Jana Duggar, a former star of “19 Kids and Counting,” is preparing for her first marital start with husband Stephen Wissman in Nebraska after getting married in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, on August 15. Jana married Stephen, a close family friend, in front of 500 guests. Sisters Jessa, Joy-Anna, Johannah, Jinger and Jordyn Duggar served as bridesmaids, along with her sister-in-law Abbie.

“He has a little house that we bought that we just renovated and fixed up, which has been fun,” Duggar said in an interview with People published Saturday, August 17. Nebraska is already the Wissmanns’ home base. He is a pastor and Bible study leader at East Fairview Mennonite Church in Milford, Nebraska.

Duggar and Wissmann met through their families in 2011, but it wasn’t until several years later that they started dating. In her interview with People, Duggar revealed that they dated a few years ago before going their separate ways. Despite the split, the two stayed in touch and got back together in the early months of 2024.

“It was like, ‘What are we doing? We still enjoy each other. We still value each other a lot,'” she recalled. “I was a little slower on that, but over time his character has changed, he’s come back and he still loves me no matter what. I know we have a big, crazy family and we still have to put up with a lot of things. I’m like, my goodness, there aren’t many people who do that. He must really, genuinely care about me.”

Now, as newlyweds, the two are enjoying every moment they spend as husband and wife, putting the long-distance days behind them. “Just spending life with Stephen and being together,” Duggar says. “The long-distance relationship was challenging, so I think just being together, having someone to be with every day, it’s a beautiful time that I’ve been hoping for and wanting for a long time.”

Duggar’s public life began as a member of the family in the 2004 documentary 14 Children and Pregnant Again, which follows 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 Johannah was born. This was followed by another feature film, On the Road with 16 Children, about a family cross-country trip.

A multitalented individual, Wissmann is the vice president of Wissmann Enterprises, Inc., a pilot, furniture maker, and fitness enthusiast. In addition to leading some of his family’s musical arrangements, Stephen plays mandolin and guitar and sings lead and bass. Stephen is a member of East Fairview Mennonite Church in Milford, Nebraska. Within the church, he is a pastor and Bible study leader.

ALSO READ: “I just went beyond time”: Jana Duggar reveals how she knew her husband Stephen Wissmann was her soul mate