It’s not unusual for the Duggar family to go to great lengths to keep the details of an upcoming wedding under wraps.
After all, there are tens of thousands of obsessive fans who would probably love to crash the party, and with 900 or so guests in attendance, it might be quite some time before anyone noticed the interloper in their midst.
But the level of secrecy surrounding Josiah Duggar’s upcoming nuptials hasn’t been seen before — and fans are beginning to wonder what the young couple has to hide.
Josiah got engaged to Lauren Swanson back in March, and the couple was originally scheduled for a June wedding.
As we’ve learned from Josiah’s older siblings, Duggar courtships generally move very fast,
After all, in the Duggars’ world, time that’s not spent procreating is time that’s been wasted.
The planning process was underway and Josiah and Lauren were reportedly very eager to tie the knot.
Then something very unexpected happened …
Josiah and Lauren postponed their wedding, pushing it all the way back to New Year’s Eve.
Yes, without warning or explanation, the couple decided to delay the wedding by six months.
For context, Duggar couples usually meet, court, and get married in less than six months.
The situation has fans particularly concerned, as unlike his siblings, Josiah has courted before.
The 21-year-old was briefly in a relationship with Marjorie Jackson, but they quietly went their separate ways, making Josiah the first Duggar of his generation to enter a courtship that didn’t end in marriage.
Is this a case of history repeating itself, or did Josiah and Lauren mutually decide to push their wedding date back?
At this point, it seems to be the latter, as pre-wedding festivities that were planned before the postponement are currently underway.
Yes, as In Touch Weekly reports, Josiah’s bachelor party took place last week, and the event was not what fans expected.
For one thing, a Duggar was permitted to have a bachelor party, proving once again that Josiah is the family rebel.
On top of that, the party was a massive affair, complete with some of the Duggar’s famous friends in attendance.
Lawson Bates hung out with Anna Duggar, and fans suspect the rest of the Bates family was there, as well.
Needless to say, this wasn’t your typical bachelor party.
Children were in attendance, and it was a very family-friendly affair — but that should go without saying when you’re talking about the Duggar clan.
Of course, the odd timing and the massive guest list have left fans wondering if this was really a bachelor party … or something else entirely.
After all, who holds a bachelor party seven whole months before the wedding?
Rumors are already circulating that Josiah and Lauren used the occasion to announce to their assembled family and friends that they’ve decided not to get married, but that seems like a stretch.
Josiah may be the family rebel — but there’s only so much Jim Bob will tolerate.
Watch Counting On online for more from reality TV’s most controversial family.
