19 Kids and Counting "Wedding Prep"
- Jessa and Ben's wedding is only a few days away. Jeremiah chaperones the couple as they pick up their marriage license.
- Grandma Duggar and Michelle, along with several of the little ones, make a special wedding gift for Jessa. They cut a piece of netting off Grandma's wedding dress to attach to Jessa's bouquet as she walks down the aisle, which is something they did for Jill.
- Meanwhile, Jennifer grabs a horse head on a stick and a pair of headphones and pretends to be Mr. Jim the soundman.
- Jill and Derick chaperone Jessa and Ben on an arts and crafts double date. Each couple paints a picture of a tree.
- Back at home, the rest of the family makes homemade pizza. Jim Bob attempts to hand-toss his dough, but it does not work very well. Some of the kids put pickles on their pizza. "That's a Duggar thing," says James. "We just all love pickles."
- Josie uses the "lick and stick" method to make her mini pizza. She licks each topping and then places it on the pizza. "I am not going to eat Josie's pizza," says Michelle, laughing. "I am labeling it. We will all know which one is hers. She's quite the chef."
- Jessa and Ben have their final marriage counseling session with Jim Bob and Michelle, which has been a weekly occurrence during their engagement. They discuss the importance of communication. "I think you all are going to make a dynamic duo," says Jim Bob, who then demonstrates the best way to kiss.
- Sierra, Jessa's wedding coordinator, comes over to make a test batch of homemade brownies to use as a topping for Jessa and Ben's ice cream sundae bar. The little kids are eager to help. "Sierra does a wonderful job having a lot of little helping hands around," says Michelle.
- In Washington DC, Anna and the kids are packing to leave for the wedding. When they arrive in Arkansas, Ben, Jessa, and Jinger meet them at the airport. Josh has another commitment and is scheduled to arrive four hours before the ceremony begins.
- A couple days before the wedding, Anna Hackel (Jessa's friend and one of her bridesmaids) chaperones Jessa and Ben as the pick up their wedding bands. The couple chose Ben's ring together, but Ben wants Jessa's to be a surprise.
- Then, Jessa and Anna pick up Jessa's wedding gown. As the wedding draws near, friends and family members from across the nation begin arriving at the Duggars' house. It's almost go time!
I wish they didn't draw out Jessa's wedding prep and her wedding like they did with Jill's last season. I was hoping that the wedding would be next week's episode, but it should be in two weeks. At this rate, we probably won't see the birth of Jill & Derick's son until the fall when he'll be about 6 months old.
ReplyDeleteI remember with all of josh and Anna's kids they showed the birth episode no later than a week after they were born
DeleteIt is not a good idea for her parents to counsel them on marriage. There is a pastor, the church they are marrying in must have a program for couples about to marry. The pastor needs to be convinced they are prepared. Not her parents. They need to discuss things away from judgement of family. Please tell me they at least do some interviews with the pastor without siblings or her parents in the room. And all the kissing in their faces while requiring them not to has got to stop. Self regulate already. That is the purpose of restraint outside of marriage. It's not funny.
ReplyDeleteJosie is cute.
I'm with you. Her parents aren't trained professionals and cannot provide them with objective advice. I hope they talked with someone who is neutral.
DeleteI agree. In my opinion, it should be an outside person who doesn't live with either person. But being as they've already married, it must work for them.
DeleteYour family is beautiful and so inspiring! Wishing you all contined good health and joy!
ReplyDeleteI agree with KMS
ReplyDeleteShowing them the best way to kiss??!? Yuck.
ReplyDeleteI second that the pre marriage counselling should be external to the family like a church pastor or someone they can be completely transparent with
@kms
ReplyDeleteI disagree. Everywhere in the Bible, when it comes to marriage, it is not up to religious leaders. The responsibility of the father is to spiritually lead his family. The pastor is to be there if the father is absent or not fulfilling his role, or to support the parents, not the other way around. God sent the children to parents, and the parents are ultimately responsible for their upbringing until they leave home. You forget that Jessa and Ben desire their counsel as well.
I think it's so nice to see such a sweet family on TV, but it kind of makes me sad to think of the kids (especially the girls) leaving home. It's one more cute white sleigh bed empty. :-( but it's also :-) at the same time.
ReplyDeleteJim Bob is sometimes not so funny and to the point of being disgusting. No one ever taught me to kiss and my husband and I figured it out fairly quickly. Agree with #2, some outside counseling would be better than mom and dad.
ReplyDeleteI think having counseling with a pastor outside the family would be a lot more helpful to a couple getting married.
ReplyDeleteMarriage counseling with your parents? I wish someone would let those kids know that when they're 18, they can join the United States military without the parent's consent. They'd feel like they'd been let out of a cage!
ReplyDelete100% agree with kms. Neither set of parents should be able to counsel. And the kissing seems a bit creepy.
ReplyDeleteI agree kms.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the wedding prep book the duggars used?
ReplyDeleteI'm curious if Anna was traveling with 3 kids by herself for real, and there was some helper with them who was not shown on TV. When they showed the trip to Illinois for the baby shower, they did not show that Jana was with them in the RV.
ReplyDeleteIt was just very odd for a father to show his future son- in-law how to kiss his daughter·It was also odd the way Jim Bob kissed his wife and told Derrick and Jill before they were married but you can not do that now·
ReplyDeleteGetting kissing advice from Jim Bob and Michelle was beyond creepy. I understand that it's Jim Bob's sense of humor and this is how he often tries to be funny for the camera but this was icky and uncomfortable.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with Anony. 1 and KMS. My added question is how did Ben afford the wedding band? I noticed Jessa paid for the marriage license.
