Jana and Stephen 17: Married August 15

[Sops2]

After reading the wording on the wedding dress alteration post, I'm wondering if Jana had another dress- perhaps a more modest one she chose after wedding dress shopping with Michelle- one that was perhaps with a higher neckline, with sleeves and a bit more coverage. Perhaps even from Mis Renee. One that would conform to the kind of dress her dad expected her to wear

 

Then the day before, she suddenly thought  " Sod this, I'm going to wear the dress I want, not the one my mom likes" and went back to a dress shop where she had seen one that she really loved.

That would explain the off the peg, store sample needing to be altered in a day.

It would be wonderful if this were true!

[LongTimeLurkerOG]

That's the longest registry I have ever seen! Omfg

BEC, but ya don't need a "meat chopper"! Just use the spatula or spoon, whatever lol I have a sh* ton of kitchen stuff but c'mon there really is a limit to what you need and as much as Alton Brown kinda sucks now, try not to get a lot of single use type things or appliances. Cooking/baking, tools, space for visitors, home reno, and camping... That's the gist of their list. My still feverish brain...

(*sick most of the day is what yesterday's post should've said and still so kinda ugh!)

... it's also a pain in the ass to pack, move, unpack, and arrange kitchen stuff lol many times... but that and books lol #priorities LOL 

The venue looks striking IMO, in a good way. I like the black and white. 

2 hours ago, fish_ca said:

I found the shoes in the mirror. Not my favourite, but I am not surprised. 

Seems odd, esp as people have mentioned, since Jana is so organized. (my phone just auto popped orgy wtf lol) 

I wonder why she didn't even have the first fitting until the day before? Strange. 

Like a "very special, frantic can they do it" episode of sytd or sytd: Atlanta LOL 

Edited August 17 by LongTimeLurkerOG

[Cheetah]

Several thoughts/ questions, not really connected to each other:

I'm glad Jana got married before the lost girls started, since she did actually want to get married.  

I clearly am not reading the Duggar threads as much as I used to... I've totally lost track of how many kids most of them have and have no idea about names of some of the littlest ones.

Here's the question - Jason is courting someone, yes?  Have they announced an engagement?  

[xenobia]

11 minutes ago, Cheetah said:

Here's the question - Jason is courting someone, yes?  Have they announced an engagement?  

Yes. Her name is Maddie Jones. He has photos with her on his IG. I would guess they are pretty serious. She was invited to the wedding as well.

[moreorlessnu]

The People article (https://people.com/jana-duggar-on-how-she-knew-husband-stephen-wissmann-was-the-one-exclusive-8695284) incorrectly lists her as the eldest child of Michelle and Jim-Bob:

"I think it's just been over time, his character, his coming back, still loving me no matter what," Jana, the eldest child of Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar, says.

Was that a typo that was meant to be "eldest daughter"? Was that intentional in that Josh is no longer counted as one of the kids?

[Mama Mia]

13 hours ago, Adrienne83 said:

Does all this seem fake to anyone else? Like they just got married because they’re “old” or something along those lines? Maybe it’s because in a way this came out of nowhere. 

That being said, Jana doesn’t owe me any explanation or anything like that. I genuinely hope that she’s happy and in love, and this lasts a lifetime. Everything about her wedding was beautiful.

Maybe I’m feeling this way because it was so normal looking? I might be programmed to equate fundy weddings with 😬, lol. 

I think it might just be a personality plus maturity thing.  She seems like a guarded introvert who didn’t feel a burning need to rush into marriage with the first hot guy who gave her googly eyes. It sounds like she very much WANTED marriage and babies, but not enough to do something impulsive that she might regret later. I think she found someone steady she felt comfortable with and thinks is attractive, and being someone who loves to design and plan and is also private - she’s gushing more about the wedding details than what makes her knees go weak. Really, she was much more open about what had her waiting so long and her feelings than what I would of expected.

