The couple were introduced through Jinger’s sister Jessa Duggar and her husband, Ben Seewald, who met the former soccer star in Texas before he visited the Duggar family in Arkansas.

“Over the rest of that year, I would visit the Seewald’s every so often and have the chance to interact with all of the Duggars and get to know Jinger a bit. However, it was not until months later that I began praying about the possibility of pursuing a relationship with her,” Vuolo recalled in a blog post after his courtship with the 19 Kids and Counting alum was officially confirmed in June 2016.

The Arkansas native reflected on the early days of her spark with the ex-MLS player in the pair’s 2021 memoir, The Hope We Hold, admitting that she “had never felt such a strong attraction to anyone.” However, Vuolo had a hard time winning over Jinger’s father, Jim Bob Duggar, who made his now-son-in-law complete a 50-page survey before dating his daughter.

“It was intense, but I was actually pretty eager to fill it out and say, ‘OK, look, this is a good opportunity for them to get to know me,” the pastor told Us Weekly exclusively in April 2021. “It’s tough for Mr. Duggar, man. He’s got all these girls [and] all these guys hanging around. I think if I had all those girls, I’d probably come up with a document too.”

Jinger thought her dad’s tactic was a quick way to weed out the suitors who might not have been as serious as Vuolo. “Because we’re so in the public eye … [guys would come] with the wrong intentions of like, ‘Oh, I want to be on TV,'” she told Us. “To be fair, I think [the document] is a good thing to kind of sort through real quick. I mean, if somebody is serious, are they really even going to give them the time of day?”

After gaining Jim Bob’s approval, the pair kicked off their courtship and announced their engagement in July 2016. Three months later, they were married. Before tying the knot, there was a moment where both Jinger and the Pennsylvania native doubted that their relationship would work out.

“There was a couple of ups and downs, and there was a moment where it did seem like the relationship was a no-go at that point,” Vuolo told Us. “I just remember thinking one thing is I can’t give up. I don’t have the faith to give up.”

The TLC personalities persevered and eventually welcomed two daughters: Felicity in 2018 and Evangeline in 2020. Raising their children in the spotlight has come with its challenges.

“I’ve told Jer a couple times, like, ‘I just don’t want to be involved with that. … I don’t want my kids to have people looking in on their lives and picking them apart,'” Jinger revealed during a July 2021 episode of the “Dinner Party With Jeremy Fall” podcast. “If I post a photo on Instagram, immediately you’ll have people who’ll say, ‘Oh, what a cute family photo!’ And then you’ll have those who will say really mean things. … [They’ll even say mean things] about my kids! And it’s like, ‘She’s 2.'”

While fans have fallen in love with the family of four, they won’t be seeing them on TLC any longer. In June 2021, the network announced the cancellation of Counting On in the aftermath Jinger’s brother Josh Duggar‘s arrest two months prior.

“We are grateful for TLC giving us the opportunity to be on their network over the years and their kindness towards the Vuolo family,” the couple stated via Instagram amid the cancellation news. “It’s been a remarkable journey that has opened doors to traveling and experiencing the world in a way that we wouldn’t have imagined possible. We wholeheartedly agree with TLC’s decision not to renew Counting On and are excited for the next chapter in our lives.”

Scroll down to relive Jinger and Vuolo’s whirlwind love story:

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This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Meredith Nardino