Recap: 'Jinger's Wedding'

Counting On "Jinger's Wedding"

• The night before the wedding, Jinger sleeps at Jill and Derick's house (the Duggar "guesthouse," located next door). The next morning, Jeremy comes over to read the Bible and pray with Jinger.
• "It seems very surreal that we're at this moment in time when Jinger is going to get married and we're giving our daughter away," says Michelle. "And I just want today to be a time of joyfulness and happiness, and yes there's going to be some stressful, crazy moments to try to pull all this together, but at the end of the day, I want it to be about relationships and making sweet memories."
• Michelle's childhood friend Cindy is one of the wedding planners. "She's so dear, and her mom is so dear," says Cindy. "It's just a special day." Jer, Jed, and Jason help her wrap boutonnieres.
• All the girls head to the church to do their hair and makeup. Meanwhile, the guys meet in a different room to make final wardrobe preparations.
• Josie is the flower girl. Before the wedding, she receives a visit from Amy, the nurse who cared for her in the NICU. 
• Jeremy says that having his dad officiate his wedding has been a dream of his since childhood. "It's just a great joy, one of the greatest joys that my wife and I have experienced," says Pastor Chuck Vuolo. "It's been a joy to see [his] friends come together to support him."
• After Michelle and the sisters help Jinger into her stunning wedding dress with a 13-foot train, Jim Bob arrives to give his daughter a hug. "Jinger!" exclaims the father of 19. "You're so beautiful. You've got to be one of the most beautiful brides ever. Wow. You're breathtaking."
• Jinger presents her father with a handkerchief with a sentimental message printed on it: "To my dad: You are the first man I ever loved. When you give me away today, know that I will always be your little girl. Your loving daughter, Jinger."
• Jim Bob tears up. "This is something we have prayed about your whole life, and today God has answered our prayer," he says, all choked up. He and Michelle take a few moments to pray with Jinger.
• Jim Bob says he expected weddings to get easier but that they are in fact becoming more difficult.
• The next item on the agenda is bridal party pictures (separately so the bride and groom don't see each other until Jinger walks down the aisle). Jinger and Jeremy each have 10 friends/siblings standing up with them.
• The guests arrive and are seated in the sanctuary, and the ceremony beings. Jinger's "middle" brothers usher family members down the aisle, and then Michelle and Diana (Jeremy's mom) light the candles.
• The guys walk out onto the stage, and each groomsman meets the bridesmaid he is paired up with as she arrives at the front of the church. Michael Duggar the ring bearer throws paper soccer balls, while Josie the flower girl throws flower petals. 
• Jinger takes her father's arm, and the two walk down the aisle to meet Jeremy, whose eyes water the minute he sees his bride. Once Jim Bob sits down, the congregation joins in singing "How Deep the Father's Love For Us."
• Pastor Chuck Vuolo begins the sermon. He instructs Jeremy to love Jinger all the days of her life, even when she seems unlovable. And he encourages Jinger to give her husband wise counsel, saying that if he had a dollar for every wise word his wife has given him, he would be a wealthy man. Pastor Vuolo says that he knows Jinger will be a godly wife because of the example she has had in her own mother. 
• The couple recites their vows, repeating after Jeremy's father: 
• "I Jeremy take you Jinger to be my wife. I promise to be faithful, in suffering and in joy, in poverty and in wealth, in sickness and in health. I promise to love you and cherish you till death brings our separation."
• "I Jinger take you Jeremy, to be my husband. I promise to be faithful, in suffering and in joy, in poverty and in wealth, in sickness and in health, till death brings our separation."
• Jinger and Jeremy exchange rings and recite the following: "I give you this ring, as a perpetual reminder of my faithfulness."
• A beautiful version of "Come Thou Fount" is played as the couple lights the unity candle. The two smaller candles are stuck to the display, so they just grab a lighter. 
• Everyone cheers as Jinger and Jeremy share their first kiss. "The first kiss was amazing, right on!" says Jinger.
• The couple spends a few minutes alone before returning to the sanctuary to take family pictures.

Recap: "A Courtship Begins"

Counting On "A Courtship Begins"

• The show opens with an update from Jessa, Ben, and Spurgeon, who is six months old. Jinger, Anna, Meredith, and Marcus come over to help Jessa baby proof the house. Marcus is especially helpful, as he points out everything that could be a potential hazard to a child.
• Installing the cabinet locks ends up being quite difficult, but the girls are able to figure it out.
• Jessa and Jinger share a memory of a time when they outsmarted their parents’ attempts at baby proofing. As young children, they drew all over the white kitchen cabinets…with non-washable markers.
• “I would like to have a whole houseful of kids,” says Jinger. “I absolutely love kids.”
• Anna gives an update on her marriage: Josh is back from rehab, and he and Anna are working towards rebuilding their marriage. “As I see Joshua taking steps to do what’s right, it brings a lot of joy and helps heal the pain that we’ve walked through,” says Anna.
• Later that day, Jessa and Ben babysit for the Napier girls, who are three and six years old. The six-year-old is adopted, so the Seewalds have enjoyed talking with the Napiers about adoption.
• Down in Central America, Israel is running around and learning to talk. The Dillards admit that they miss their family and friends back home.
• Meanwhile, John helps Josiah practice for his CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) test. The other siblings all agree that John is a patient teacher. Both guys report that they are not currently in a courtship.
• Jim Bob picks Jeremy Vuolo up from the airport, and the two men stop at Cave Springs Coffee Co. to chat. Jeremy tells his future father-in-law how much he has enjoyed getting to know Jinger, as well as the rest of the family. He requests Jim Bob’s permission to ask Jinger to begin a courtship.
• What is Jim Bob’s response? The Duggar dad says that he and Michelle have discussed Jinger and Jeremy’s relationship and that they both give their blessing. 
• “Words can’t express the gratitude I feel towards you and Mrs. Duggar,” says Jeremy, beaming.“
• A courtship is…an evaluation period for the purpose of considering each other for marriage,” explains Jim Bob.
• When Jeremy arrives at the Duggar house, he asks Jinger to step outside. “It’s really been a privilege for me to get to know you,” says Jeremy, while the two sit on the porch listening to the rain. He tells Jinger that he has sought a girl like her, who has a heart for ministry, and he asks her to begin an official courtship. Jinger says yes! The two exchange multiple side hugs before heading back inside and sharing the big news with the family. Jim Bob and Michelle are thrilled for Jinger and Jeremy.
• Joy says she has never seen Jinger so happy. “Coming out of last year…it’s always exciting when something like this comes up, and it’s a new beginning and something to look forward to,” says Jessa.