Counting On star Jedidiah Duggar, 22, marries Katey Nakatsu just SEVEN WEEKS after getting engaged – Daily Mail

Counting On star Jedidiah Duggar, 22, has tied the knot with his fiancée Katey Nakatsu, also 22, in Arkansas — just a month and a half after the pair got engaged.

Jed — a twin and the 10th of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 kids — had kept his relationship a secret on social media, but revealed on Saturday that he and Katey have said ‘I do.’

Jed, who ran a failed campaign for a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives last year, told fans on Instagram that he and Katey had been dating for a year before the nuptials, adding that he is ‘the happiest man in the world’ and ‘so grateful God brought Katey into my life.’

The Duggars typically make much fanfare about announcing that they are ‘courting’ and engaged, publicizing their announcements on TLC — even if they wait several months to do so.

But Jed took a more private route, keeping mum about his relationship on his wedding day.

On April 3, he took to share a photo of himself in a blue suit, posing nose-to-nose with his new bride.

‘For a long time I have prayed for my future spouse, not knowing who that person would be. God answered my prayers far beyond what I could have ever imagined in Katey!’ he wrote.

‘We have enjoyed quietly developing our relationship over the past year and every moment together has been amazing! 

‘I’m so grateful God brought Katey into my life and excited to share with you all that today she became my wife! Katey, the thought of sharing the rest of my life with you makes me the happiest man in the world! I love you so much!!’ he concluded.

Congratulatory comments have poured in from his siblings and in-laws, including Jill, Jessa, Joy Anna, Jason, Josh’s wife Anna, and his twin Jeremiah — as well as several members of the Bates family of Bringing Up Bates fame.

On their official page, Jed’s parents wrote: ‘We are overjoyed about adding another daughter-in-love to our family!! Jed and Katey have enjoyed a quiet, low-key relationship that has allowed them to prepare for a beautiful life together.  

‘Congrats to this wonderful couple on their wedding day! We are excited to see how their story continues to unfold in the future. Jed, we are so pleased with the man you’ve become, and Katey, we are absolutely delighted that you have joined the family!’

Part of the ceremony was broadcast live on YouTube, capturing the moment Katey came down the aisle and the vows that the pair recited to one another. 

Jed cited the bible, saying that the husband is ‘the head of the wife’ while promising to remain faithful, listen to Katey’s needs, and love her whether she is ‘healthy or sick, rich or poor, young or old.’

Katey, meanwhile, quoted Ephesians 5:22: ‘Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.’

She promised to ‘submit to your authority as you do to Christ,’ ‘submit to your leadership, pray for you always, trust you, honor you remain faithful to you, be your greatest encourager.’  

Though the ceremony took place outside, friends and family celebrated with a large indoor mask-free gathering.

Photos from the big day show several family members in attendance, including Jed’s big sister Jinger, 27, who flew in from California with her husband Jeremy, 33.

Joe, 26, and his wife Kendra, 22, were also there with their three children, including their six-week-old daughter Brooklyn Praise.  

Jed’s younger brother Justin, 18, also had a large indoor wedding earlier this year, where guests were seen packed into an event hall without masks as well.

Even before making it official, Jed and Katey had already received one major gift, according to The Sun: a $365,000 house from Jed’s parents.

Jed — who until recently slept in a twin bed in a shared bedroom in an apartment he rented with his twin brother Jeremiah — was reportedly gifted a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom house in Springdale, Arkansas.

The 2,180-square-foot one-story home, which sits on 5.78 acres of land, has a two-car garage, central cooling, and a covered patio — and is just 4.5 miles away from Jim Bob and Michelle.

Built in 1975, relator.com estimates the price at $294,900, though The Sun says that Jim Bob and Michelle bought the property on March 30, 2020 for $365,000. 

In the past, Jim Bob has allowed his adult children to move into properties that he owns. Late last year, he reportedly sold a mobile home that he’d bought for $35,500 to his son Justin, 18 — charging the teen just $1.  