ReplyDeleteThe Duggars courtships/engagements/weddings are just too dragged out!!!
ReplyDeleteJim Bob and Michelle should not be doing the marriage counseling. That is the job for the minister, and the kissing demonstration was highly inappropriate. No one wants their parents or in laws instructing them on how to kiss. It isn't rocket science. They will figure it out.
ReplyDeleteI was very hurt to hear Jim Bob say during the counseling that the physical relationship would be the main focus for the guy. There are some marriages in which that is not true at all and the husband is actually a refuser. For those wives like myself who have a much higher physical drive then their husbands, it can be extremely painful for people to automatically assume that men always have the higher drives.
ReplyDeleteReally think having your parents due pre marital counseling is a bad idea!!! Best advice I got was leave your parents out of your marriage. and leave and cleave. Doesn't matter how great they are.
ReplyDeleteLoved this episode, very enjoyable. Fun to see how excited Jessa and Ben are. Enjoyed TT he double painting date, what a fun idea. I also love that JimBob and Michelle have been putting time aside to counsel with Ben and Jessa. Too bad they live so far from the Seewzld family I am sure they would offer loving guidance too. I thought this was very tender and that there was a lot of love and respect in the room. I remember some of the best counsel my husband and I received was from my in-laws. We also attend.ded marriage preparation classes, which were great. JimBob was pretty cute trying to advise them on how to kiss. Very sweet man, but somehow I think those two will figure it out on their own. Great episode tonight!
ReplyDeleteBen is a very talented young man, he is very artistic as he as also displayed in the past.I really hope he takes advantage of it and not just be solely focused on preaching for his future jobs/skills.It's possible to do both.I'm afraid that some of the kids will never really know what other God given talents they were blessed with besides ministry.I really hope they explore all the possibilities.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a beautiful episode.
ReplyDeleteWow. I am always saddened by the negative comments. Let's remember that this is a Christian family. Not perfect just forgiven.
ReplyDeleteResponse to comment (2) What?! ...why should the parents defer their responsibilities to a 'church pastor'? At some point it is unlikely that an engaged couple are past the limiting advice and have made their choice to marry their partner so the won't be looking for some other 'authority' to say that as Christian young adults they are not prepared to marry, that is a real wet blanket they would be looking for. Sometimes people just have to live joyfully with the risks and the things they are fore bearing like kissy parents when they themselves have not reached exactly that season of life!
ReplyDeleteOne of the main things I admire about Jim Bob and Michelle is the fact that they talk to their children and teach them the facts of life. I definitely do not think they need to find some one else to do this, this is a reversal of what they have been demonstrating to people that they should be doing for their children. I am so shy, I can't say stuff to my kids, that is the way I was treated and I know why my parents just assumed some one else would give guidance - because it is hard and embarrassing to do and the kids might reject you. I really need to work on this because I have neglected my responsibility in this area and I do not know how to regain ground in this area.
ReplyDeleteSierra has the patience of a saint to work with so many little helpers that have a sweet tooth! I know Sierra was pregnant during Jill's wedding? Can you share some info on her baby?
ReplyDeleteJust out of curiosity, is Jinger ok? Every episode she is starting to look skinnier and skinnier...
ReplyDeleteIt is nice of Sierra to make the brownies but they are a form of cake, so maybe she just couldn't accept that they were not having any cake so went to including brownies as a ' sundae topping'.
ReplyDeleteThe Duggars are taking responsibility and being do it your self, independent people so they are not going to get a third party counsellor. Also I can't see Jim Bob giving up this last bit of time with his daughters, he would be thinking this is a chance for me to get my last words to them in.
ReplyDeleteJosie is smart, she knows how to protect her share of food in that big house of hungry mouths!
ReplyDeleteHere all of the single people can be set free from participating in physical intimacy before marriage because they have been given a good role model by Jim Bob and Michelle. This is guidance, direction, support and strength to many people if they learn from this good example.
ReplyDeleteSingle people can know they are in the right to stand alone, pure and enjoy their state and life.
Jim Bob's light shines brightest when he's not trying to be the clown...
ReplyDeleteI never found 'pastors' to take that much of an interest in me and what I am doing. Maybe if I had gone to them with a beau they would have been on duty. I asked a minister once about a guy I was dating and she told me to have mercy on the poor boy and break up with him so I did. I guess I was not the right girl for him.
ReplyDeleteSierra gave birth to her fourth child, a girl, just under seven months ago. She and her husband now have three boys and one girl. :)
ReplyDelete~Lily and Ellie
I think it is good that their parents talk to them about marriage. Thirty years of happy marriage gives them a lot of experience and they can share these things with their children. As for kissing, husbands and wives should show love to each other. It should be normal. It's way better than arguing and cursing at each other like other reality shows.
ReplyDeletePastors take an interest if you express an interest at marrying in the church/covenant marriage. Most clergy do not want to participate in a marriage ceremony unless you have had marriage prep and they themselves are convinced you are ready. You certainly should not date someone or not date someone cause a pastor tells you to. Now marrying you need to meet the requirements of the minister.
ReplyDeleteI agree with #28.
ReplyDeleteMarriage counseling with godly parents is a huge blessing! It's too bad more young couples don't have that kind of support fromgodly parents. As to the kissing, I'm sure Jessa is used to her dad' s humor and if Ben is marrying her, he'll have to get used to it, too. :)
ReplyDelete@AnonymousBy constantly kissing in front of those couples that can't it seems Jim Bob is being a stumblingblock to his daughters and their boyfriends.
ReplyDelete