to live in. (Jana recently revealed that she moved into her own “tiny house” a few years back; however, the house is in the backyard of her parents’ home.)
“It’s great. We’ve been working, he has a little house we bought that we’ve been fixing up and getting pulled together, and so that’s been fun,” Jana told People.
Jana admitted to the magazine that she often felt like she would never get the wedding and marriage she dreamed off, and that watching her younger siblings get married off before her was hard.
“For me, it felt like, ‘Okay, it’s never coming,'” Jana said of her wedding. “But now it’s starting to sink in. Reality is starting to set in. And I’m like, ‘Wow, this truly is something that I’ve dreamed of.’ And just to see it coming about is incredible and kind of hard to believe. It’s a dream come true.”
She even thought something was “wrong with her” because she hadn’t found the right person to marry.
“I’m just like, ‘What is it? Is it me? Do I have a problem?’ I know I’ve prayed for this for years and years and definitely been like, ‘What’s the matter? Why can’t I just…’ all of my siblings, most of them have been married in their early 20s,” Jana said. “By far, I am the oldest. So, it has been disheartening at times.”
Jana Planned Her Entire 500-Guest Wedding in Exactly Two Months…And Nobody Blabbed About It
According to People, Jana and Stephen became engaged on June 15, which means they planned the 500-guest wedding in only two months. The nuptials took place at The Grand at Willow Springs event center. Other than a cryptic Instagram Story posted by the venue on Thursday, not one guest or vendor appeared to spill the beans about the nuptials.
After the People magazine spread was posted, though, members of the family posted photos from the wedding.
See more video and photos from Jana and Stephen’s wedding below!
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RELATED STORY: Confirmed! Former ‘Counting On’ Star Jana Duggar Is About to Marry Stephen Wissmann: Get Details
(Photos: YouTube, Instagram; TLC)
30 Responses
Jana & Jessa have always been my favorites. Jana has been a loyal & dedicated person to her family. She being the oldest girl she had many hats to wear & many shoes to fill. When I think of Jana I think we’ll done my good & faithful servants. She deserves the best. I pray that her husband will treat her as gold. Much love to both of you!
Yup so beautiful human not baby machine
I am so happy for her!
I was holding out hope that she was gay, but good for them! They are very cute
I hope and pray that Jana has a lifetime of happiness with her new husband. That she is valued and loved , and she has many years to have the time of her life without being the servant , the mommy , the nanny , the gardener , the help. I hope she doesn’t start shooting babies out of her birth canal one after another because she has already raised enough. She looked stunning! Good for her for doing her wedding and reception her way! Give em hell Jana!
In my opinion she got the cutest husband too.
I hope her new husband is nothing like her father and actually let’s her be. And I also hope that she gets to spend actual quality time with him before starting to pop out one kid after the other like her sisters and sisters in law
Good for her! Wish them the best.
I wish her well! I really hope she’s not jumping from the frying pan into the fire!!
I hope this is actually what she wants. I thought Jana would be the one to escape the cult without having to get married but I guess not. I know her now husband has expressed some pretty horrible views in the past. Hopefully, he has grown up since then. I wish them well.
Out of curiosity, what horrible views did he express in the past? Along the lines of what some of the others in that cult have stated?
Good for her! Wish her all the happiness.
Sooooo Jeremiah’s wife Hannah and Jana’s husband Stephen are brother and sister…does anyone find that a little weird?
I think it’s more interesting than weird. It’s actually not that uncommon, I know some couples like that and I’ve read articles about twin sets marrying other twin sets. Where they both (and other family spouses) come from such large families and marry to similar religious beliefs I’d be more surprised if this didn’t happen somewhere along the way lol.
Okay, its just that the whole concept of just being brother and sister one minute then also being brother/sister in law the next just seems strange!!!
I’m the genealogist for a small, rural county, and it’s definitely common here, even in my own family! my great-grandparents were from a set of 3 brothers who married 3 sisters. my great-grandma was the last surviving and she’s been gone since 1982….but the descendants of those 3 couples still have reunions and it’s great! Stephen and Jana’s kids will be double first cousins with Jeremiah and Hannah’s kids, and that will be a special bond for them to share in a huge sea of other first cousins.
My grandma’s sister married my grandpa’s brother, and my grandpa’s other brother married my grandma’s cousin. My cousin and I have ex-husbands that are each other’s cousins. This type of thing is really common in rural communities because there’s 1) there’s only so many people to choose from to begin with, 2) if somebody’s married into your family, you tend to spend more time with their family and get to know them well and feel safer marrying into their family 3) cuts down on the in-laws and makes for a closer-knit family.
I’m not saying it’s wrong…I just think it’s odd…like how would a person keep their relationships straight?
Like in this instance, Jana is not only Jeremiah’s sister but she is his sister in law now as well.
Just seems odd…but at least their aren’t intermingling the blood line like some of these polygamist sects do.
They’ll just use their closest relation: brother and sister. No need to really ever mention the in-law part.
My cousin and I once made an elaborate color-coded chart with all of the double relations in our family (there’s a lot more than what I mentioned). That was just for fun though.
My friend has a now-adult son, from whose dad she split when she was pregnant (nothing nefarious, they just weren’t good together). Her ex/her son’s father ended up marrying my friend’s second cousin a few years later. My friend used to joke that her son was his own cousin because of this. 😂
Not at all.
@just ~ agree 💯. not weird, esp not in these fundie fams where there are (weird) ‘standards’ to uphold.
(also, on RHoNJ 🇮🇹 there were sisters married to brothers, although one couple has since divorced)
Again, weird/odd…not weird/ewww.
I’m not saying it’s wrong, it’s just not an avenue I’d be willing
to explore…being married to a relative (whether it’s someone who is a full-blooded relative, a half, step, or in law doesn’t sound appropriate.
I’m not dissing those that live this way, it’s just not for me
Not strange at all!!
My parents both come from very large families (8 & 9 siblings)
My mom’s brother ended up marrying my dad’s sister. (We’re from a city close to Boston Ma.)
We call my cousins from that marriage our “double cousins”
It was great being so close to them and sharing all the holidays & celebrations on both sides of our family together.
My “double cousin” was kind enough to gift me her eggs when I found I couldn’t get pregnant and my child luckily has the same exact family background as me because my cousin & I share the same 2 families.
What a blessing!
Oh Jana! You finally got the wedding of your dreams! Plus, he’s cute! (cuter than any other Duggar girl husband, that’s for sure) I wonder if any of the younger Wissmans will marry any of the younger Duggars in the future too now that two of them are hitched! I wish her nothing but happiness, she was putting up with a lot in her own family, she deserves it! (Also love her rebelling against not showing shoulders and allowing dancing…Stephen sounds like a relaxed dude who doesn’t care about any stupid standards her family taught her!)
I hope they will be happy! LOVE her dress.
She is so beautiful. Her dress was perfect. She was glowing. Shine on Jana I love you.