Jim Bob has bought and sold quite a few properties over the years, and now it seems that Jed is also taking up real estate as a way to provide for his family.

The Sun reported that licensed real estate agent Jed launched a real estate company, Ambassador Properties, LLC, in November. So far, he has already bought .33 acres if residential land for $7,000, where he may build a home to sell.   

Everything fell into place pretty quickly for Jed and Katey, who got engaged on Valentine’s Day this year. 

Photos shared by sleuthing fans, including blogger Katie Joy, show the young couple smiling and posing while newly-engaged Katey shows off her diamond ring.

Meanwhile, an engagement video uploaded to the Nakatsu family website on March 18 shows Jed bringing Katey into a freezing cold church decorated with votive candles and flower petals.

Jed gets down on one knee and proposes to a smiling Katey, who nods her head, pulls her hand out of her winter coat for the ring, and half-embraces him in a chaste side-hug.

The Duggars, as many fans know, follow very strict rules governing male-female interactions. In addition to saving their first kiss for their wedding day, Duggars generally refrain from physical contact any more intimate than a short side-hug before marriage. Some engaged couples agree to hold hands.

The pair’s engagement video also shows them sharing a second side-hug before enjoying dinner for two in an outdoor plastic bubble and s’mores over a fire, which they feed to each other. 

In a voiceover, Jed and Katey also recited vows they made to each other upon their betrothal.  

‘In the presence of God and our family and friends, I pledge to take you as my future wife,’ Jed said.

‘Until that time [that we marry], I pledge to … stay in the sight of others when we are together. I pledge to keep my way pure, and honor you with my eyes, my mind, and my heart.

‘I will protect you by having no intimate physical contact until that day when God allows, I will come receive you as my wife,’ he concluded.

Katey, meanwhile, vowed: ‘Jedediah Duggar, I receive your pledge to marry, and when the Lord calls, I will be your wife. 

‘Just as the church is set apart for Christ, I am now set apart for you. I pledge myself to you, forsaking all others. And just as the Lord calls His bride to the church to make herself ready, I pledge to make myself ready for the day that God shall bring us together as one,’ she said.

‘Until that day, I promise to redeem the time well by preparing for the high calling of a noble wife, and, if it be the Lord’s will, a godly mother someday. I pledge to you, Jed, to guard and strengthen my testimony of Christ, and to be above reproach in my thoughts, words, and actions.’  

Jed’s wedding and his large new house should be balm for the 22-year-old, who mounted a failed campaign for political office last year.

In November of 2019, Jed announced that he was running for a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives — 20 years after his father Jim Bob Duggar served two terms in the same government body.   

Jed ran as a Republican to represent Arkansas’ 89th district, which includes Springdale, where he previously lived with his parents siblings.

Though he won the Republican nomination, he lost in the general election to Democratic incumbent Megan Godfrey.

Godfrey, 37, is a married mother of two with a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Arkansas. She previously worked as a teacher, and now serves on a subcommittee on higher education. 

‘While I am disappointed that we came up short, I am grateful for the opportunity to listen and learn from so many amazing people that make Northwest Arkansas one of the best places to live in the USA,’ he said at the time of his loss.

Upon announcing his candidacy, Jed unveiled a conservative platform, promising to ‘fight for sound economic policies, push for more tax relief for all Arkansans, and advocate for conservative values.’ 

‘I am a Christian and I will stand up for religious liberty, I am pro-life and I will be an advocate for the unborn, and I will always defend our Second Amendment,’ he said. 

‘I have grown up in the Springdale area all my life and as a local small-business owner, I understand the important issues facing the residents and businesses of District 89,’ he said in a campaign video.

On his website, Jed touted his qualifications, highlighting his role as the owner of Champion Motorcars in Springdale.

He also listed Christian mission trips he has taken taken and detailed his participation at church. 

His political experience includes working as a campaign manager for Senator Bob Ballinger’s 2018 State Senate bid, as well as serving as a legislative assistant at the Arkansas State Capitol during the 2017 legislation session. 

