'Can You Have a Wedding Shower Without the Bride and Groom?' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Can You Have a Wedding Shower Without the Bride and Groom?"

• “As the wedding gets closer and closer, you realize that your time with having Tori as your little daughter is going to be shorter and shorter,” says Gil. He takes Tori out on a daddy-daughter date for some quality time one month before the wedding.
• First, Gil takes Tori to Fountain City Park. They go swinging at the playground where Tori used to play as a child. “Tori and Dad have a very special bond,” says Erin. “Tori is very sentimental and funny, sometimes a little bit spacey, and I think her and dad just really hit it off together.”
• Gil surprises Tori with a gift, a vase filled with branches. Paper bills and purple ribbons are tied to the branches. “I know you’ve always thought that money grows on trees, so I got you a…money tree,” explains Gil. “On these sticks right there are thorns. I got the ones with thorns on it so you realize if you’re living for money, it’s going to cause you pain.” Tori loves it.
• Gil and Tori walk across the street to Litton’s steak restaurant. While they wait for their food, Gil brings out photos of Tori as a child. “I was not going to cry because I’m saving that for the wedding,” says Tori.
• “It’s going to be really sad when you’re gone,” Gil tells Tori, choking up.
• “Even though I didn’t necessarily express it, the memories I made with him that night…it was the sweetest thing,” says Tori. “I think of everything internally. I don’t always express it outwardly, but deep down, it means a lot to me, and it’s a big deal.”
• Later, Whitney brings Kaci to Crown Cosmetology School so Josie can give little Kaci her first haircut.
• Josie is about to graduate and is eager to find a job. “I just absolutely loved walking in that salon and seeing Josie there,” says Whitney. “She’s blossoming into her own person and her own career, and she’s good at what she does.”
• Michael and Brandon come into town to help throw Tori and Bobby a wedding shower at Valley View Baptist, the church that Erin and Chad attend. They are expecting 70-100 guests.
• Erin recalls her own wedding shower, as she and Whitney help the Keilens decorate: “I don’t know if I take it as a personal thing because we planned for 150 to 200 people to be at my wedding shower, made all this food, sent out all these invitations. Nobody came except for nine people, y’all.”
• The guests arrive, but Tori and Bobby are nowhere to be found. “Tori and Bobby and Josie and Kelton are all missing,” says Gil. They are out shopping for groomsmen attire. Finally, they arrive. “Tori has always been known for being late,” shares Erin. “She’s just like dad, she’s pretty much late to everything.”
• While the guests eat, Kelly brings Tori and Bobby to the front to answer questions about each other. Tori freezes up and can hardly speak.
• “Tori’s very outgoing, but when you put her up somewhere where she’s the center of attention, she doesn’t like that at all,” says Jackson.
• Bobby breaks the ice by talking to the guests on the mic while Tori opens the gifts.

'Fixin' For New Beginnings' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Fixin' For New Beginnings"

• Chad, who has recently started his own construction business, is working with Roy, a local contractor. Roy has purchased a dilapidated house, and he and Chad are going to flip it. “Now that he’s doing what he loves, there’s just a whole new light in his eyes,” says Erin of Chad.
• “I’m hoping and kind of dreaming that Erin and I can work together on one day flipping houses together,” says Chad.
• The Paines go over to the log cabin style flip house to check it out. Erin is looking forward to helping with the design aspect.
• When all the work is done, the house looks incredible, like a luxury vacation home. Roy asks Erin to stage it to sell, and it’s not long before they have interested buyers.
• Zach and Whitney sign the papers to purchase their first home. “I can’t believe it,” says Whitney. “It doesn’t even feel real.” The house needs a lot of work, but they’re excited to start this new journey.
• Zach and Whitney take Bradley and Kaci over to the new house to start planning their renovations. They want to tear down a few walls, install new floors, and redo the kitchen. Their budget is $15,000, and they hope to finish the project in six weeks.
• Later, Lawson, Jackson, Warden, and Isaiah come over to help with demolitions. “There’s nothing been built to this day that my family can’t tear up,” says Zach. “And not only can we tear stuff up, we absolutely love to do it.”
• They run into a bit of an issue when they discover that the bathroom floor is sagging, but Zach adds some supporting beams and easily fixes the problem. “I think it’s plenty strong enough now,” he says. “You could park a Mack truck in there.”
• Several weeks later, the house is ready for move-in! Zach and Whitney are very happy with how everything turned out.
• “As the family grows, also the talents, the abilities, and different things that come to the table also grows,” says Chad. “I like to think of maybe what might happen in the future, just around the corner.”

