Hpmec

In a normal house there wouldn't have been a chaperone at all, and particularly not at a marriage proposal. My daughter is 21. Her boyfriend is 23. They are college seniors who live in the same apartment complex. If I demanded they have a third party with them at all times to assure they didn't hold hands, hug, or kiss, they'd suggest I get mental health help after they stopped laughing.

Jessa 's silent refusal to let go of Ben's hand during that prayer spoke volumes. Without uttering a sound, she told her parents and the tv audience that she's an adult and will decide for herself what constitutes appropriate behavior. J'Chelle was thoroughly flustered that it happened on camera since she and Boob are so heavily invested in keeping up the charade that their children are happily obedient at all times. The frontal hug was equally deliberate, and it seemed obvious it wasn't their first. The girl has spunk. I hope for both their sakes that they continue to think independently and postpone the first baby until they are older and have an income that isn't dependent on Boob. One can dream, anyway.

I loved the defiant hand holding during the prayer as well as the full frontal hug. J'Chelle's reaction to the hand holding was so over the top it would have made a good Saturday Night Live sketch. You'd have thought Jessa was giving Ben a lap dance the way J'Chelle carried on. In Duggarland that full frontal hug was also a major no no. Good thing J'Chelle didn't see that one or she'd have sent Jessa off for some serious re-programming on the spot. I'm with those who suspect raging hormones got the better of those two before the I Do's. If so, good for them.

Kirk Cameron used to live next door to a friend of mine, and I met him a couple of times. This was years ago when he and his wife had just adopted their first child Jack, who is African-American. I mention this only because I cannot imagine Boob matching up one of his daughters with an African-American adoptee (since some posters here are speculating about a future Cameron/Duggar courtship). Not in this lifetime. Kirk was very polite and friendly toward my lapsed Catholic friend and her athiest husband. They stayed in touch and continued to socialize even after Kirk moved his family to fancier digs in a gated community. I have no doubt of the sincerity of his religious beliefs, but I suspect his association with the Duggars is more business than pleasure.

Pickles and Hairspray Facebook has a photo of J'Chelle holding an unhappy baby. The picture was apparently taken back at the homestead after Jessa's wedding. She borrowed another one of Kelly Bates' dresses, this time the blue one Kelly wore to Erin and Chad's wedding. You'd think with all their money she could buy her own mother of the bride dresses, but apparently not.

Very pretty dress. Proof that modest doesn't have to mean a bunch of unsightly alterations or a tee-shirt top. Hooray for Jessa and Ben keeping their first (married) kiss private. Horrible that the crowd was subjected to the awful spectacle of a J'Chelle/JBoob smooch instead. You just know they milked it for all it was worth. :( I hope Jessa isn't moving out of the girls' room only to move into Ben's makeshift room on the property. That would suck. Will be interested in seeing where JBoob locates them, though, since he is still their only visible means of support. That definitely sucks. Sure hope that changes before long, but not holding my breath.

She wore beige? No kiss at the altar? Wow...a lot of gumption there. Good on Jessa for independent thought!

Interviews taped yesterday with J'Chelle and JB and Jessa and Ben are posted on Pickes and Hairspray FB page. Of course J'Chelle and JB make it all about them. Apparently the newlyweds are taking a 3 week honeymoon. So much for Ben's education unless he plans to continue his online classes during short breaks from snogging.

Sounds pretty much like a repeat of Jill's event. Barefoot bride? Check. Galloping out of church for some nookie in a back room? Check. Inadequate reception seating for the number of guests (200 chairs total for 800 guests)? Check. Taking bets that J'Chelle will be back in the tin foil monstrosity for round two since JBoob told her he likes it. Let the snarking begin.

Regarding the pizza delivery comment. I remember an episode of Four Weddings in which there was either too little food or the food was so late in being served that the three other brides attending the wedding had a pizza delivered. Imagine JimBoob's face watching a pizza delivery guy show up. He's so cheap, though, he probably would have tried to mooch a slice.

Jessa does not have a maternal bone in her body. The minute she started courting Ben she became too busy for helping around the house. There is no way she's ready to take on the roles of mother to a bunch of howlers and housewife. If she was brought up in a non-fundie household she'd be in college or maybe beauty school, dating, and having the time of her life. Too bad she's trapped in a cult with a father who's marrying her off to a teenager.

I agree with GEML that Jessa may send her children to a private Christian school, but only because I can't see her putting forth the effort to be a homeschooling mom. I think she and Ben will continue to ride the Duggar gravy train as long as they can, though. With a limited education and the job skills he's learning from JimBoob like cleaning toilets not very lucrative, Ben has little choice but to make the show his career for now. The way JB was leading him by the tie at the wedding said it all. JB leads. Ben follows.

JimBoob thinks its important that his sons-in-law become Duggars. I keep waiting for an off camera producer to ask him in a TH if Michelle's dad insisted he become a Ruark. Watching him squirm would be fun. Anyhow, he seems to be choosing guys for his daughters who are willing to obey his rules. I don't see any evidence that either Derick or Ben has any inclination to live a less Duggarcentric life. Also I wonder what Derick's brother thought of the reception. - probably not much. I would bet big money that after Derick and Jill took off, he and whatever buddies were there headed for the nearest sports bar for burgers and brews (after making sure Cathy was home and comfortable, of course). He doesn't seem like the root beer float, rice krispie treat type.

Anna also had a nice dress on in the episode where Josh took her to a restaurant for their anniversary. Her skirt was surprisingly short. The DC move has done her a world of good. Hoping to see Kynzie in cute capris one of these days. Then I'll know for sure that Gothard is losing his grip.

