Recap: "Headed to the Altar"

Bringing Up Bates, "Headed to the Altar"...

• Michael met Brandon several years ago at a homeschool conference. Between their first encounter and the start of their courtship (December 30, 2013), Michael prayed every day that she could be Brandon’s wife.
• The show opens with a flashback to September 2014. Michael makes a surprise visit to Brandon’s Bible school in Texas. Although the couple waited until their engagement to hold hands, they showed affection throughout their courtship by hugging.
• In November 2014, Brandon pays a visit to the Bates’ house just outside Knoxville, Tennessee, to get to know Michael’s family. They spend Thanksgiving with Gil’s side of the family.
• In February 2015, Brandon takes Tori, Carlin, and Josie to a local jewelry store to get a feel for Michael's taste in jewelry. He ends up designing Micheal's ring himself.
• Also in February, the older Bates boys take their future brother-in-law out for a guy’s night at a bowling alley. “They’re very intense,” says Michael of her brothers. “I guess in a way it makes me feel loved that they care that much about me, but at the same time, I felt for Brandon, knowing what he was going to go through.”
• In March 2015, Gil, Kelly, and Michael meet with Brandon and his parents in Chicago, where Brandon has worked since graduating from Bible college.
• Over a delicious dinner of Chicago style deep dish pizza, Kelly starts fishing for information. “Not trying to be nosy or anything, but just wondering: Have y’all talked about maybe a time?” pries the mom of 19. “Are you thinking a season, a particular season?”
• The next day during lunch, Brandon holds a secret conference with Gil in the men’s room to discuss the engagement.
• In April 2015, Brandon tells Michael that he will be traveling to Washington D.C. To ensure that Michael doesn’t suspect anything, Gil and Kelly encourage their daughter to “surprise” Brandon while he’s there. 
• Brandon plans a scavenger hunt proposal, with help from his sisters Angie and Becky.
• On April 13^th, Michael spends the day traipsing around the city, as she follows Brandon’s clues. At each stop, Brandon has left a video and a piece of a cardboard replica of Michael’s ring. At the end of the scavenger hunt, Brandon is waiting to propose, as both sets of parents watch from afar. 
• “The whole day was kind of like an emotional roller coaster,” says Michael.
• With a lot of help from their families, Michael and Brandon’s wedding preparations go very smoothly. The couple’s four-month engagement is an emotional time for the Bates family, as they prepare for their beloved Michael to tie the knot and move to Chicago.

Details of Zach & Whitney and Erin & Chad's engagements are coming soon. Stay tuned next week for the wedding episode!   

Recap: '15 Kids and an Empty Nest'

Bringing Up Bates "15 Kids and an Empty Nest"...

• Brandon arrives in Tennessee, and the wedding week begins! When asked if he is ready to get married, the groom-to-be responds: "I don't know if people would say I'm ready, but I'm wanting to get married."
• "It hasn't been too stressful, with all of the people that have been helping out," says Michael.
• Gil accompanies the couple to purchase their marriage license at the courthouse. "Do you have other children?" the clerk asks Gil. "Oh yes ma'am," Gil replies. "We're going to be down to a manageable size I think. We're only going to have 15 kids at home." The clerk drops her scissors in shock.
• Before transferring their attention to wedding preparations, Gil and Kelly take the little kids on a special rollerskating outing at a local park. "Everybody's a good skater but Mom," says Kelly. "I'm the only one." She hangs on to Gil for dear life as he takes her around the park. "This is fun," says Gil. "No, this is not fun," replies Kelly."
• While racing with the boys, Gil takes a few tumbles but doesn't sustain any injuries.
• Meanwhile, the older boys take Brandon on an outing of his choice. He picks the Knoxville Ice Chalet. "We have done very little ice skating," admits Lawson. "We love rollerblading and [we are] decent at that, but when it comes to ice, it's a total different ballgame."
• Just when the boys start feeling comfortable on the ice, they are faced with some competition. "I was getting good at it, and then these two girls came out," says Lawson. "They started doing this stuff that, hey, I ain't seen nothing like that except in the Olympics."
• The girls attempt to teach the boys a few tricks. Brandon elects to play it safe and not participate, but he ends up skating over a puddle of water and wiping out. Although he bleeds quite a bit, the gash to the head that he sustains could have been much worse. The staff members bring out first aid supplies and help Brandon off the ice.
• "It wasn't as bad as it looked, but I will say this: Nobody wants to have a big bandage on their head on their wedding day," says Nathan.
• "I really think Michael is going to kill us, Nathan," says Trace. Lawson buys Brandon a cowboy hat to hide the injury. 
• "We are all cowboys," says Lawson. "It's just who we are. Brandon is not a cowboy. He's a Yankee, all the way. And I thought, 'Man, what better gift to get him than a cowboy hat?'"
• Michael hears about the ordeal before Brandon returns to the house and says she is "beyond panicked." She is relieved to find out that her husband-to-be has only sustained a minor injury.
• The sisters and bridesmaids, including Jana Duggar, gather at Erin's house for girl talk and candle making. The gals are surprised to hear that Michael is not nervous about the wedding or the wedding night.
• Later, Gil and Kelly, Erin and Chad, and Michael and Brandon enjoy dinner at Calhoun's on the River. "There is no way to put into words the emotions that I have been through this week," says Michael, as she balances the sorrows of leaving her family with the thrills of starting a new adventure with Brandon.  

Recap: Sweet Tea and Sit Ups

Bringing Up Bates "Sweet Tea and Sit Ups"...

