The Mysterious Man Behind Jana Duggar: How Is Stephen Wissmann Changing Her Life? What Makes Him So Different?

The Mysterious Man Behind Jana Duggar: How Is Stephen Wissmann Changing Her Life? What Makes Him So Different?

Jana Duggar, the eldest daughter of the Duggar family from the reality TV show 19 Kids and Counting, married Stephen Wissmann on Aug. 15, 2024, celebrating with nearly 500 guests.

The couple, who got engaged in June 2024, wed at The Grand at Willow Springs with Jana’s sisters serving as her bridesmaids. The wedding was a “dream come true,” Jana shared with PEOPLE adding that she knew Stephen was “the one” because of his “character.”

“I think it’s just been over time, his character, his coming back, still loving me no matter what,” she said. “I know we have a big crazy family and [that requires] still kind of putting up with a lot of things. I’m like, my goodness, there are not too many people that do that. He must really, I guess, genuinely care about me.”

While the couple had a short engagement, they’ve known each other for quite some time, even briefly dating and breaking up years before their marriage, and then ultimately reconnecting in early 2024 when Stephen asked Jana out with a handwritten note.

So who is Jana Duggar’s husband? Here’s everything to know about Stephen Wissmann and his relationship with the former reality star.

He comes from a big family — and they have a band

While he’s not one of 19, Stephen grew up in a large family of 13 siblings in Milford, Neb.

“Coming from two bigger families, we love to be able to get together and celebrate moments like these,” Jana told PEOPLE at the time of their nuptials. “And so to have all of them there, it just means a lot.”

The Wissmanns family of 15 bonds not only through faith but also through music.

The Wissmanns are a Christian/Gospel music family band formed by parents Loren and Gloria after they married in 1980. The band includes all 13 children, who contribute musically and vocally. The family started performing locally in 1999 and now sing at various events, including church services, festivals and Christian schools.

Their music features a variety of instruments and styles, including bluegrass, gospel, original compositions and hymns. The family band performs on a “love-gift offering” basis, relying on the giving of their audience to support their concerts.

He’s a “man of many talents”

Stephen is a private pilot and a skilled craftsman who enjoys making small furniture, per his bio on the Wissmann Family website. He is also interested in sports.

Stephen is a man of many talents,” his bio reads. “He is gifted in initiating conversations that encourage and challenge, and he has a heart for ministry.”

He also directs many of his family’s music arrangements, plays the mandolin, guitar and sings lead and bass in their family band.

He works in the family business

Stephen plays a significant role in his family’s business, Wissmann Enterprises, where he serves as assistant manager.

The company specializes in commercial roof coatings, industrial blasting and painting, as well as excavation and trenching projects.

He is active in his church

Stephen is deeply involved in his church community. Like Jana, his commitment to his faith is a significant aspect of his life and has been a guiding force in their relationship.

Jana has often spoken about how her faith has helped her navigate the challenges of finding love and trusting in God’s timing.

“I haven’t always understood what the bigger picture is, but I know that God knows what is best for all of us. And so for me, it’s getting married later,” she told PEOPLE. “I think it’s neat how God orchestrates.”

Jana and Stephen met through their families

Jana and Stephen’s families knew each other long before the two got together. The Wissmanns and Duggars first connected when the Wissmann family visited the Duggar home over a decade ago, Jana recalled to PEOPLE.

“I remember them coming to our home, probably 13 or so years ago and they ended up getting snowed-in here, which hardly ever happens in Arkansas,” she said. “I remember just playing games late into the night, doing puzzles together until the snow melted off, and they were able to travel back home.”

Although Jana and Stephen didn’t connect romantically at that time, their paths crossed in adulthood and they briefly dated before parting ways but “talked to each other on and off over the years.” Ultimately, they reconnected in early 2024, realizing their strong connection.

Jana and Stephen weren’t the only ones to find love because of their family friendship — her brother Jeremiah married his sister Hannah in 2022.

Jana is moving to Stephen’s home state

Following their wedding, Jana plans to move to Nebraska to live with Stephen, where the couple will start their new life together and renovate a home.

“It’s great. We’ve been working, he has a little house we bought that we’ve been fixing up and getting pulled together, and so that’s been fun,” Jana told PEOPLE.