You may now (finally) kiss the bride! Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard's wedding wasn't just the start of the couple's life as husband and wife—it was also the occasion of their first-ever kiss. In keeping with her family's courtship rules, the 19 Kids and Counting star, 23, decided to wait for marriage before locking lips with her beloved.
On Saturday, June 21, Jill and her fiance at last exchanged vows in front of more than 1,000 family members and friends at the Cross Church in Springdale, Ark., their rep confirmed to ABC News. Afterward, the two shared their first kiss at the altar.
Prior to saying "I do," the lovebirds had never done more than hold hands, which they did only after they got engaged in April. "We're just really trying to keep our relationship focused not on the physical but really just more on communication and continuing to learn more about each other," Jill explained to ABC earlier this year. "We're saving our first kiss and things beyond that for our wedding."
The TLC star's parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, support their daughter's choice, and in fact explained their ideas about dating on their show. "Courtship is really getting to know each other for the purpose of possibly getting engaged and getting married," Jim Bob said, noting that chaperones accompany the kids on their outings with potential suitors.
"As far as our kids dating," he began, "we believe a lot of times if you're alone with a person, it can create desires that can kind of get stirred up, and you don't have any accountability, and [that] can lead to some hanky panky."
"We did not save our first kiss for our wedding day, and we really regret that we didn't," Michelle added. "We really should have."
