After weeks of rumors, Jana Duggar is speaking out.
Fans of the Duggar family and their former reality TV show “19 Kids and Counting” began to speculate in July if Jana, 34, was officially engaged to be married. Those rumors grew when Jana shared a photo on her Instagram feed that seemed to show a ring on that finger.
Now, Jana has revealed that in front of 500 people, she and her now husband Stephen Wissman have said “I do” to forever.
In an interview with People published Aug. 16, Jana opened up about her wedding and her quest to find love. The second oldest of 19 siblings, Jana’s relationship status has been scrutinized for much of her life.
Jana admitted to People that watching 11 of her siblings get married before her was “disheartening” at times. “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,” she says. “By far, I am the oldest.”
But despite feeling like her day was “never coming,” it all started to sink in about two days before their wedding. “I think it is one of those things that all girls envision someday. […] 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.”
Jana said she hasn’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 and Wissman have known each other for more than a decade. In fact, her brother, Jeremiah and Wissman’s sister, Hannah are husband and wife.
Jana and Wissman dated years ago before eventually going their separate ways, she told People. However, the two remained in contact despite no longer being romantically involved.
It wasn’t until earlier this year that Jana said she and Wissman finally sat down to figure out what they wanted. “It was like, ‘What are we doing? We still enjoy each other. We still really appreciate each other.’”
Jana admitted that she was the one that “had been a slower mover on it, but just over time, his character, his coming back, still loving me no matter what” really solidified to her that he was the one she was supposed to be with.
“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,” she recalled.
“It takes me a bit to open up,” she explained to People, “but I think just his continuing to be there, no matter what, through ups and downs. He’s been a good friend over the years and has not pressured me in a lot of ways.”
Now, Jana has moved to Nebraska where they are fixing up a house together.
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