Jana Duggar marries Stephen Wissmann in Arkansas wedding with 500 guests as bride gushes nuptials were ‘dream come true’
COUNTING On's Jana Duggar tied the knot with Stephen Wissman in a classic Arkansas wedding in front of 500 guests.
Their marriage comes after the couple's engagement of only two months, and the bride gushed that walking down the aisle was a "dream come true."
Jana, 24, and Stephen, 31, said "I do" at a Prairie Grove venue on Thursday, August 15.
She wore a stunning off-the-shoulder white gown that many fans thought was sexier than normally allowed in the modest family.
Speaking to People, Jana said she "never" thought the big day would come.
"I think it is one of those things that all girls envision someday," she told the outlet.
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"For me, it felt like, 'Okay, it's never coming.' 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,'" she continued.
"And just to see it coming about is incredible and kind of hard to believe. It's a dream come true."
Similar to Jana's large family, Stephen is one of 13 siblings, and having both families celebrate their love was important to the reality star.
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"Coming from two bigger families, we love to be able to get together and celebrate moments like these," she told the outlet.
"And so to have all of them there, it just means a lot."
Jana's sister Jessa Duggar Seewald was maid of honor, and bridesmaids included her sister-in-law, Abbie Duggar, and sisters Joy-Anna Forsyth, Jinger Duggar Vuolo, Johannah Duggar, and Jordyn Duggar.
Though they were once close, her sister Jill seemed to have been snubbed from the wedding party.
Jana and Stephen dated on and off for years but have kept their relationship private, including their engagement, which reportedly took place on June 15.
Just last week, fans speculated she was engaged after they spotted a diamond ring on her ring finger in a photo with her brother, John.
While they recently took their relationship to the next level, The U.S. Sun obtained documents that claimed the two had taken out a marriage license on Wednesday, August 14.
The documents listed the couple's personal information, including their names, ages, parents, and birthplaces.
LOVE OFF THE RADAR
In her interview with People, Jana revealed she'd known Stephen for over a decade, as the families were friends.
However, Stephen wasn't a love interest until years later, when they reconnected earlier this year.
"I remember them [The Wissman's] coming to our home, probably 13 or so years ago and they ended up getting snowed-in here, which hardly ever happens in Arkansas," Jana remembered.
"I don't really remember Stephen that well because I'm older than him and so he was not at all on my radar."
Duggar Family Tree
How many children and grandchildren do Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar have?
- Jim Bob and Michelle are parents to 19 children
- The couple has nine girls and 10 boys and all of their children have names that begin with the letter J
- Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn-Grace, and Josie, were all raised in the family home in Tontitown, Arkansas
However, the two eventually dated on and off, and when they finally rekindled, Jana remembered thinking, "What are we doing? We still enjoy each other. We still really appreciate each other."
She said opening up to Stephen took time, but she eventually warmed up to him.
"I had been a slower mover on it, but just over time, his character, his coming back, still loving me no matter what," she said.
"I know we have a big crazy family and still kind of putting 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.
"It takes me a bit to open up, but I think just his continuing to be there, no matter what, through ups and downs," she continued.
Speaking with the outlet, Jana shared that their next step will be to move to Nebraska to live with Stephen, revealing that they've bought a house together.
"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," she said.
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Jana was long labeled the "single sister" of the family, in which most of the siblings were married by their early 20s.
She lived with her parents Jim Bob and Michelle until just recently, when she moved to the backyard of the family's Arkansas compound.
