14 DAY TRIAL // Jill Duggar, the second daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, whom you know from TLC’s hit reality series 19 Kids & Counting, has married Derick Dillard, with whom she entered into formal courtship earlier this year.
The two carried a long-distance relationship for a few months before even meeting for the first time and, throughout their courtship, did not touch or kiss, let alone have pre-marital relations. That’s because Jill is raised a strict Christian by her parents, who believe getting to know the person you’re to marry in all ways but the physical one is of the utmost importance.
So, it wasn’t until Jill and Derick’s big wedding day that they got to kiss for the first time. Above is a photo of the amazing moment, which, People magazine says, actually happened after the wedding ceremony.
“As the couple departed the reception in a vintage pickup filled with balloons and decorated with the message ‘Just Married’ printed on the rear window, the crowd started chanting, ‘Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!’ and the newlyweds obliged,” the publication says.
Jill told the magazine afterwards that “it was well worth the wait,” even though both she and Derick were terribly nervous about the first time they would lock lips.
They had previously revealed for the mag that they had no regrets about saving themselves for marriage in all respects because they wanted to get to know each other without letting the physical side of the relationship get in the way.
As for the wedding, which took place in Arkansas and counted over 1,000 guests, the same magazine reports that it had all the Duggars involved, from the bridesmaids to the volunteers working on the sweet treats for the guests. These included over 600 cupcakes, 3,000 chocolate-chip cookies and 3,000 root-beer floats.
“Tables divided into sweet and salty snacks were set up around the grounds of the Cross Church, where the bride and groom said their ‘I Dos’ and guests formed a long, winding line to have a chance to wish the new couple well in their marriage. More than 100 immediate family members were in attendance, as were guests from more than 30 states, according to Jim Bob,” People reports.
Guests were also presented with a reminder of the sanctity and importance of marriage, as Michelle Duggar’s wedding dress was hanged on display, next to the police uniform of Derick’s late father. Derick’s mother, who has been diagnosed with cancer, came to the wedding straight from the hospital.