[Mama Mia]

14 hours ago, AussieKrissy said:

Jessa looks way better in these pics. The dress doesn’t look bad on her. Still not her best colour but not as bad as the action shot. To be fair not many can nail an action shot. Usain Bolt rocks an action shot lol

 

Wild the difference in the photos of Jessa’s dress! Every group shot of me would 100% be the least flattering possible. 

[RebeccaRay]

9 hours ago, livinginthelight said:

Wait.... Why is JimBob walking behind Michelle as she's being seated? He's the father of the bride. Did he not walk Jana down the aisle? Do I dare hope that, at 34 years old, she doesn't see herself as property to be given away?

This photo isn't from Jana's wedding. There hasn't been any photos of Jim Bob yet. 

[viii]

2 hours ago, LongTimeLurkerOG said:

BEC, but ya don't need a "meat chopper"! Just use the spatula or spoon, whatever lol I have a sh* ton of kitchen stuff but c'mon there really is a limit to what you need and as much as Alton Brown kinda sucks now, try not to get a lot of single use type things or appliances. 

I beg to differ. My pampered chef meat chopper is one of my most used kitchen items. I use it for browning ground meat, scrambled eggs, tomatoes for sauces, etc. Sure a spatula or spoon would work but it’s a neat utensil. 

[libgirl2]

30 minutes ago, viii said:

I beg to differ. My pampered chef meat chopper is one of my most used kitchen items. I use it for browning ground meat, scrambled eggs, tomatoes for sauces, etc. Sure a spatula or spoon would work but it’s a neat utensil. 

I have one too and I love it! 

[Jinder Roles]

It’s kind of amazing how accurate some of y’all are in knowing Jana and Stephen courted, broke up and we’re probably getting married.

I wonder if Jill just isn’t in the photos due to contract or actually didn’t attend. 
 

I really like the dress and the very elegant and simple decor. I wish she pinned back her hair and maybe had a horsetail veil instead of one with no piping for a little more pizazz.

But the wedding seems in like with her overall style. 

[ifosterkittens]

I think I said this before, but I suspected Jana wanted to get married but had to feel 100% confident she knew the man she was marrying was a good kind person and whatever her criteria were. If she wasn't totally sure she would rather remain single. 

I suspect Jana had a fair amount of insight into the whole Josh situation as it unfolded and how it was handled (probably from eavesdropping, doubt she was looped in), and I wonder if she heard or overheard about other issues with teen boys doing something wrong, and seeing how it was handled, brushed under the rug, and thinking well I surely don't want to end up with one of those guys. Jana may have also heard from friends/acquaintances that marriage wasn't always as easy/smooth/happy as it was portrayed. If any of that is true, I imagine Jana was more logical in her approach and less lust driven, less willing to just accept a nice suitor just for the sake of marriage. She believes marriage is a lifelong commitment, there is no divorce (maybe she'd make a few exceptions in extreme circumstances), and she took the covenant seriously and made sure she was certain the guy was the one. 

In 20 years from now chances are a few of the fundie families we follow: Duggars, Bates, Rods etc will result in a few divorces. We'll have adults admitting they thought they were in love and ready for marriage, and thought they knew the person they courted, and eventually learned wow we didn't really know each other that well when we got married, and we weren't that compatible. At the time they believed what they had been taught, they just believed what their parents believes, and with a lack of any experiences to challenge it that seemed like the right way, but with time they've come to see there are other ways to do things, other ways to believe. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

9 minutes ago, ifosterkittens said:

I think I said this before, but I suspected Jana wanted to get married but had to feel 100% confident she knew the man she was marrying was a good kind person and whatever her criteria were. If she wasn't totally sure she would rather remain single. 

I suspect Jana had a fair amount of insight into the whole Josh situation as it unfolded and how it was handled (probably from eavesdropping, doubt she was looped in), and I wonder if she heard or overheard about other issues with teen boys doing something wrong, and seeing how it was handled, brushed under the rug, and thinking well I surely don't want to end up with one of those guys. Jana may have also heard from friends/acquaintances that marriage wasn't always as easy/smooth/happy as it was portrayed. If any of that is true, I imagine Jana was more logical in her approach and less lust driven, less willing to just accept a nice suitor just for the sake of marriage. She believes marriage is a lifelong commitment, there is no divorce (maybe she'd make a few exceptions in extreme circumstances), and she took the covenant seriously and made sure she was certain the guy was the one. 