'Big Decision, Bigger Opinions' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Big Decision, Bigger Opinions"

• The entire family is in town, so they all gather at Norris Dam for an outdoor dinner. While setting up the food, Gil comes across a stack of envelopes. He tries to keep them a secret, but Kelly and Erin are onto him.
• Kelly can’t contain herself. “What is that?” she demands. “Just give me mine, please!” An engagement? A new baby? Or maybe Nathan or Lawson have girlfriends?
• “I knew right away when the cards went out that this wasn’t ours,” says Zach. “At least I looked at Whitney real sure, and ya, she was sure. And Erin’s already pregnant.”
• Inside the envelopes is a card with a poem: “10 little fingers, 10 little toes, 2 little eyes, 1 little nose. Put them together and what do you got? Our baby on the way, ready or not! Due April 2018.” Alyssa is pregnant and due just a few weeks before Erin!
• “I’m not going to lie, I was very surprised when I found out that I was pregnant again,” says Alyssa. “I am excited, but it did take me a little bit to be like, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m pregnant again. I’m having a third kid.’”
• “When the announcement came, a lot of people were secretly hoping, maybe this is Michael making an announcement here,” says Zach. “That’s gotta be so hard.”
• Alyssa had shared the news with Michael ahead of time by phone. “She was just really sweet and sensitive to call ahead of time knowing everything we’ve been going through,” says Michael. “And we were just really tickled for them.”
• Before the Bates leave the park, Kelly reminds the girls not to overwhelm Tori with too many opinions while she is trying on wedding dresses.
• The next day, the ladies arrive at Renee’s shop for goodies and girl time. Tori has her hair and makeup done while the other girls try on bridesmaids dresses. “For me being a sister-in-law, it’s just really special that Tori included me,” says Whitney.
• The bridesmaids gowns are gorgeous. Renee has sewn three different styles (all long length) in the same color (a beautiful shade of purple). Each girl chooses the style they want to wear.
• After Tori is all dolled up, she starts trying on bridal gowns. The first dress is fitted, has long sleeves, and is lacy with a champagne-colored layer underneath.
• “I’ve been to those wedding dress fittings, and, hey, I’ve tried to tell them, you try on one you like, don’t try on another,” says Lawson. “That’s just like, if you find a girl you like, stick with her. The shopping is over.” Nathan agrees.
• The second dress is similar but is pure white and has a heavier lace. Most of the ladies strongly prefer this dress over the previous one, but Tori prefers the first. She tries on another pure white gown, but she still really loves the first dress.
• Tori ends up choosing the first dress, with a few small changes. “Looking up there at her and seeing my little tomboy Tori, and I’m thinking, ‘Where did the years go? She’s fixin’ to get married!’” says Kelly.

'Save the Date and Decisions to Make' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Save the Date and Decisions to Make"

• Tori and Bobby ask Gil and Kelly on a double date to discuss wedding dates. “As we were kind of talking through things, we realized, graduation might be a long time to wait,” says Bobby.
• The newly engaged couple nervously tells Tori’s parents that they are hoping to tie the knot in December.
• “I would normally say, ‘No, that’s probably not the best idea,’ but that’s kind of what happened to and my wife,” says Gil. “Once you know this is the person God wants you to marry, I don’t think there’s a reason to torment yourself for another year or six months if you have the ability, the means to go ahead and get married.”
• Back at home, Kelly, Tori, Bobby, and Erin sit down to start planning for the big day. “When [Kelly] finished making that list, I think they was ready to elope!” says Gil. The Bates are very familiar with all the work that goes into a wedding.
• “I already got my colors--my favorite two colors--gray and blue,” says Callie, proudly. “Callie, you’re only eight,” responds Addallee. “I know, but I already picked my wedding colors,” says Callie.
• Kelly suggests going with a wedding dress designer in Kentucky who was recommended by the Bates' friends (ie the Duggars), and Tori agrees. Kelly and Tori head to Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, for a consultation with Renee Miller.
• Tori isn’t quite sure what she wants, so Renee shows her several different styles. She ends up really liking a lacy dress with champagne satin underneath. Tori admits she is indecisive, so she plans to come back with her sisters to try dresses on, hoping they can give her some advice.
• Nathan is hosting his annual lake party, which started off several years ago with family but has turned into a guys only event. “Girls are not invited to Nathan’s lake party,” says Callie. “I think it is not fair that we don’t get to go.”
• Nathan, Gil, and a handful of other guys head to a rental house for a mini retreat, filled with water activities and Bible study.