Michelle's family at the weddings?

[Nishi621]

have seen so many pictures of the weddings. Derick's family, Ben's family, their friends, Amy, tons of people.

 

Was Michelle's family invited to both or either? Were they there??

[eh02]

I'd have to go back and watch the old family reunion episode to even recognize Michelle's family, honestly.

It'd be pretty insulting to have a wedding with 1000+ people and not invite your aunts, uncles and cousins, though. You can get away with that at a small wedding, but not when you invite every fundie in a 600 mile radius.

Maybe they were invited and didn't think it was worth it to make a trip for a root beer float. :D

[NotALoserLikeYou]

If they do, they are very private about it. I havent seen social media postings from them. Maybe I'll look into her family tree a little bit more.

[fabkiwi06]

For some reason, I was under the assumption that they were distancing themselves from the Duggars and their beliefs. Can't remember if I read that somewhere (maybe on here) or if that's my own crackpot theory, though.

[actuallyjessica]

If they do, they are very private about it. I havent seen social media postings from them. Maybe I'll look into her family tree a little bit more.

there were pictures of 'cousins' a while back on instagram and they were from michelle's side.

found one!

https://instagram.com/p/tOQTosmlWq/?modal=true

[Georgiana]

Michelle is the baby of the family by a lot, I do believe. Some or most of her siblings are quite a bit older than she is, and I know when we saw them on the show, some of them did not seem to be in great health. And they didn't appear to be very close to the children, so I'm not sure how often they even see the Duggar kids.

Plus, Michelle has 19 kids.

It's one thing travel to go to a few of your nieces'/nephews' weddings that you're not close with just because they are your relations, but when there's 19 of them? Travelling for 20 weddings is a lot, and it's conceivable that there could be 1 Duggar wedding a year for the next 16 years. It's probably less offensive to miss all of them than to go to some and not others.

Honestly, unless I was really close with one of the kids, I'd just send a gift.

[CorruptionInc.]

Michelle is the baby of the family by a lot, I do believe. Some or most of her siblings are quite a bit older than she is, and I know when we saw them on the show, some of them did not seem to be in great health. And they didn't appear to be very close to the children, so I'm not sure how often they even see the Duggar kids.

Plus, Michelle has 19 kids.

It's one thing travel to go to a few of your nieces'/nephews' weddings that you're not close with just because they are your relations, but when there's 19 of them? Travelling for 20 weddings is a lot, and it's conceivable that there could be 1 Duggar wedding a year for the next 16 years. It's probably less offensive to miss all of them than to go to some and not others.

Honestly, unless I was really close with one of the kids, I'd just send a gift.

I wonder if they invite them "just in case" but know they wont come?

[lilith]

I'm pretty sure some of Michelle's siblings attended Josh's wedding.

[CorruptionInc.]

I'm pretty sure some of Michelle's siblings attended Josh's wedding.

Even Evelyn, who they treat like rubbish?

I wonder how that poor woman feels.

[Jana814]

I think one of her siblings lives in the area. Didn't they once show a kid (child of her closest age sibling on the show once? One of the pop-up said he had a whole lot of cousins (like more then 19).

[JuicyDuggar]

Michelle's nephew Doug has attended Josh's, Jill's, and was invited to Jessa's but had to decline due to personal reasons.

ETA: he lives out of state, not in Ohio

[amster]

Michelle's nephew Doug has attended Josh's, Jill's, and was invited to Jessa's but had to decline due to personal reasons.

ETA: he lives out of state, not in Ohio

How do you know this? Not doubting you, just curious as to where you got your info?

[JuicyDuggar]

How do you know this? Not doubting you, just curious as to where you got your info?

He worked with a family member of mine and I've met him once myself. I personally asked him and he told me about the weddings; he was at the Ruark reunion too. He's a really nice guy, not fundie.

[Freefundies]

I would think that some of her family made it to the girls weddings but as some else said I don't think everyone will be able to make it to all those events. Michelle also at one point stated something along those lines about the size of her side of family during one of the daughters weddings. I don't recall her exact words but I was along that line.

[grandmadugger]

I would think that some of her family made it to the girls weddings but as some else said I don't think everyone will be able to make it to all those events. Michelle also at one point stated something along those lines about the size of her side of family during one of the daughters weddings. I don't recall her exact words but I was along that line.

She made a comment as the kids get older and marry that they might not all make it back for weddings. It made me think of what Josie's wedding will be like. Jill and Jessa had 1000+ at their weddings and all of their siblings but Josie will get JB & Michelle and maybe Jessa and her brood.

[ClaraOswin]

How many siblings does Michelle have? I don't really know anything about her family at all.

[metheglyn]

How many siblings does Michelle have? I don't really know anything about her family at all.

According to one of the early special episodes, Michelle is the youngest of 7. Her eldest sister, Pam, is 22 years older than Michelle, and her first (?) child is two months younger than Michelle. Pam commented that both she and her mother could have been in the hospital at the same time, except Michelle was early. (I think it went that way and not the other way around, I just watched the episode on the TBT marathon of pre-show specials last night, but I don't have it immediately to hand right now.)

[goldfishgoddess]

Says it all:

Evelyn Ruark is a 63-year-old lesbian who lives in Cincinnati with her partner of several years.

She's also older the sister of one of the most famous moms in the history of reality TV.

