Planning for the Next Duggar Wedding

Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald are in the thick of wedding planning. Their guest list is complete, and the couple drove to Bed, Bath, and Beyond yesterday to finish their gift registry.

"The guest list is pretty big, but not as big as my sister's," Jessa Duggar told ABC News. "My list is a little smaller [than Jill's was], but then Ben’s guest list is bigger Derick's. It will be another Duggar-sized wedding!"

Jill (Duggar) and Derick Dillard invited approximately 3,000 guests to their wedding and ended up with a crowd of around 1,500.

Jessa is following in the footsteps of her siblings Josh and Jill, who tied the knot before her, by saving her first kiss for the altar.

"We’re really looking forward to the first kiss!" Jessa ABC News. "We're talking about it -- what if we miss or mess up? We're gonna have to plan this out or something!" 

Jessa and Ben plan to reuse Jill and Derick's decorations and flower girl dresses, as they hope to keep their wedding as cost-effective as possible so they can splurge on their honeymoon.

"We’re gonna go really simple with a lot of our food and even flowers and that type of stuff," Jessa told ABC News. "People spend so much on flowers, it’s outrageous! I'll go to the grocery and buy flowers! I don’t know how many flowers we'll have in nature if it's cold outside but I was like, 'How about we just go pick [some]?'" 

The couple has chosen a wedding date but has not announced it to the public. They have hinted that it will be sometime this fall or winter. The wedding and part of the honeymoon will air on TLC's 19 Kids and Counting.

Duggars to Speak in D.C.

In four weeks, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar will travel to Washington D.C. to speak at the seventh annual Values Voter Summit, a conference that showcases the nation's leading conservative voices. The event takes place from September 26th-28th at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street Northwest, in Washington D.C.

Jim Bob and Michelle plan to bring their whole family to the event, but that could change at a moment's notice. (Last year, several of the kids got sick and were unable to attend.) A full conference schedule will be posted to the Values Voter Summit website in the coming weeks, as will information about how to watch the conference live online.

 Click here for ticket information.

Lawson Bates' CD Giveaway

Lawson Bates, a family friend of the Duggars and the fourth oldest of Gil and Kelly Bates' 19 children, recently released his first CD, "Freedom Sure Ain't Free." 

The CD includes songs from a wide range of musical styles, including southern gospel, bluegrass, patriotic, and western yodeling, and features some of Nashville’s most accomplished artists.

Lawson has graciously offered three free downloads of his CD as a giveaway for our readers. Follow the directions on the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win. 

"Freedom Sure Ain't Free" is Duggar-approved. Click here to watch a video of Josie Duggar singing and playing guitar to "Happiness is the Lord," one of the songs on Lawson's CD.

(Note: Many readers have said that this particular video cannot be viewed on their smartphones.)

Friday, August 29, 2014

Video Sneak Peek: Wedding Planning

In this video preview of the upcoming season of 19 Kids and Counting, Jill and Derick and Jill's mom and sisters meet with three wedding coordinators, who also happen to be friends of the Duggars.

Surrounded by nine women trying to plan a wedding, Derick says he feels "really outnumbered." But according to 14-year-old Jason Duggar, that is very normal.

"I think the groom should be like, five percent involved and just like, 95 percent agreed," says Jason.

Video no longer available

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Ben Seewald Moves in With the Duggars

Jessa Duggar's relationship with Ben Seewald is no longer long-distance, now that Ben has moved into the Duggars' guest house and started working for Jim Bob. 

The guesthouse is on the Duggars' property but is separate from the family's main house.

"He moved up here a few weeks ago," Jim Bob Duggar told PEOPLE Magazine. "It has been really good. He has been able to spend a lot more time with Jessa and our family."

Ben and Jessa are still committed to having at least one chaperone near them when they are together, but, like any couple, they face temptations. Jim Bob has set a curfew to help his 21-year-old daughter and her fiancé maintain their purity standards. 

"By midnight, every night, we need to make sure everybody is back in their place," Jim Bob told PEOPLE.

For the first year of his relationship with Jessa, Ben was living with his family in Hot Springs, Arkansas, a town four hours south of the Duggars, and only saw his girlfriend every two to four weeks.

"After Michelle and I were talking about it, we have so many projects to do that we need help for – everything from construction projects to keeping the grass mowed to putting roof on a building, paperwork and things like that – and we asked him if he would be interested in moving up here so that Jessa and his relationship could be really accelerated," Jim Bob told PEOPLE. "[Ben] was all for it, and his parents were happy about it."

Living on the same property is especially convenient for Jessa and Ben now that they are engaged and planning their wedding. Ben is in his second year of college and is taking online business courses while doing odd jobs for Jim Bob.

Watch the video below to get the full scoop on Ben's new living arrangements.

Duggar #8 Enters Adulthood

Wishing Josiah Duggar a 

Happy 18th Birthday!

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

More Duggar Engagement Photos

Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald have been engaged for nearly two weeks and are counting down the days until their wedding. Derick Dillard proposed to Jill Duggar five months ago, and the two tied the knot three months later and are now expecting their first child. Scroll down to see newly released engagement photos of both couples.

 Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald

Five months ago...

