Former 19 Kids and Counting star Jana Duggar is preparing to begin her married life with husband Stephen Wissman in Nebraska after getting married in Prairie Grove, Arkansas on August 15. Jana married close family friend Stephen in front of 500 guests. Sisters Jessa, Joy-Anna, Johannah, Jinger and Jordan Duggar served as bridesmaids along with sister-in-law Abbie.
“He has a little house that we bought and we’ve been fixing it up and putting it together, and so that’s been fun,” Duggar told PEOPLE in an interview published on Saturday, August 17. Nebraska is already Wissman’s home base. He is a pastor and Bible study leader at East Fairview Mennonite Church in Milford, Nebraska.
Duggar and Wissman first met in 2011 through their families, but only began dating several years later. In her interview with People, Duggar revealed that they dated for a few years before separating. Despite the breakup, the pair kept in touch and reconnected in the early months of 2024.
“It was like, ‘What are we doing? We still enjoy each other. We still appreciate each other,'” she recalled. “I moved slow in that regard, but over time, his character, him coming back, still loves me no matter what. I know we have a big crazy family and still have to put up with a lot of things. I’m like, Oh my God, there are very few people who do that. He must really, honestly care about me.”
Now newlyweds, the couple is enjoying every moment together as husband and wife and leaving their long-distance dating days behind them. “Doing life with Stephen and being together,” Duggar says. “Being long-distance has been a challenge, so I think just being together, having someone you do everyday life with, it’s a sweet time that I’ve been hoping for and wanting for a long time.”
Duggar began her public life as a member of the family by being featured in the documentary 14 Children and Pregnant Again (2004), which details the family’s daily life from waking to going to bed. The documentary aired on the Discovery Health Channel. Another documentary, Raising 16 Children, was produced on the same channel in 2006, when Duggar’s sister Johanna was born. This was followed by another feature, On the Road with 16 Children, about a family cross-country trip.
Wissman, a versatile man with many talents, is the assistant manager of Wissman Enterprises, Inc., a pilot, a furniture maker, and a fitness enthusiast. In addition to directing some of his family’s musical arrangements, Stephen plays the mandolin and guitar, as well as singing lead and bass. Stephen is a member of the East Fairview Mennonite Church in Milford, Nebraska. Within the congregation, he is a pastor and Bible study leader.
Also read: ‘It just took time’: Jana Duggar reveals how she knew husband Stephen Wissman was her soulmate
