Jeremy Vuolo Recalls Being Confused by ‘Formulaic’ Duggar Courtship Process: ‘What’s Going On?’

Jinger Duggar’s husband, Jeremy Vuolo, is relieved that he made it through the rigorous Duggar family courtship process – but that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t a little shocked at first!

Known for their strictly modest attire and strong religious beliefs, the Duggars have a “very formulaic way of dating,” according to Jeremy, 37.

“It was called courtship,” he explained on the Wednesday, July 30, episode of The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast. “And so, there were strict rules.”

Some of the famed family’s publicly discussed expectations included courting with the purpose of finding a spouse, having at least one chaperone with them on all dates, no kissing and even requiring a potential boyfriend to fill out a lengthy questionnaire about their personality, habits and what they want from a relationship. These were all rules that Jeremy did not grow up following – something he had in common with brothers-in-law Ben Seewald and Derick Dillard, who married sisters Jessa and Jill Duggar.

“Guys coming in who weren’t from that world, like myself or Ben or Derick, were kind of like, ‘What’s going on?’” he explained.

In the end, he won Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s approval —and his wife Jinger’s heart.

“It was fine because obviously, I’m looking at my wife going, ‘She’s worth it,’” he shared. “But it took a lot of getting used to.”

Jeremy and Jinger, 31, said “I do” in 2016 and share three kids together – daughters Felicity, 6, and Evangeline, 4, and son Finn, who they welcomed in late March. While their relationship is solid now, as Star previously reported, they suffered through a “deep betrayal” early in their marriage.

The father of three clarified that the specific incident did not have to do with their respective families, but rather other people that he’d been “excited” for Jinger to meet after they tied the knot.

“You have relationships in your life that ground you, and when those shake or are removed, you feel like, ‘What am I doing?’” he said at the time.

Years later, Jeremy and Jinger were able to reflect on the tough situations that they’ve faced and how they’ve grown together as a married couple.

“A lot of [the challenges] were assaults from the outside. And it was like, ‘OK, we didn’t expect to be in a war zone,’” he added, “but we got to bunker down and we get to bunker down with each other.”