Jed, who is the 10th of 19 children, promised that he is ‘pro-business, pro-family, and is committed to putting Springdale’s conservative values first.’

His website also laid out his stances on several issues, which all fall in line with religious conservatism. 

‘I am a Christian and pro-life conservative who values the fact that life begins at conception,’ he said, promising to champion the ‘un-born.’ 

‘I believe every human life is created in God’s image, and we must stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves.’

On guns, the NRA member said: ‘I will defend our right to keep and bear arms and I will take a stand against liberal judges who trample on our God-given constitutional rights.’

He promised to work to lower taxes and ‘fight to keep government out of the way and push back on burdensome regulations that hurt our small businesses.’

Jed, who was raised in an evangelical household, also wrote a lengthy passage about religious liberty.

‘People of faith understand that worship is not only confined to the four walls of church, it must be lived out in our daily life. Business owners and employees should never be forced to choose between violating their religious conscience and breaking the law,’ he said.

Finally, he lamented the opioid crisis and shared his intention to fix it with the help of religious programs.

‘We must combat this issue head on by promoting educational initiatives and working with non-profit and faith-based programs that encourage prevention, recovery and rehabilitation.’   

Jed’s bid for office was an attempt to follow in the footsteps of his father Jim Bob, 54, who served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002, representing District 6. 

He was vice chair of the House Corrections and Criminal Law Subcommittee during that time, and also ran on a conservative values platform.

In 2002, he decided to leave the House and ran in the Republican primary election for a seat in the United States Senate, but lost in the primary to incumbent Senator Tim Hutchinson, with a vote of 71,576 to 20,546

In 2006, he also lost a race for the Arkansas State Senate and has not returned to politics in an official capacity, though he has supported numerous political campaigns. 

Jim Bob’s oldest son, Josh, 32, was the next to go into politics, though his career was short-lived, getting derailed by a series of sex scandals. 

He worked as a part-time political consultant in 2007, and in 2008 worked on the Republican presidential primary campaign of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. 

He also campaigned for presidential candidate Rick Santorum in 2012, telling a crowd: ‘Our family is like the epitome of conservative values. People connect to us in that way.’

Finally, he took a job as executive director of FRC Action, a conservative political action and lobbying group where he engaged in ‘taking the message of faith, family and freedom all across America.’

But Josh left his job in 2015 after InTouch revealed that he had molested five little girls — including four of his younger sisters — when he was a teenager. Soon after, Josh was discovered to have an account on the adultery website Ashley Madison, and he admitted to being unfaithful to his wife and watching pornography. 

‘I have been the biggest hypocrite ever,’ he said in a public statement at the time. ‘While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife.’  

He added: ‘The last few years, while publicly stating I was fighting against immorality in our country while hiding my own personal failings. 

Second-oldest son John David, 29, is also an elected official, serving as a Constable. He ran as a Republican. 

Otherwise, the family’s political activism has come down to voting and supporting conservative candidates.

In 2015, matriarch Michelle, 52, came under public scrutiny for recording a transphobic robocall in opposition to an anti-discrimination bill in Arkansas.

‘Hello, this is Michelle Duggar,’ she said in the recording. ‘I’m calling to inform you of some shocking news that would affect the safety of Northwest Arkansas women and children. 

‘The Fayetteville City Council is voting on an ordinance this Tuesday night that would allow men – yes, I said men – to use women’s and girls’ restrooms, locker rooms, showers, sleeping areas and other areas that are designated for females only.

‘I don’t believe the citizens of Fayetteville would want males with past child predator convictions that claim they are female to have a legal right to enter private areas that are reserved for women and girls. 

‘I doubt that Fayetteville parents would stand for a law that would endanger their daughters or allow them to be traumatized by a man joining them in their private space. 

‘Parents, who do you want undressing next to your daughter at the public swimming pool’s private changing area?’

She and Jim Bob also had all of their kids record a campaign video endorsing Rick Santorum in 2012.