Looking Back at All the Duggar Family Weddings
Weddings are a big deal in any family, but especially so for the Duggars. In this conservative clan, getting married is a sign that you’re finally ready to begin life as an adult. Before getting hitched, Duggar kids live at home, where they’re subject to their parent’s rules. Perhaps it’s no wonder that many of Jim Bob and Michelle’s 19 children have said ‘I do’ a fairly young age, at least by today’s standards, After all, it’s their only path to independence.
So far, seven of the 19 Duggar kids have walked down the aisle. And this reality TV family has some unique wedding traditions — like saving the first kiss for the wedding day — which fans of 19 Kids and Counting and its spinoff Counting On have seen play out on television.
Josh Duggar and Anna Keller
Josh, the oldest Duggar kid, was also the first to get married. He and Anna Keller married Sept. 26, 2008, when both were 20 years old. In what would soon become a Duggar family tradition, the couple’s nuptials were broadcast on television. By Duggar standards, it was a relatively small affair, with about 300 guests.
The marriage has produced six kids. The couple has also endured plenty of controversy, including accusations that Josh molested several of his sisters and the revelation that the supposedly God-fearing family had an account on cheating website Ashley Madison.
Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard
After Josh’s wedding, it took almost six more years for another Duggar to walk down the aisle. His younger sister Jill married Derick Dillard on June 21, 2014. The bride was 23 and the groom was 25. More than 1,000 guests attended the event at Cross Church in Springdale, Arkansas. (You can watch their entire ceremony on Jill and Derick’s YouTube channel.) And if you’re wondering how they fed all those guests, well, Duggars don’t do traditional sit-down receptions with a full meal. Instead, guests snacked on cupcakes, chocolate-chip cookies, and root beer floats.
Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald
A few months after she was a bridesmaid in her sister’s wedding, Jessa, then 21, also said ‘I do.’ She married 19-year-old Ben Seewald on Nov. 1, 2014. The bride wore a blush-colored, cap-sleeve gown for her big day at the First Baptist Church in Bentonville, Arkansas. While the couple got married in front of a big crowd, they opted to keep their first-ever kiss private.
Jinger Duggar and Jeremy Vuolo
After Jessa’s wedding, it was two years before another member of the family got married. On Nov. 5, 2016, Jinger Duggar, 22, married pro soccer player Jeremy Vuolo at the Cathedral of the Ozarks in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Her fit-for-a-princess dress included a 13-foot train and hand-beading. Her father-in-law Chuck Vuolo officiated the ceremony.
Joy-Anna Duggar and Austin Forsyth
Joy-Anna Duggar was just 19 when she married Austin Forsyth on May 26, 2017, at Cross Church in Rogers, Arkansas. Like her siblings, she had a big wedding party, with both her sisters and sisters-in-law serving as bridesmaids. Her dress incorporated pieces of both her mom’s and her mother-in-law’s wedding dresses, according to People. That’s another Duggar tradition.
Joseph Duggar and Kendra Caldwell
A few months after Joy-Anna’s wedding, her brother Joseph Duggar also tied the knot. He married Kendra Caldwell on Sept. 8, 2017. The groom was 23 and the bride was 19. Her father, a pastor, officiated and the couple were supported by a wedding party of 22, which included Kendra’s mom as well as seven of Joseph’s sisters.
Josiah Duggar and Lauren Swanson
Josiah Duggar, 21, and Lauren Swanson, 19, married on June 30, 2018, at the Cathedral of the Ozarks — just like Josiah’s big sister Jinger. Afterward, the happy couple jetted off to Europe, where they enjoyed a honeymoon in Vienna.
John-David Duggar and Abbie Grace Burnett
The most recent Duggar wedding happened on Nov. 3, 2018, when John-David Duggar married Abbie Grace Burnett. This couple bucked the family trend a bit by waiting until they were in their mid-twenties to wed. He was 28 and she was 26.
