Duggars Say Yes to the Dress
This week's episode of "18 Kids and Counting" was devoted to Michelle and Jim Bob's anniversary. They made the announcement that for their anniversary they were going to renew their wedding vows.
To begin the process, Jim Bob and Michelle showed their daughter Jana, the church where they got married 25 years ago. Going back there proved to be an emotional time for both Michelle and Jim Bob.
The preparation for the wedding continued when the family travelled to New York to find Michelle a wedding dress. The dress she had worn on their actual wedding day was her mother-in-law's, and would not fit anymore. The family went to Kleinfeld Bridal, an expensive but well-known bridal store in New York. The store has a television show on TLC. Kleinfeld had heard that the Duggars were going to be in town for a television interview, so they invited the family to their store.
For Michelle, it was extremely important to have a modest dress. Their family believes that one should cover up, which is why Michelle was looking for more modest dress, including one with sleeves. All the older kids agree with displaying modesty in their clothing.
All the while, Michelle was also worried about the younger kids. Because a bridal shop "is not suited for young kids," the little kids were starting to get restless.
The first couple of dresses Michelle tried on had too much lace on them. She wanted a dress that was simpler, which is what she found in the next dress. This dress had no lace and was plainer on the bottom. Although it was made as a sleeveless dress, the store's alteration department was able to add a top of the dress she always imagined a high neck with moderate-length sleeves. She decided that this was the one.
After the family returned home, they continued preparing for the wedding. In conjunction with the wedding planning though, the older girls made sure to find time to practice their violins. To continue the planning, Michelle and Jim Bob prepared a plan for their wedding renewaleverything from the planning of it to the actual wedding day.
A few weeks later, a package arrives from Kleinfeld Bridal. When it first arrived, the younger kids kept wondering what it was. However, Michelle didn't let them open it right away because she "didn't want it to get messed up." Eventually Michelle and Jim Bob allowed Joy-Anna and Johannah to open the box. And of course, it is the dress. Everyone thought Kleinfeld did a good job on the alterations, and they were all very impressed with the dress.
The episode ended with Michelle explaining how they had had to decide on a wedding renewal date sooner than they had planned. They had to do this because Michelle is pregnant and she didn't want to grow out of the dress as the baby grew.
The wedding renewal is set for the next day.