Jill Dillard Left Out of Jana Duggar’s Wedding Party
Jana Duggar shocked Duggar family followers on Aug. 15 when she wed Stephen Wissmann at an evening ceremony. Jana, 34, is the eldest daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and watched 9 of her younger siblings and her twin brother walk down the aisle before her. Now that the secret is out, details of the big event are slowly being released. Jana Duggar’s wedding party attendants are a bit surprising; Jill Dillard appears to have been left out. Duggar family followers think Jana is sending a message.
Jana Duggar snubs Jill Dillard at surprise wedding
Jana welcomed Jessa Seewald, Jinger Vuolo, Joy-Anna Forsyth, Johannah Duggar, and Jordyn Duggar as members of her wedding party. She even included her sister-in-law, Abbie Burnett, in the festivities. While Jana told People that she and Stephen Wissmann wanted to include the whole family in their big day, she left out a few of her sisters. Jill Dillard was suspiciously skipped over for the honor. It might have been difficult to include every member of the supersized family in the event, but Jill and Jana were once close. In fact, Jana served as Jill’s maid of honor in 2014 when she married Derick Dillard.
Duggar family followers suspect the snub might be a statement. Jill Dillard’s scathing memoir Counting the Cost chronicled a difficult period between the Dillards and her parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. In one section of the book, Jill revealed that Jim Bob had pitted her siblings against her and Derick Dillard. She noted that some of her siblings understood her stance, while others had largely iced her out. Jill was careful not to name any names, but family followers largely suspect Jana is one of the siblings who opted not to maintain a relationship with the Dillards.
Jill wasn’t the only Duggar daughter left out, though. While Jill’s absence was most suspicious, Jennifer Duggar and Josie Duggar were not tasked with wedding party jobs.
It is unclear if Jill and Derick Dillard attended the wedding as guests. Jill Dillard shared a link to People’s event coverage on her Instagram stories. Still, she did not upload a photo of herself at the event. Several other Duggar family members have uploaded snapshots from the evening.
Who was Jana Duggar’s maid of honor?
When they were kids, Jana Duggar and Jill Dillard were close. Jana served as Jill’s maid of honor and was present when Jill went into labor twice. Without Jill in the picture, who exactly served as Jana’s maid of honor? In a somewhat surprising twist, Jessa Seewald was honored with the job.
Jana and Jessa had a somewhat strained relationship as children and didn’t bother much with each other as young adults. While Jana was involved in Jessa’s wedding, she did not serve as her maid of honor. Jessa Seewald married Ben Seewald in 2014 and chose Jinger Vuolo as her maid of honor. When Jinger married Jeremy Vuolo in 2016, she returned the favor.
