Strange Things About Jason Duggar's Wedding To Maddie Grace

Just 49 days after the surprise wedding of Jana Duggar, yet another of the reality TV siblings put a ring on it. Jason Duggar, the 12th in line of the famous "19 Kids & Counting" family and the seventh son, wed girlfriend Maddie Grace in her home state of Tennessee. The outdoor nuptials featured a stunning mountain setting, a Renaissance-chic bride, a muted autumn color palette, pasta on the dinner menu, and a sparkler send-off.

Fans of the entertaining-if-controversial reality series couldn't help feeling a bit nostalgic. When the show premiered in 2008, Jason was only eight years old, and mom Michelle was pregnant with her 18th baby. Now all but three of the siblings are adults — 13 of whom are married — and the Duggar grandchildren count stands at 33. (Numbers 34 and 35, twin girls, will arrive in early 2025, courtesy of Jed Duggar and wife Katey.) But as with all events in this family, some peculiar details stand out. See how this latest trip down the aisle is different from the previous nine Duggar weddings.

The Duggars' controversial Christian organization has had a hand in most of the children's marriages in one way or another. The group's insular nature and its belief in marriage-focused courtships, rather than casual dating, mean that the young Duggars socialized primarily with fellow church members or with people in similar faith fellowships. Homeschooling conferences, church events, weddings, and mission trips bring these families together, and sparks naturally tend to fly. Sisters Jinger Vuolo, Jill Dillard, Joy-Anna Forsyth, and Jessa Seewald all met their spouses in this way, as did sons Joshua, John-David, Josiah, Joseph, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, and Justin Duggar. Jana's marriage is even more of a family affair. Her new husband, Stephen Wissmann, is also the older brother of Hannah Wissmann Duggar, who's married to Jeremiah — making Jana and Jeremiah each other's in-laws as well as siblings! (Confused yet?)

But Jason and Maddie found each other in the most 21st-century of ways: online. As they explained to People, Jason was showing Jana how to find potential love interests on Instagram when he saw Maddie in his notifications, meaning she'd liked or commented on one of his posts. Since Jason gets thousands of likes from followers, it was just by chance that hers happened to catch his attention. He apparently was already following her, but they'd never met, so he sent her a DM, and the rest is history. 

Unlike, say, Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle, whose long engagement may be on the rocks before they even get to the altar, the Duggar family doesn't believe in dragging things out. The mega-family are all conservative Christians who believe in saving the first kiss for marriage (not to mention everything that follows), so once they find the perfect mate, they figure there's no sense in waiting around. For instance, John-David and wife Abbie courted for just a month before he proposed, and they were wed three months later. Similarly, Jill, Jinger, Joy, Joseph, and Josiah all needed four or fewer months to decide their partners were The One.

Jason and Maddie kept to his family tradition. They went Instagram-official in May 2024, making it clear that other announcements would soon follow. Sure enough, two weeks after Jana and Stephen's wedding on August 15, they shared images of a romantic beachside proposal on Instagram. "On August 24, Jason asked me to marry him, and I could not be more excited!!" Maddie gushed.

Pretty typical for a Duggar union. Keep in mind that the couple had only just met before New Year's Eve 2023 — and online. It's not clear when Jason and Maddie first met face-to-face, but their entire relationship history is less than 10 months long. Some of us have held on longer to jars of mayonnaise in the fridge.

By now, it shouldn't be surprising to see the Duggar children breaking with some of the harsher rules they grew up with, and yet it still catches our attention when they do. All the adult Duggar girls have long since renounced their parents' ban on wearing pants and sleeveless shirts, and it's common to hear secular music along with Christian rock as soundtracks to the siblings' Instagram videos. 

Jason, too, has decided to follow his own conscience on some issues. For instance, his pre-engagement Instagram photos with Maddie show them in a front embrace and even posing piggyback. This definitely reflects a change in Duggar courtships, when couples were forbidden to touch in any intimate way before they reached the altar. The wedding also featured a dance hour, another activity frowned upon by their childhood faith group. (Wiggling body parts was considered too suggestive.)

One other part of the wedding broke with tradition in a different way. Instead of a tiered buttercream wedding cake, the new Mr. and Mrs. Duggar opted for a small cheesecake, along with an ice cream truck, to satisfy guests' sweet tooth. 

The big day also doubled as a Duggar family reunion, with almost all of Jason's siblings in attendance. (Only oldest brother Josh, still doing time in prison, was absent.) Eight of the sisters and brothers were in the wedding party. Among the guests was older sister Jill Duggar Dillard. On her Instagram feed, she shared glimpses of the long road trip to Tennessee, the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and the reception. 

Some Duggar followers might have been surprised to see Jill among the guests. She and husband Derick Dillard have been estranged from her father over a number of issues, including alleged withholding of funds they earned from their TV series. Her tell-all, "Counting the Cost," was also rumored to have caused divisions within the family. But either the rumors were unfounded, or she and her siblings have since reconciled; judging from Jill's photos, everyone had a delightful time together. She even managed to capture pics of camera-shy brothers Josiah, Joseph, and Justin, who don't appear often on social media. 

The newest Mr. and Mrs. Duggar will enjoy some time being joyfully available for each other in Italy on their honeymoon. Once they're back on home turf, however, their marriage will be enduring its first test — and it's a big one. Like many of his brothers, Jason (brother Josiah is on the right) works in construction, and he was hired by a client, Mark Thompson, to do renovation work. There was just one catch: According to sources who spoke to Fox59, Jason misrepresented himself as a licensed contractor when he doesn't actually have a license. Thompson is also claiming Jason either failed to complete or botched the various tasks he was asked to take on, and that he offered to pay for another contractor to finish the job rather than trying to make it right himself. He's suing Jason and co-defendant Madison Holding LLC for an unspecified amount to cover both the cost of repairs and attorneys' fees.

As of this writing, Jason and his co-defendant hadn't submitted a response, and it's possible the case may be settled out of court. However, Jason would no doubt prefer not to start off his married life having to pay a hefty sum to a former client. And if Jason is found guilty of fraud, this could jeopardize his livelihood at a time when he has another person to support. We'll just have to stay tuned for further developments.