In 20 years from now chances are a few of the fundie families we follow: Duggars, Bates, Rods etc will result in a few divorces. We'll have adults admitting they thought they were in love and ready for marriage, and thought they knew the person they courted, and eventually learned wow we didn't really know each other that well when we got married, and we weren't that compatible. At the time they believed what they had been taught, they just believed what their parents believes, and with a lack of any experiences to challenge it that seemed like the right way, but with time they've come to see there are other ways to do things, other ways to believe. 

There will definitely be divorces in the Duggar and Bates families. Fundies like to act like they don’t get divorced but they absolutely do. If you choose to have 19 kids and push young marriage, you will have multiple children who end up divorcing. Fundies just need to accept this as fact and mentally prepare for it. Because you can’t force two adults to stay married. 

[ifosterkittens]

I can't remember the content creator, or I would give her credit, but she said a lot of the kitchen tools that seem to have one purpose that could be done by another tool were likely created to make food preparation more accessible. I think an avocado slicer device was the example, and someone said you can do this with a knife, and while that might work for some people, the avocado slicer may make it easier/safer/ possible for someone with mobility issues. 

On the My Favorite Murder podcast one of the hosts commented why did their new microwave come with an app they could put on their phone (or something to that extent), and a listener wrote in and said it was for accessibility. Someone may use a specific device (phone, tablet, etc), and if they can put that app on their device, they can use the microwave in a way that works for them. 

I live with chronic pain. The meat chopper makes my life easier when doing food preparation, I find it an easier tool to use than a spatula, and initially I found that a little embarrassing to admit, but it's a fact of life. Life is hard enough, tools/devices that make life easier are a win in my book. 

[browngrl]

My two cents: 

1. lovely wedding venue, lovely cake, lovely dress, lovely bride - I'd make minor changes but overall I approve of the looks. 

2. I am glad Jana did not gush on about being with her "best friend". Her responses in the people article were more measured and reasonable. I suspect these changes are because she is older and more mature. So many fundie brides are very young and naive. 

3. 500 guests kept their mouths shut - that is some loyalty Jana and Stephan have built up to ensure this.

4. The Wissman's are great cooks and they took charge of the catering - I wish I could find some photos of the meal.

5. Where is the honeymoon. Inquiring minds want to know. 

6. With Jana's wedding it seems like the final door closed on an era. She's the last of the women I followed from way back in the day to get married. NGL I'm feeling a bit conflicted. Happy for Jana but OMG how many years and fundie happenings have passed since I started following the fundies.

 

[indianabones]

1 hour ago, Jinder Roles said:

I wonder if Jill just isn’t in the photos due to contract or actually didn’t attend. 

I'm assuming they took pictures of the entire family, and then photos of all the siblings. There's probably someone courting or someone who is pregnant but doesn't want it made public.

Also, three of the Duggar kids (Jill, Jinger, and Josiah) are no longer posting public photos of their kids' faces and may have made it clear that those pictures needed to stay private.

[xenobia]

OK, since I counted the Duggar people, here's a try with the Wissman clan: 

Spoiler

Loren&Gloria (Stephens parents)

Rachel&Alan + 3 kids (they have 4 kids according to Fundie wiki)

Ruth&Ryan + 4 kids. (they have 5 kids according to Fundie wiki). Only Ruth + one kid attended.

