Jill Duggar Attended Jana’s Wedding and Addresses Bridal Party Exclusion

She was on the list! Jill Duggar Dillard confirmed in an August 21 social media post that she did attend her older sister Jana Duggar’s August 15 wedding to Stephen Wissmann.

Jill’s celebratory Instagram post came a few days after Jana walked down the aisle. She shared a video set to Bette Midler’s “Chapel of Love,” which featured a photo of herself and her husband, Derick Dillard, posing with the newlyweds. The video also included snaps of the wedding program, a group shot of the entire Duggar family, and pictures of the bride and groom’s first dance.

“She’s married! Congrats to my sister @janamduggar and her husband @stephenwissmann on their wedding last week,” Jill wrote.

When news of Jana’s surprise wedding first emerged last week, followers of the family quickly noticed that Jill was not included in the bridal party. Instead, Jana’s sisters Jill Vuolo, Joy-Anna Forsyth, Johannah Duggar, and Jordyn Duggar, were bridesmaids, along with her sister-in-law, Abbie Duggar. Jana’s sister Jessa Sewald was the matron of honor.

One person wondered why Jill, who follows Jana and her twin John-David in the family’s birth order, wasn’t included.

“Why weren’t you a bridesmaid? No hate! Just genuinely curious,” the commenter asked.

“I don’t know, but it should always be the bride’s decision,” Jill replied.

Jana was a bridesmaid in Jill’s 2014 wedding to Derick.

Jill’s relationship with some of her family members has been strained in recent years. She and her husband quit Counting On in 2017 over a dispute about pay. In 2023, she published a memoir, Counting the Cost. In the book, she discussed what it was like to grow up on reality TV, her arguments with her dad, Jim Bob Duggar, over money, and her decision to leave the show.

In early 2024, Jill said her relationship with Jim Bob and her mom, Michelle, was still tense. But she was friendlier with some of her 18 siblings.

“It’s still one of those situations where you kind of have to know, like, ‘What am I up for emotionally?’” she explained during an appearance on The Unplanned Podcast (via Us Weekly).

“I would be lying if I said it was completely like it used to be. … But I can definitely get together with some of my siblings and just have a great time or go to lunch,” she added.

In her post about Jana’s wedding, Jill revealed that she’d also spent time with her family the day before the ceremony. She shared that her and Derick’s three young sons, Israel, Samuel, and Freddy, didn’t attend the wedding, but did see the extended family at another gathering.

“Our kids were there the night before for the family dinner,” Jill explained to a commenter. “We went kid-free to the wedding and it was nice since space was tight anyway.”

Source: Us Weekly, Showbiz Cheat Sheet