Jana Duggar is a married woman! The former Counting On star, the eldest daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, married musician Stephen Wissmann in a "classic, elegant" wedding ceremony attended by 500 guests in Prairie Grove, Arkansas on Thursday, Aug. 15, Duggar calling it a "dream come true."
"I think it is one of those things that all girls envision someday," Duggar, 34, told PEOPLE . "For me, it felt like, 'Okay, it's never coming.' But now it's starting to sink in,'" she continued. "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."
Duggar and Wissmann man - one of 13 siblings and a member of The Wissmann Family gospel band - first met years ago and briefly dated before going their separate ways, though they continued to talk to each other "on and off." After Duggar's brother Jeremiah Duggar married Wissmann's sister Hannah Wissmann Duggar in 2022 , Duggar and Wissmann resparked romance.
"It was like, 'What are we doing? We still enjoy each other. We still really appreciate each other,'" Duggar recalled. "I had been a slower mover on it, but just over time, his character, his coming back, still loving me no matter what. It takes me a bit to open up, 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."
The couple sparked engagement rumors last month after Duggar was spotted with a ring on her ring finger during a trip to Charleston, South Carolina with her twin brother, John David, and his wife, Abbie. Although the couple kept mum on the rumors at the time, they confirmed to PEOPLE that they got engaged on June 15 and are now enjoying newlywed bliss after exchanging vows on Aug. 15.
The ceremony took place at The Grand at Willow Springs, with the 19 Kids and Counting alum's sister Jessa Duggar Seewald acting as the maid of honor. The pair's bridal party also included her sister-in-law, Abbie Duggar, and sisters Joy-Anna Forsyth, Johannah Duggar, Jinger Duggar Vuolo, and Jordyn Duggar. Duggar walked down the aisle to "Holy, Holy, Holy" in an off-the-shoulder ivory satin ball gown, which she described as feeling "classy and bit like princess. Her father walked her down the aisle. The bride said having both of their families there for the big day was important, telling the outlet, "coming from two bigger families, we love to be able to get together and celebrate moments like these. And so to have all of them there, it just means a lot."
Reflecting on her path to marriage - something that Duggar admitted was hard after having watched 11 of her 18 younger brothers and sisters exchange vows before her - Duggar said, "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. Each of our stories will be written differently. If we were all the exact same, it would be a boring life. So I think it's neat how God orchestrates."
Now married, the newlyweds are looking forward to enjoying life together. Duggar plans to move away from Arkansas and settle down with Wissmann in Nebraska. Of the big change, Duggar said, "it's great. 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."
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