TLCGuests may not have gotten to see 19 Kids and Counting star Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald kiss at their wedding ceremony, but they still got to see a sweet, heartwarming moment.
At the Saturday event, the 19-year-old, looking dapper in a navy tuxedo, gray button-down shirt, brown shoes and coral bow tie was overcome with emotion as he lay eyes for the first time on his bride in her bridal attire—a gorgeous blush Allure Fall 2014 ball gown with a tulle and satin skirt that cascading into sweeping train. Jessa followed a common bridal tradition by waiting until the wedding ceremony to showcase her bridal look for her beau, People magazine reported on Wednesday.
"Jessa was a breathtaking bride and, I do believe from the moment she walked down the aisle and took Ben's hand to the end of the ceremony, my son had tears of joy streaming down his face," the groom's mother, Guinn Seewald, said on her Facebook page on Tuesday. "Oh, Happy Day!"
Jessa, now Jessa Seewald, also celebrated about happy day on Tuesday—her 22nd birthday.
More than 1,000 people, including Growing Pains alum Kirk Cameron, attended her and Ben's wedding, which took place at the First Baptist Church in Bentonville, Arkansas. Jessa had 10 bridesmaids, dressed in mid-length coral dresses, and her 20-year-old sister, Jinger Duggar served as her maid of honor, People reported.
While Jessa adopted the "first look" tradition, she and Ben rejected another one—the newlyweds, who both come from devout Christian families, did not kiss there, opting to share the anticipated moment in private. Jessa and Ben also skipped other traditions at the wedding.
"This kind of moral excellence and purity is rare today," Cameron said on his Facebook page, regarding the absence of their ceremony kiss.
People also reported that Ben's aunt Rebecca Seewald sang "Love Never Fails," with several lyrics modified by the bride, before the two exchanged vows and poured sand into a glass bottle to signify their union. The 2009 song is by Christian alternative rock singer Brandon Heath, who had performed it at Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher's wedding.
Their wedding is the second Duggar wedding to take place this year. Her older sister Jill Duggar, now Jill Dillard, and her beau Derick Dillard wed in June. They did not adopt the "first look" tradition and did share their first kiss at their ceremony. The two are currently expecting their first child. Their wedding was featured on an episode of 19 Kids and Counting, while Jessa and Ben's will be shown on the series as well.
Jessa and Ben got engaged in August following an 11-month courtship that was monitored heavily by her parents Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar, who enforce strict rules for their children, such as forcing them to have a chaperone during dates and avoiding certain forms of physical contact.
"As far as our kids dating, we believe a lot of times, if you're alone with a person, that it can create desires that can kinda get stirred and you don't have any accountability and can kind of lead to some hanky panky," Jim Bob had said in a video posted by TLC.
"No holding hands, no kissing," Jessa says. "Side hugs."
Jim Bob and Michelle kissed in her and Ben's place at the wedding ceremony. While it is unclear if the moment was spontaneous, the sweet gesture could bear some personal significance.
"We did not save our first kiss for our wedding day and we really regret that we didn't," Michelle says in TLC's video. "We really should have."