Josiah&Abi + 4 kids 

(Paul&Mrs Rehm that could be related to Abi, not counting them)

Bethany&Dan + 5 kids

(+3 Beasleys that could be related to Dan, not counting them)

Andrew&Kori + 2 kids

(+5 Knuth that could be related to Kori, not counting them)

Elizabeth

Matthias&Michelle + 3 kids

Mike&Chris Kingery (Michelles parents)

Hannah&Jer + 2 kids (also included in Duggar family, not counting them here)

Susanna&Drew + 1 kid (invited without kid, but they have one born in March)

Alaythia

Nathanael&Katrina + 1 kid

(Samuel&Melissa Sahlstrom + 4 kids.. I think Samuel could be Katrinas brother)

Charissa

That is at lest 42 Wissman-related people, probably closer to 50. 

I also counted at least 27 Bates-related people. So just the Duggars, Wissmans and Bates = around 170-200 people. 

 

[Baba O'Riley]

2 hours ago, RebeccaRay said:

This photo isn't from Jana's wedding. There hasn't been any photos of Jim Bob yet. 

Maybe he stayed in the car, heartbroken and crying because he is losing his best unpaid employee.

My speculation as to why Jana broke things off with Stephen and then allowed the relationship to be rekindled mirrors many of yours.  She mentions the craziness that was going on back then.  I think she is definitely alluding to the Josh mess.  I think she didn't want to leave the lost girls and move to Nebraska while they were at such a vulnerable age. She ran that household and was the de facto mother to those girls.   Now that the youngest lost girl is approaching her middle teens and Johannah is 18, she feels it is time to think of herself and her own happiness. If she was also involved in the care of feeding of Anna's brood, the sister moms in that family are old enough to take over.  I'm glad that Stephen waited for her. 

[Giraffe]

My guess is pictures of JB, Anna*, Jill & Derick and maybe some others were explicitly banned from being posted but that they were all there. 

*she hasn't been in any pictures yet, has she? I know someone mentioned she could be seen in one of the shots but I couldn't spot her. 

[louisa05]

2 hours ago, viii said:

I beg to differ. My pampered chef meat chopper is one of my most used kitchen items. I use it for browning ground meat, scrambled eggs, tomatoes for sauces, etc. Sure a spatula or spoon would work but it’s a neat utensil. 

I got one a while back. Not from pampered chef, but same thing. It is so much easier and quicker than a spatula. Not going to fault anyone for wanting or I sub one. 

[Seeking]

1 hour ago, browngrl said:

2. I am glad Jana did not gush on about being with her "best friend".

Totally agree! This was so refreshing.

[dawn9476]

22 hours ago, Giraffe said:

I'm aware of two children. Did it look like they've had more?

Lauren had the third in May of 2023. Right before Joy and Katey had theirs.

[SassyPants]

Put in the column of having and using a meat chopper. I went years without one, but it really does make the task of chopping meat easier, especially if the meat has been previously frozen-

[moreorlessnu]

Ditto. I saw a YouTube-er using a chopper and picked up one. I really like it for scrambling hamburger. I also bought a Dutch whisk (again, saw it on YouTube), but haven't yet found a reason to use it...

[LongTimeLurkerOG]

2 hours ago, ifosterkittens said:

I can't remember the content creator, or I would give her credit, but she said a lot of the kitchen tools that seem to have one purpose that could be done by another tool were likely created to make food preparation more accessible. I think an avocado slicer device was the example, and someone said you can do this with a knife, and while that might work for some people, the avocado slicer may make it easier/safer/ possible for someone with mobility issues. 

On the My Favorite Murder podcast one of the hosts commented why did their new microwave come with an app they could put on their phone (or something to that extent), and a listener wrote in and said it was for accessibility. Someone may use a specific device (phone, tablet, etc), and if they can put that app on their device, they can use the microwave in a way that works for them. 

I live with chronic pain. The meat chopper makes my life easier when doing food preparation, I find it an easier tool to use than a spatula, and initially I found that a little embarrassing to admit, but it's a fact of life. Life is hard enough, tools/devices that make life easier are a win in my book. 

True, accessibility is extremely important. 💙

4 minutes ago, LongTimeLurkerOG said:

True, accessibility is extremely important. 💙

Okay, I retract let's move on