 Derick Dillard purchased Jill's engagement ring in Israel, but he and his mom, Cathy, 

visited a jeweler in Arkansas to have it resized

 Derick Dillard hired a country musician to write a song for Jill

and perform it on the day of their engagement

 When the song was finished, Derick got down on one knee...

 ...and presented the ring.

He asked Jill to marry him, and Jill said, "Yes, totally!"

 With only three months to plan her wedding, Jill had to start shopping 

for a wedding dress almost immediately

And here are some of Jill and Derick's engagement photos, taken by Jinger, the Duggar family photographer:

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Dishing With the Duggars

Starting this week, tune in to TLC every afternoon from 1-3 PM ET PT/12-2 PM CT for "Dishing With the Duggars." Join the Duggar family as they look back at some of their earliest episodes and share their reactions (video preview below).

Post by 19 Kids and Counting.

Monday, August 25, 2014

More Courtship News?

Readers have been asking for details on the love lives of twins Jana Duggar and John-David Duggar, both who are 24 years old. Any new relationships on the horizon?

Right now, there is no courtships news to share on Jana, John, or any of the other Duggars, but stay tuned. With 19 kids and only three engaged or married, there are bound to be many more exciting announcements in the future.

John-David Duggar and Jana Duggar

Friday, August 22, 2014

Details of Ben's Proposal to Jessa

On August 14th, Ben Seewald guided girlfriend Jessa Duggar through an elaborate scavenger hunt culminating in a romantic proposal.

"A few days before, he had given me a rose and asked me out on a date for the next night," Jessa, 21, told PEOPLE Magazine.

It was a triple date with both sets of parents, which surprised Jessa because she had no idea the Seewalds were in town. Before the night was over, Ben gave Jessa a box containing an iPad with a video message that he had recorded, saying: "This is the first clue to the rest of your life."

"I had done a few things to throw her off track," Seewald told PEOPLE. "Jessa is really good at figuring things out and I wanted to surprise her." 

The scavenger hunt, which Ben said took him months to plan, began with a plane ride with pilot John-David Duggar from the Duggars' hometown of Springdale, Arkansas, to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Jinger Duggar accompanied Jessa.

Throughout the day, Jessa had to get a hole-in-one at a miniature golf course, collect a dozen roses from strangers in a park, take a trolley tour while filling out a quiz, and ride in a train with other members of her family. The final clue led her to Thorncrown Chapel.

"I walked in, and he was standing there at the front," Jessa told PEOPLE. "I could barely talk. I knew he was going to propose. I cried."

Ben got down on one knee and presented a .75-carat princess-cut diamond engagement ring.

Both the Duggars and the Seewalds are overjoyed.

"Michael and I could not be more thrilled for Ben and Jessa," Ben's mom, Guinn, told PEOPLE. "Having similar goals and interests, they balance and complement one another beautifully. We praise God for the blessing of this relationship between Ben and Jessa."

Following Duggar tradition, Ben had to ask Jim Bob's permission to marry Jessa. The Duggar dad was "100 percent on board" and gave Ben his blessing, along with Michelle's

If Jessa and Ben take the same route as Jill and Derick, they will have a short engagement. Jessa said that, like Jill, she wants to keep her wedding cost effective so she can splurge on the honeymoon.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

The Duggars React to Jill's Pregnancy

The Duggars will soon welcome another member into their growing family. Jill and Derick Dillard, who married two months ago today, just revealed that they are expecting Baby Dilly in March 2015.

"There is a lot of joy," Michelle Duggar, 47, told People Magazine. Michelle has been continually reminding her daughter, who is suffering through severe morning sickness, of the beautiful new life she is nourishing.

"I have said to Jill, 'When you feel sick and so tired, remember you are growing another person inside of you and this is a good reason to be sick,'" Michelle told People. "For me, I would try to sit down and rest whenever I was sick while pregnant. You have to do what you have to do. The end result is so worth it."

Jim Bob Duggar said he is also looking forward to having another grandchild and that he knows Jill and Derick will be great parents.

"Jill has been such a wonderful sister to all of her brothers and sisters," Jim Bob, 49, told People. "She always makes activities for the kids, looks for ways to make a dull project fun.  And Derick is going to be a great father."

Fifteen-year-old Jedidiah Duggar agrees: "I am up for babysitting if they need help. I am so excited for Jill and Derick, and I know they are going to make wonderful parents. Jill has always wanted to be a mom. She is perfect for it. Derick is a wonderful guy; he will be a good dad. He will be amazing."

Derick's mom, Cathy, who nearly missed Jill and Derick's wedding due to intensive chemotherapy treatments, is now cancer-free and ready to be a grandma.

"Oklahoma State is my alma mater," she told People. "This year, they came out with a T-shirt that says 'Real grandmas don't wear pink, they wear orange.'  I plan to get one of those. I am looking forward to every aspect of them having this baby."

In contrast to the Duggars, Cathy has only two children of her own, Derick and Daniel.

A Message From Jill and Derick

Jill (Duggar) and Derick Dillard share their exciting news with 19 Kids and Counting fans (video below):

Video no longer available

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

1st Pics of Baby Dilly

Newlyweds Jill and Derick Dillard have some exciting news to share. After 30 days of marriage, they found out that Jill is pregnant and expecting grand-Duggar #4 in March 2015. The couple made the announcement to the public this morning, just one day before their two-month anniversary. Click here to read our previous post with all the details.

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