Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard Wedding Draws Record Number Of Viewers For TLC

TLC scored a huge hit when it featured the Jill Duggar-Derick Dillard wedding in a special episode of "19 Kids and Counting" on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

The wedding day special set a new record for the show as it drew 4.4 million viewers. TLC wound up claiming the number one spot for the night as "19 Kids and Counting" even edged out "Sons of Anarchy" on FX that night.

It was actually a delayed telecast of the wedding which took place last June 21.

There was considerable interest around the wedding before it aired. Brides Magazine notes that this prompted TLC to release a special clip pre-wedding clip. The clip showed that the bride and groom had broken with long standing tradition and met before their wedding. During the meeting Derick got to see Jill's custom-made Allure Romance gown created by Ava Laurénne Bride, a prestigious shop located in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Over 1,000 guests comprised of friends and family attended the wedding which was held at the Cross Church in Springdale, Arkansas. The Duggar kids helped make the day a memorable one for the bride and groom, as five of Jill's sisters were bridesmaids, while her other sisters were flower girls. Also two brothers were groomsmen, while five were ushers.

A large number of volunteers turned up to help the Duggar family cater for the reception. They made over 600 cupcakes, 3,000 chocolate-chip cookies and 3,000 rootbeer floats for the wedding reception, which had a "Sweet and Salty" theme.

People reports that Jim Bob, Jill's dad, was very emotional the day before the wedding. "I've been crying half the day, so I'm making jokes to stop crying," he said. During the wedding Jill's mom, Michelle Duggar, also turned emotional, saying, "Today is the longest day of the year and it's also a beautiful day, my mascara is waterproof, luckily."