The Duggar clan is expanding yet again! People reports that John-David Duggar and Abbie Burnett announced their engagement in a joint statement Wednesday.
The news is undoubtedly exciting for the Duggar family, which includes parents Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 19 children. John-David, the second-oldest Duggar son and twin of sister Jana, will be the eighth Duggar child to tie the knot.
At 28, John-David will become a married man relatively late compared with the rest of his wedded siblings: His brothers Josh, Joe, and Si and sisters Jill, Jessa, Jinger, and Joy-Anna all wed in their late teens and early 20s.
News of John-David and Abbie's engagement might come as a surprise to some, as they announced their courtship just a month ago to indicate that they were dating with the intention of getting married. Still, that's pretty standard as far as the Duggar family goes…
John-David and Abbie made their social media debut together on the joint Instagram account, @johnandabbie, sharing their first post on June 26.
"So, I reconsidered the whole 'bachelor ‘til the rapture' thing," John-David joked in the post's caption.
The couple announced their courtship about a month ago in a video for TLC.
"We’ve known of each other for several years," John-Duggar began before Abbie chimed in: "John flew in for a church event here in Oklahoma where I’m from. We really got connected then."
John-David and Abbie rewrote the rules of Duggar courtship while they were dating.
The couple didn't shy away from PDA while they were courting each other, despite the family's strict rules about physical contact before marriage.
The two were also rumored to be skipping church to spend more time together throughout their courtship, according to Radar Online. Scandalous!
The couple hasn't completely abandoned the family's rules for courtship, though, making sure to have a chaperone present whenever they're together.
And, unlike prior Duggar fiancées, Abbie has a job.
Abbie is a certified nurse in Oklahoma, where she currently lives.
She seems to be getting along just fine with the rest of the Duggar family and recently attended Si's June 30 wedding as John-David's date.
John-David, a pilot and firefighter, proposed to Abbie in a gorgeous, old-fashioned airplane hanger.
The Counting On star dropped to one knee on a heart-shaped pile of red roses in front of a marquee sign lit up with the phrase, "Abbie, Will You Marry Me?"
“We’ve been ready for this step for a little while, but it was really just I had a lot of things I wanted to get done to make it really special," John-David dished in the couple's video for TLC. "I don’t know if I succeeded or not, but it was a lot of things."
The excited couple later got in touch with Us Weekly to share a joint statement explaining just how much their engagement means to them.
"The proposal and the ‘yes’ really solidified that we want to spend the rest of our lives together," they wrote. "One of the most amazing things about following Christ is being able to trust Him to direct your path and lead your life. We are so thankful that He led us to one another."
The Duggar family released a statement about the engagement on its website Wednesday morning.
"They are a wonderful match and make a beautiful couple!" the statement read. "Abbie is a lovely young woman, full of tenderness and compassion. She has a deep love for the Lord and we are so delighted that John-David has asked her to be his wife! We love weddings in this family and can’t wait for this next one!"
Fans are equally ecstatic for the happy couple, with many longtime Counting On viewers remarking that John-David seems happier and more himself than ever before.
Some speculated that the two have been courting longer than they've let on.
And while some thought it was about time that the second-oldest Duggar son settled down, others commended him for taking the time to find the right woman for him.
Let the countdown to the wedding officially begin!
