Jill Duggar Doesn’t ‘Know’ Why She Wasn’t in Jana Duggar’s Wedding: ‘Always the Bride’s Decision’

Many Duggar fans were surprised to see that Jill Dillard (née Duggar) wasn’t included in sister Jana Duggar’s bridal party, and it turns out that she also doesn’t know why she wasn’t asked to be a bridesmaid.

After Jill, 33, took to Instagram on Tuesday, August 20, to share photos and videos from the wedding, one fan said she was “genuinely curious” about why Jana, 34, didn’t ask her to be in the bridal party.

“I don’t know, but it should always be the bride’s decision,” Jill told the fan, adding a pink heart emoji at the end of the comment.

Before Jill confirmed that she and husband Derick Dillard attended the wedding with the Instagram post, several fans were curious if they made the guest list after she was snubbed from the bridal party. Jana chose sister Jessa Seewald (née Duggar) to be her maid of honor, and her sisters Jinger Vuolo (née Duggar), Joy-Anna Forsyth (née Duggar), Johannah Duggar and Jordyn Duggar served as bridesmaids. Additionally, Jana’s sister-in-law Abbie Duggar was also a bridesmaid.

“She’s married! Congrats to my sister @janamduggar and her husband @stephenwissmann on their wedding last week,” Jill captioned a video that featured highlights from Jana’s wedding to Stephen Wissmann, which was held on August 15.

Fans were likely curious about Jill’s role in the wedding because she has had complicated relationships with the Duggars over the years.

She previously discussed her issues with her family members in the 2023 Amazon Prime docuseries Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets, as well as in her 2023 memoir, Counting the Cost.

While Jill wrote that she was hopeful she could reconcile with parents Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar in her book, she seemingly revealed that they’re on better terms after her parents attended a memorial service for her and Derick’s stillborn daughter in April.

Jill showed support for Jana after the eldest Duggar daughter secretly wed Stephen, 31, following a private engagement.

Prior to the big day, Jana told People that her wedding was “one of those things that all girls envision someday.”

“For me, it felt like, OK, it’s never coming.’ But now it’s starting to sink in. Reality is starting to set in,” she continued, referencing her decision to get married later than most of her siblings. “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.”

The former reality star then explained that she leaned on her faith when trying to find her forever partner. “I haven’t always understood what the bigger picture is, but I know that God knows what is best for all of us. And so for me, it’s getting married later,” she shared.

“I mean, I’ve watched all them walk through that, and then now me walking through this, and it is different, but we are older,” Jana said about her siblings. “We are in a different stage of life. We’re a little bit more established, so we’re a little bit more stubborn, but it’s good. We’re learning. We’re growing. And it’s been different, but it has been so sweet.”