Jana Duggar recently married Stephen Wissmann from the Wissmann family. The news came as a surprise to many fans, but there was one thing that was especially shocking about Jana’s special day. Her sister Jill Dillard wasn’t actually in the wedding party.
At first, it even looked like she might not have been invited to the wedding at all. Some fans thought she’d missed out on the whole event after photos of the wedding party came out and she wasn’t in them.
Since Jill and Jana have always been close, many assumed that because she didn’t have a major role in the wedding, she wasn’t actually there. However, this turned out not to be the case.
About a week after the wedding, which took place on August 15, Jill took to her Instagram. She shared some photos and clips from the big day.
In the caption, she wrote: “She’s married! Congrats to my sister and her husband on their wedding last week.” Jill also tagged both Jana and Stephen in the post, and she could be seen in the compilation that she posted.
But this isn’t the only proof we have of Jill attending the wedding. Five days after Jana and Stephen tied the knot, on August 20, her brother James Duggar also posted about it on his Instagram.
He shared a photo that included all of the family. In the photo, Jill could be seen with her husband Derick Dillard.
Just like Jill, James also congratulated his sister on getting married. He said that watching her marry the man of her dreams filled his heart with joy. He described Stephen as an amazing, godly man, and said he was excited to see what God had in store for the newlyweds.
Jana Had Her Other Sisters in Her Wedding
It seems that the whole family was extremely happy for Jana and Stephen. They were all there for her.
But the question still remains – why was Jill just a guest at the wedding? Why wasn’t she at least a bridesmaid?
In her Instagram post, Jill actually shared information about who was in Jana’s wedding. The bridesmaids were her sister-in-law Abbie, and her sisters Joy-Anna, Jinger, Johannah, and Jordyn.
We also know who Jana’s maid of honor was. It was none other than her sister Jessa.
This actually struck many fans as an odd choice. While Jana and Jill used to be very close, there was once quite a bit of tension between her and Jessa. So, why did she pick Jessa over Jill to be her maid of honor?
Some fans theorized about the possible reasons on the Duggar Snark Reddit. They couldn’t help but notice how strange this choice seemed. They speculated that maybe Jill simply didn’t want to be involved in the wedding.
Jim Bob May Have Kept Jill Away
But what could be the reason for that? One possibility is that she had a problem with their father Jim Bob’s involvement in the wedding.
It’s very likely that Jim Bob paid for a large part of the big day. Maybe Jill wasn’t very comfortable participating in something that he’d paid for.
After all, she’s been pretty outspoken about some of her issues with him. She even wrote a book about growing up under him, in which she didn’t hold back. It’s possible that she didn’t want to seem like she was suddenly on his side again.
Then again, maybe it was actually Jim Bob who made the final call. Maybe Jill would’ve been more than happy to support her sister, but their father was against it.
He was most likely not happy when Jill came out with her book. If he truly paid for a big part of the wedding, maybe he wanted to have a say in who got to be in it. Since Jana and Stephen most likely needed the money, they wouldn’t have necessarily been able to say no to him.
Jill and Jana Aren’t as Close as They Used to Be
But, this isn’t the only theory about why Jill wasn’t involved in the wedding. Another possibility is that she and Jana just aren’t as close anymore. They used to be best friends growing up, but things might’ve changed since then.
One person on Reddit said that it’s likely that the two of them were only ever close because they were the two oldest girls. However, that bond has since changed and developed.
It doesn’t seem like they’re as close as they once were these days. It’s entirely possible that Jana is simply closer with many of her other siblings these days, including Jessa.
One Reddit user pointed out that Jana and Jessa seem to have a lot in common. They are Jim Bob’s favorites out of his daughters and they share a love for DIY. They also live close to each other and are pretty close in age.
So, maybe that’s why Jana chose Jessa as her maid of honor instead of her childhood best friend Jill.
Jill’s Book Caused a Rift in the Family
There’s still another theory about why Jill was excluded, and it actually has to do with the book that she wrote and published a while ago.
Counting the Cost first came out in September 2023. In it, Jill openly criticized her parents. Since Jana still seems to have a very close relationship with them, it’s possible that she was hurt by what Jill wrote.
What’s more, the book still seems to be a big thing for the family, even a year later. It’s most likely still a current and pressing issue for many of them, and there’s a big reason for that.
Just one day after Jana’s wedding, on August 16, Jill’s husband Derick shared some surprising news on his Instagram. He announced that an updated version of the book would be coming out soon.
Many people criticized Derick for announcing this right after Jana’s wedding. It seemed a little insensitive.
But is it possible that Jana knew this was coming? Could this be the reason why Jill wasn’t a bridesmaid?
The truth is that we can’t be sure why exactly she wasn’t in the wedding. However, what truly matters is that she still showed up for her sister.
She was there on the big day, even if it was just as a guest. She still got to see Jana live out her dream, and it seems that the whole day was a really happy and beautiful occasion.
Jana Was Worried She Would Never Get Married
Jana spoke to People Magazine about her wedding. She said that this was something every girl dreamed about.
However, she was never sure if it would ever happen for her. She prayed for years that she would find the one and have her dream wedding.
But for the longest time, it just wasn’t happening. She even started to wonder if there was something wrong.
She pointed out that most of her siblings tied the knot when they were in their early 20s. In comparison, Jana is 34 years old. This is by no means old, but it is older than most of her brothers and sisters were when they got married.
Jana said that knowing this made the whole situation disheartening at times. She even started thinking that it would never happen.
Obviously, that didn’t end up being the case. Jana found her perfect match in Stephen, and she got to have a beautiful wedding. She said that it was a dream come true.
Jana was walked down the aisle by her dad Jim Bob. She said that having her and Stephen’s big families there was really important to both of them. They both come from big families, so this was a huge part of their day.
Jana told People that she even felt like a princess on the day. This was because of her dress, which she described as classy.
Despite the controversy of Jill being left out of the wedding, it seems that Jana and Stephen had a good day. Hopefully, this happiness and positivity will carry over to their married life together.