• Gil, Kelly, Michael, Erin, and Carson stop by Vol Market #3, one of the family's favorite Knoxville restaurants. The Bates’ friendship with the owners started when Michael was a child and eventually led to her becoming a full-time nanny for the owners’ children.
• Like Erin, Michael has asked Vol Market #3 to cater her wedding food. “Her menu is going to be y’all’s chicken salad sandwiches, some sub sandwiches and chips and cake,” Kelly tells the owners.
• Everyone has a different estimate of the number of guests that will show up to the wedding. Michael predicts 500-600, Kelly thinks 600-800, and Gil guesses around 1,000.
• Up next is a meeting with the musicians, Emily and Natalie Raynes, who will play as the bridal party enters and leaves the sanctuary. During the ceremony, Brandon is arranging to have a few songs performed that he wrote for Michael.
• Back at home, Kelly tells her family that she needs to lose weight before the wedding. “I need some incentive, so if it’s like a challenge or competition, I’ll be more motivated.”
• The mom of 19 announces her plan: She and Gil will compete, with Tori as her trainer and Lawson and Gil’s trainer. But Kelly doesn’t want to judge the competition by the amount of weight lost, as she is embarrassed to step on the scale. So she suggests that the winner be the person who looks the best in the end. Gil says that Kelly will win.
• “I said, ‘Dad, you want a real coach who knows what it takes to get in shape and look good? I’ll be your man,’” shares Lawson.
• While Tori works out alongside her mom, Lawson’s approach is more hands-off.
• Tori and Kelly spend their time walking and doing toning exercises for abs and upper body. Meanwhile, Lawson drives to a deserted road, pushes Gil out the door, and tells him to run alongside the truck. Lawson sits at the wheel enjoying air conditioning and a cold bottle of sweet tea.
• The little kids pick two bowls of blackberries and beg Michael to make her famous blackberry cobbler. It’s a bittersweet moment, as everyone realizes that they won’t have Michael (or her cobbler) for much longer.
• “Michael, she never wants to be in the limelight,” says Gil. “She wants to be behind the scenes helping somebody.” “She’s always thinking of others more than herself,” adds Kelly.
• A seamstress friend brings over Michael’s finished wedding gown, and the Bates gals break down in tears as she models it. “I’m like the happiest girl ever,” she says. Her sisters and sister-in-law are thrilled for her, but they are all very sad to see her move to Chicago.

Recap: "Welcome Back Bates"

Bringing Up Bates "Welcome Back Bates"...

• With three (soon to be four) kids married and two (Nathan and Tori) taking college classes, Gil and Kelly Bates joke that they are having empty nest syndrome.
• “It’s just starting to hit me as it gets closer, that this is actually my wedding and I’m the one moving away,” shares Michael.
• As the big day approaches, Gil and Kelly take Michael to Petals & Lace in Nashville, Tennessee, to find her dream dress. “It’s worth anything to find the dress for Michael,” says Gil. “I hate seeing [her] feel the pressure trying to find something [she] can’t.”
• Several of Michael’s sisters (and brothers, surprisingly) come along. “When Lawson and Nathan caught wind of it, they were not going to be left out of something fun,” says Kelly.
• “Girls think they know what looks good, but the truth is, you have to have a guy’s opinion to know if something is really good,” says Nathan.
• Petals & Lace has many styles of dresses, including strapless. Gil's comment makes his wife and daughters laugh: “Most of these wedding dresses, they’re missing all the tops!”
• “Most people don’t wear them, Dad,” responds Carlin. “He’s not been to many modern weddings has he?” says Kelly, chuckling.
• Everyone takes a seat, and the fun begins. Lawson and Nathan, who just want to finish and grab pizza, keep things interesting with their witty remarks.
• “That looks like my grandma’s wedding dress.” (Nathan)
• “Do y’all ever want to get a dress, or y’all just want to keep talking about dresses?” (Lawson)
• When Michael walks out of the fitting room wearing THE dress, Gil starts bawling. “I can’t think about it,” says the dad of 19. “We’ve kind of grown up together. She’s always been here. It really is sad.”
• The proud father braces himself as the attendant prepares to announce the cost, but when she informs him that it will be $600 including tax, he is incredibly relieved.
• One month before Michael’s wedding, the Bates family travels to Mebane, North Carolina, to watch Kelly’s sister Beth marry her long-time boyfriend.
• The wedding is outdoors in the middle of summer, and as Gil says, it’s “H-O-T.”
• Kelly and Michael take note of Beth’s decorations as they plan for Michael’s big day. “Mom is amazing,” shares the bride-to-be. "She’s best mom, matron of honor, best friend, all in one.”
• Kelly, Michael, Addallee, and Ellie head inside to give Beth a pep talk before the ceremony.
• The guests are nervous when they hear thunder, and although it starts to sprinkle during the vows, the wedding still ends up being a beautiful occasion.
• For the next big Bates adventure, the family drives down to Honea Path, South Carolina, for Papa Bill’s 4^th of July birthday party. (Papa Bill and Mama Jane are Gil’s parents.) 
• Zach, who is in the middle of his training at the police academy, isn’t able to attend the party. Michael, accompanied by Callie, stays home so she can go to her scheduled dress fitting.
• Mama Jane loves having her grandchildren over, but the lack of organization is hard on her. Every year, the kids manage to break Mama Jane’s hammock, and every year Mama Jane mends it. “The year before last when it broke, she took her shoe off and took it to a few of them,” shares Gil. “This year, she responded a lot calmer.”
• Papa Bill, 77, has been having heart problems, so the extended Bates family cherishes every moment spent with him. During the party, the guests take time to share how Papa Bill has influenced their lives.
• Whitney’s genuine comment brings everyone to tears: “…It’s really encouraging to watch all y’all as a family, how tight y’all are. [Zach] respects you, and he thinks a lot of you.”
• Later, Kelly and Tori impress everyone during an all-generations kickball game.
• During a commercial break, viewers find out which Bates couple is expecting a baby. It's Zach and Whitney!