'Joy's Wedding' and 'Triple Date Night' Recap

Counting On "Joy's Wedding"

• Austin and Joy-Anna arrive at Cross Church Pinnacle Hills on the morning of their wedding. They check in with wedding coordinator Laura (Jana’s friend who has appeared in several pictures on our blog). Cindy (Michelle’s childhood friend) is the wedding designer again.
• Joy joins her bridesmaids (sisters, sisters-in-law, and friends) to start hair and makeup. “Joy is just staying relaxed,” comments Jessa. “She’s not getting worked up.”
• The wedding is on a Friday evening, so, as Jill says, they have more time during the day to prepare.
• After Joy does her makeup but before she puts her dress on, she has one last chat with Austin, asking him whether she should wear a veil. He tells her that he wants whatever she wants.
• Joy is whisked away by Laura, who tells her it’s time to put her dress on. Her dad, mom, and bridesmaids are stunned. Jim Bob tears up. “Can’t believe you’re all grown up and getting married today,” says Jim Bob. “This is our fifth child to get married, and I don’t think it gets any easier.”
• Austin and his groomsmen head outside for pictures. He, too, has both friends and family standing up with him, a couple who are significantly older than he is.
• Behind the scenes, family-friend Sarah (who also helped at Jill and Jinger’s weddings) and a team of ladies is decorating 1,300 homemade cupcakes.
• “It’s going to be sad not having her at home and around like she has been, but we’re also excited that we get to keep her nearby,” says Jana.
• Joy makes sure her dad and all the girls are in their places on time. Dressmaker Renee Miller carries the train of Joy’s dream wedding gown down the stairs to the foyer. 
• “My heart is beating so fast,” says Joy, as she and Jim Bob stand ready to enter the church.
• “I love you,” says Jim Bob. “You’re a good daughter.” “You’re the greatest dad,” Joy responds.
• The wedding begins, and the groomsmen and bridesmaids walk into the church in pairs. John-David is paired with Jennifer, and Austin brings in his mom on one arm and mother-in-law Michelle Duggar on the other.
• A beautiful rendition of “Crown Him With Many Crowns,” complete with a trumpet, signals the entry of the bride and father of the bride. Austin fights back tears and eagerly comes off stage to meet them. “You’re going to make a good husband,” Jim Bob tells Austin.
• John-David leads the congregation in a hymn before the couple says their vows. They are both beaming as they commit their lives to each other until death does them part.
• Officiant Pastor Caldwell (Kendra's father) pronounces them husband and wife, and then he pauses. Joy and Austin look at him expectantly. “Am I missing something?” he chuckles. They nod, and he gives them the cue to kiss. After the kiss, they run out of the sanctuary, and sparkly confetti rains down on the guests (a surprised from Cindy).
• “I think the first kiss was amazing,” says Austin. “It was better than I ever thought it was going to be.”
• “Every time they’ve gotten better,” Jim Bob says of the Duggar weddings. He jokes that when Joseph and Kendra get married in five years, their wedding will be amazing.
• Everyone heads to the reception hall, where Bobby, Austin’s brother-in-law, introduces the couple. Joy and Austin come out on stage and share words of appreciation. “We’re not going to be able to stay super long,” Joy adds. They cut their six-tiered cake.
• Bobby instructs the single ladies to gather for the bouquet toss. Joy turns around and acts like she’s going to toss it, but at the last minute, she walks over and hands the bouquet to Kendra. Joseph comes out, gets down on one knee, and asks Kendra to marry him. Kendra is floored. “Joe!” she exclaims. “I would love to marry you!” The two share a long, frontal hug. 
• “I think it’s amazing getting to share the day with Joe and Kendra,” says Austin. “I don’t think it takes away at all. It only adds to the day.”

Counting On "Triple Date Night"
Rewind 6 months, when Joy and Austin’s courtship is brand new…

• Joy, Jill, and Jessa are in the girls’ room getting ready for a triple date. Joy shares that she has branched out and started wearing dresses, rather than just skirts, because Austin likes them. The three sisters shop for Joy at a local boutique.
• Meanwhile, Austin, Derick, and Ben spend time at a trampoline park. Austin knew the Duggars before Derick or Ben and watched them arrive on scene and start relationships with Jill and Jessa. 
• "She's always had a lot of character and just more [maturity] than girls her age," Austin shares, when asked what drew him to Joy. 
• When Austin was 17, his dad suggested he set a goal of fixing up and selling five houses. What was Austin's response? "Well I wonder where the nearest monastery is...." That was six years ago, and now Austin is finishing up his fifth house. 
• Down in Laredo, newlyweds Jinger and Jeremy are cooking breakfast together. “It doesn’t really feel like there has been much of an adjustment period,” remarks Jinger.
• Jinger gathers the dirty clothes and heads down to the public laundry room. “We really see ourselves in Laredo for the long-term,” explains Jeremy. “This is where God has called us.”
• Derick gives an update on his gagging issue. He sees an allergist, who rules out asthma but finds out that Derick is a poster child for allergies. She thinks Derick has a narrowing of the esophagus related to allergies and prescribes a medication that will help boost his immune system. 
• Austin arrives on the night of the triple date. "Y'all better not be making out back there," Derick says jokingly to Joy and Austin while in the car. 
• The destination is MarketPlace Grill, one of the Duggars' favorite restaurants. Jill tells Derick that he can't order certain types of food. She's secretly pregnant, but she says it's just because she doesn't want her husband to smell strongly. 
• Later, Jill and Derick share their happy news with Israel, who doesn't quite comprehend. They give him a baby doll and teach him how to treat it. 
• Thanksgiving arrives, and some of the Duggars are away with other family, so Jim Bob and Michelle decide to celebrate in Branson, Missouri. As per Duggar tradition, they go around the room sharing things they are thankful for. Derick announces that Israel is thankful for his new shirt, which says" This is what an awesome big brother looks like." 
• Everyone is thrilled. "I think my mom was the most outwardly excited one of the bunch," says Jill. "A new Dillard!" she exclaims.