Joy Duggar Goes On A Date With Boyfriend Austin Forsyth As He Cozies Up To Her Family

Joy-Anna Duggar’s relationship with Austin Forsyth flourished long before “Counting On” viewers learned about their courtship.

While TLC revealed the ninth-eldest Duggar was officially dating longtime friend Austin Forsyth following the midseason finale last week, it has since been revealed Joy’s romance with Austin kicked off long before their public debut.

Us Weekly reports that Austin, 22, accompanied Joy, 19, to her sister Jinger Duggar’s wedding on Nov. 5. As Jinger wed now husband Jeremy Vuolo in front of 1,000 guests at the Cathedral of the Ozarks at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, Joy and Austin’s romance flourished at the event.

“They looked really cute together,” an unnamed guest told the magazine in their Dec. 15 print issue.

Despite their big date, the duo will follow the usual Duggar courtship guidelines, which includes no kissing or full-frontal hugs until marriage. “The duo will not hold hands until he puts a ring on it,” reports the mag.

The Duggar family not only invited Austin to Jinger and Jeremy’s nuptials, they also welcomed him into the family with open arms earlier this month following the courtship reveal. Joy’s mother, Michelle Duggar, shared sweet words for the new couple in a vlog, and Jessa Seewald, Joy’s 24-year-old sister, said she was hopeful to be able to go on “double dates” with her newly attached sibling.

The Duggars have yet to update on the courtship since. The last fans saw Joy was on Wednesday when the family posted a shot of her and one of her brothers visiting the amusement park Silver Dollar City. Austin was nowhere in sight in the image. “We’re having a blast,” reads the caption.

Joy announced her official courtship on Nov. 15. Joy told viewers that she was “surprised” by Austin’s proposal. While Austin has yet to be seen on the TLC series, the new “Counting On” trailer reveals their relationship will be a storyline in the 2017 episodes.