When the Ruark family relocated from Arkansas to Ohio in the early 1980s, youngest daughter Michelle stayed behind to marry boyfriend Jim Bob Duggar.

No one could have predicted that Jim Bob and Michelle would go on to raise an astonishing 19 kids (and counting) and star in a hit reality show for TLC.

Michelle, of course, adopted her husband's ultra-conservative religious beliefs, and as a result, she's mostly lost contact with her much more liberal family.

In fact, they reportedly contact one another so rarely that Michelle may not even be aware that her family thinks she's the one who's lost her way and may need help.

"We are worried about them," says Evelyn's partner, Sharon Callahan, of the deeply conservative Duggars. "We often thought that QuiverFull is a cult."

"It seems brainwashing to me."

The QuiverFull movement is just one component of the Duggars' conservative belief system, which also involves preaching intolerance toward homosexuality.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2891512/Anti-gay-reality-star-pictured-lesbian-sister-Michelle-Duggar-s-older-sister-s-significant-worries-mom-19-s-braining-washing-religious-cult.html

[ADoyle90815]

She made a comment as the kids get older and marry that they might not all make it back for weddings. It made me think of what Josie's wedding will be like. Jill and Jessa had 1000+ at their weddings and all of their siblings but Josie will get JB & Michelle and maybe Jessa and her brood.

My guess is that by the time Josie gets married, the only siblings and their offspring that would show up are those who didn't leave the area. If they got around to building houses on the compound as JB once said they could do during that special.

[Jessica]

Maybe they were at the weddings but didn't sign the papers that say they are OK with being filmed?

[Nic]

My guess is once the weddings stopped being televised, siblings will start not showing up until the last wedding. This they will try to get on TV, and everyone will turn up. It will all be very touching I'm sure.

But between Michelle's lack of relationship w her siblings and her comment about not all kids will go to all weddings, what is her expectation of her kids relationship with one another once they have their own families? Does she see them tight like JB & his sis or does she think it's natural for them to all go off like dandelions running into each other at TTH. JB envisions them all on TTH land, but does Michelle?

[Sundaymorning]

Maybe J'Chelles siblings didn't want to come to the weddings. I mean, other than being family, there really is no reason to go to such a lame wedding (unless you do it for snark-purposes): there are lots and lots of crazy fundies around who probably make stupid speeches, no dancing, no booze, no good food, annoying tv cameras...

Sounds like a great time to me :sleeping:

[PrairieGirl]

Says it all:

Evelyn Ruark is a 63-year-old lesbian who lives in Cincinnati with her partner of several years.

She's also older the sister of one of the most famous moms in the history of reality TV.

When the Ruark family relocated from Arkansas to Ohio in the early 1980s, youngest daughter Michelle stayed behind to marry boyfriend Jim Bob Duggar.

No one could have predicted that Jim Bob and Michelle would go on to raise an astonishing 19 kids (and counting) and star in a hit reality show for TLC.

Michelle, of course, adopted her husband's ultra-conservative religious beliefs, and as a result, she's mostly lost contact with her much more liberal family.

In fact, they reportedly contact one another so rarely that Michelle may not even be aware that her family thinks she's the one who's lost her way and may need help.

"We are worried about them," says Evelyn's partner, Sharon Callahan, of the deeply conservative Duggars. "We often thought that QuiverFull is a cult."

"It seems brainwashing to me."

The QuiverFull movement is just one component of the Duggars' conservative belief system, which also involves preaching intolerance toward homosexuality.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2891512/Anti-gay-reality-star-pictured-lesbian-sister-Michelle-Duggar-s-older-sister-s-significant-worries-mom-19-s-braining-washing-religious-cult.html

This article makes it sound like Michelle married Boob just to avoid moving to Ohio with the rest of her family. It's probably not true, but I think it could have been worded better.

[goldfishgoddess]

So just imagine Michelle's lesbian sister showing up at Jill's wedding with her lesbian partner. :mrgreen: They are a family that feels strongly about discriminating against gay people. Little Joshie would be on his soapbox at the reception. I feel sorry for them that they can't attend family events because Michelle is in the Quiverfull cult.

[Coco]

Maybe J'Chelles siblings didn't want to come to the weddings. I mean, other than being family, there really is no reason to go to such a lame wedding (unless you do it for snark-purposes): there are lots and lots of crazy fundies around who probably make stupid speeches, no dancing, no booze, no good food, annoying tv cameras...

Sounds like a great time to me :sleeping:

Yes! The infamous open mic at the fundie wedding reception. Really just every person the couple knows, a captive audience, sitting at folding tables -- in a echoy church gym in most cases. It is torture. Some of the old folks think those receptions are like a precursor of heaven, all sitting around celebrating a holy marriage like the Church and Christ but... actually since trapped little kids and rebellious older kids like the howlers, hopped up on sherbet punch, will shred the plastic table cloths or light the table decorations on tiny fires (if the couple has lit candles as centerpieces), it can resemble hell. :lol: Also, mint and peanut spoon-catapult tosses happen on the DL.

Just go to youtube and search for open mic at Mennonite wedding, there's one on there currently that has 33 videos (and i think groups of random folks singing, etc.) from the same wedding.

I kind of doubt the Duggars had open mic because there would be a stampede of people like the Rodrigueses trying to get on film, but i'm sure their receptions were pretty dull.