It’s the (second) moment they’ve been waiting for their whole lives! After sharing their first kiss at the Cross Church altar, newlyweds Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard quickly proved they were smoochin’ naturals by doing an elaborate dip kiss for wedding photographers! Here’s a full-length view…
Jill, who also saved front-hugging for marriage and hand-holding for engagement, explained in the book she co-authored with her sisters why they all wanted to hold off on physical aspects of relationships.
“Once you open the door to being alone and enter into a physical relationship before marriage (kissing, touching, physical intimacy), you are allowing your partner to unwrap a precious, special gift that God intended you to hold on to until your wedding day,” the four oldest Duggar daughters said in Growing Up Duggar: It’s All About Relationships.
In the book, Jana, Jill, Jessa and Jinger Duggar also shared their favorite marriage tips from their parents: Being willing to say “I was wrong” and “Will you forgive me?” The girls also said they believed patience was key in finding the religious spouse God intended for them — joking it’s rare to alter someone after the altar.
“Simply getting married quickly just to be married isn’t a goal for us,” the girls said in the book, which was published in March. “We want to wait for the one God has created for us and get married in His timing.”
Although less is known about Derick Dillard’s background and possible dating history, it’s obvious he is very committed to his faith.
“I was brought up in a very Godly home,” Derick said in a 2010 oral history. “Christ was the center of everything. [I] grew up going to church, was saved at an early age, was convicted of my sin [and] realized my need for a Savior in the third grade, August 31, 1998. From that point on, I’ve been striving to live every aspect of my life for Christ.”
Despite having similar Christian foundations, Derick’s family doesn’t adhere to the same rule sets as the Duggars: His mom wears pants, he only has one sibling, he went to a secular university and he even danced with brides for his role as Pistol Pete. Now that Derick and Jill are married, it will be interesting to see how their shared beliefs evolve. Considering the bride is supposed to leave her parents’ home and cleave to her new husband, it’s not out of the question that we could see Jill adopt some more laid-back lifestyle policies. (Hey! She was even spotted dancing on GMA during her courtship!)
One aspect of Duggar life that Derick should get used to, however, is the regular presence of cameras… Like those at his wedding (above). 19 Kids and Counting is only growing in popularity and that trend will surely continue when it returns to TLC in the fall with an inside look at Jill and Derick’s wedding.