3girlsforus, you may be onto something. Perhaps J'Chelle and Boob left it up to most favored little Josie to select the food. That would explain a lot. :)

I'm all in favor of people following their regional traditions, and there is no one right or wrong way to do a wedding reception. I certainly understand and respect that many people prefer or have to keep it simple. However, if I am invited to a huge televised wedding in which the bride's parents are millionaires who have their own tv show, I am going to anticipate at the very least a buffet of finger sandwiches or pasta and salad. Come on. How cheap can Boob be? Rice krispie treats? Posters have pointed out that many local catering companies would have gladly given the Duggars a break in exchange for the free publicity. What it boils down to is that the Duggars' mindset was that being in their presence and eating a cupcake was good enough for the hundreds not invited back to the homestead -sort of an entitled, insulting "Let them eat cake" attitude. Hope some of these marginalized "guests" learned their lesson and plan to skip the gift and stay home next time.

I agree that It's a shame that Joan Rivers passed away and Fashion Police is off the air for now. The comments about J'Chelle's dress would have no doubt been hysterically funny. Cathy is one classy lady. She was released from the hospital that day and still managed to look lovely and put together. J'Chelle should have stuck to her puffy sleeve green shirt and baggy denim skirt. Even that would have been an improvement over the tin foil fiasco. What an embarrassment.

Joe Jitsu913 you are so right about the food. I've been to many weddings, none of them hosted by anyone who had a tv show. Yet, at each and every one, guests were treated to at least a simple meal. Even at cocktail receptions, there is usually plenty to eat. That's called hospitality. You don't invite people to a social event, expect them to travel a considerable distance at their own expense to be there, and then send them away with a small root beer float in a plastic cup. It's beyond cheap and it's thoroughly tacky. Speaking of cheap and tacky, I'll never believe that J'Chelle didn't borrow Kelly Bates' dress and add a stupid bib for modesty. It's just too coincidental that they would buy the same ugly ass mother of the bride dress. At least Kelly managed to look decent in it. I can't top the poster who likened it to the bride of the Tin Man on J'Chelle, so I won't even try.

Derick's step-dad hands down gets the award for least happy guest. It was terribly awkward that when Derick and Jill came in to greet Cathy, no one even aknowledged him. He looked miserable, like he was about to undergo an invasive medical procedure. I suspect he was very understandably preoccupied with his wife's illness, but it just seemed so apparent that he has zero interest in anything having to do with the Duggars. Also, if J'Chelle and Boob greeted Derick's mother and her husband, it wasn't shown or implied, even in a background shot. The groom's mother, who had just been discharged from the hospital, deserved better. All of the guests deserved better than that crappy reception. Cupcakes, ice cream, and popcorn at a wedding hosted by millionaires who have their own tv show? Insulting. If they weren't willing to spring for a simple buffet of pasta and salad to feed their guests, they shouldn't have invited so many. It was pathetic watching people sitting on curbs or park benches outside on the pavement. The Duggars not only didn't feed their guests, they made no effort to make them comfortable. A few other quick observations. Jill's lack of footwear was inappropriate in that setting. Did somone yell "fire" in the church? You'd think so by the way the entire wedding party bolted. Ben and Josh are idiots, but we all knew that. Had Jill and Derick ever previously met the pastor who married them? Nothing about the ceremony seemed personal. It was all very generic.

By standards I meant no music with a rock beat and modest dress. She was probably assured in advance that she woudn't be defrauded. As for the subject matter, It's an innocuous fairy tale with a happily ever after ending. Jill is no doubt familiar ith Bible stories featuring considerably more wanton behavior.

Gothardism equates music with a beat to the devil. Pretty safe bet that Jill is not going to subject herself to anything too lively. I'm not being snarky by suggesting that her entertainment choices are, like her clothing, guided by her strong religious principles, which, realistically, are limiting. Just as she's not going to be seen in even a one piece bathing suit anytime soon, she's not going to buy a ticket to all but a very few shows that meet her moral standards. She's not about to check her beliefs at the stage door.

I'm sure Cinderella is a good show and it's great that Derick introduced his wife to Broadway Theatre. That's a hopeful sign. However, it's sad that two adults have to limit entertainment choices on the basis of possibly being defrauded or exposed to something "sinful" like dancing. I assume that at Oklahoma State Derick was exposed to literature and possibly live theatre. Now he has to limit his choices to what the Duggars find acceptable. That may wear thin after awhile.

Didn't the clue call for the name of the restaurant chain? There is no "Goodbye" in the name Ruby Tuesday. I'm surprised they gave it to him. He would still have won either way, but that just seemed very generous. On edit, looking at the clue gain, I can see why they gave it to him. However, it was still a judgment call and even the contestant thought he got it wrong.

The Duggars run around the country speaking on behalf of candidates who support a strong national defense and who tout freedom as an important value. They personally enjoy the freedom to worship as they please, to homeschool their kids, to own guns, and to speak out on issues that are important to them. - just a few of their Constitutionally protected freedoms. However, they're content to let others do the heavy lifting when it comes to defending those freedoms, and are definitely not pro military service for themselves. No one must serve including the Duggars, but it's flat out hypocritical to go on the campaign trail in support of hawkish rightwing candidates if they themselves are unwilling to step up and serve.

The thought of marrying someone you've never been alone with is insane. At the very least people contemplating marriage need to have long brutally honest private conversations exploring everything from attitudes about money to expectations about sex to career goals to food preferences and on and on. How can anyone be ready to make a lifelong commitment to someone they know only under very controlled circumstances? The Duggars do their kids no favors. With the spectacularly immature Jessa and Ben, the rush into marriage will, I fear, come back to bite them in the butt bigtime.