Jana Duggar is the eldest daughter in the Duggar family and, until recently, she was also the oldest unmarried sibling. This weekend she married former beau Stephen Wissman, 31, whom she’d dated previously. While the reconnection allowed the two to mature before getting married, Duggar did reveal waiting until 34 to tie the knot has led to some challenges.
Opening up after her nuptials, the eldest Duggar sibling (she’s three minutes older than her twin John-David, who was married in 2018) explained how she’s seen many of her siblings marry again and again. Yet there’s one big difference between their journeys and the one she is embarking on: time.
It definitely looks different. I think that's been the biggest thing, the comparison of the younger ones, going through a relationship, I mean, I've watched all them walk through that, and then now me walking through this, and it is different, but we are older. We are in a different stage of life. We're a little bit more established, so we're a little bit more stubborn, but it's good. We're learning. We're growing. And it's been different, but it is been so sweet.
Speaking with People after she wed Wissman on August 15th in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, Jana also said the two are planning to relocate to Nebraska, where her husband is from. They’ve been working on a home they’ll move in together, marking what is presumably the second time Jana has moved following reports revealing she’d left Jim Bob and Michele’s home just a few years ago after her child endangerment incident reached its conclusion.
The whole thing sounds like it has been a whirlwind. Stephen Wissman’s sister Hannah is married to Jana’s own sibling, 25-year-old Jeremiah, and the two have known each other for a long time. Still, they just reconnected earlier this year, meaning they’d only been dating for a few months before Wissman popped the question in June. Now, in August, they're officially married.
Given Jana has seen a slew of her siblings wed (and her sister Jessa's in-laws even divorced) while they were still in their twenties, she seems ready to move into the next chapter of her life. She admitted in the interview, however, that it hasn’t always been easy to be the Duggar sibling who has been on a different journey for years, mentioning it's been "disheartening" and at times she wondered if she "had a problem" in terms of not being able to find the right person.
But at the end of the day she seems at peace with her journey.
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.
Jana looked lovely in a slightly off shoulder white dress at the event, showing some shoulder but otherwise fitting into her family’s dress code expectations. Many of her sisters – though not her semi-estranged sister Jill – were also a part of her wedding party.
Her sister Jessa, 31, served as her Matron of Honor and called the wedding "sweet" on Instagram later. Other siblings who celebrated as part of the wedding party included Joy-Anna Forsyth, Johannah Duggar, Jinger Duggar Vuolo and Jordyn Duggar. John's wife Abbie was also involved.
