'A Wedding Worth the Wait' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "A Wedding Worth the Wait"

• The wedding is almost here! Carlin and Evan are practicing their first dance, to a song that Lawson wrote. “I had never imagined that this could just get this complicated,” Lawson says of the dance steps.
• “I’m thinking y’all are going to need a lot more practice before Saturday,” says Trace, chuckling.
• “I feel like, if you stumble and mess up the whole dance but you get the ending right, it’s okay,” says Carlin.
  Carlin arrives at the nail salon with her best friend, Joy (Duggar) Forsyth. “My friendship with Joy is just such a treasure to me,” says Carlin. “So for her to be here is just so sweet, to spend that last bit of time single with your best friend.”Erin and Tori, who are also bridesmaids, arrive soon after.
  “Carlin is so sweet,” says Erin. “I think she’s pretty much asked my opinion about every little detail about her wedding, which makes me feel so honored and special. I feel like, ‘Wow, I’m getting to kind of redo my wedding in a way and change up all my choices.’” Chad laughs.
• It’s 94 degrees during the rehearsal. Carlin’s wedding Bates party is the largest so far, with 12 bridesmaids and 12 groomsmen.
• As the couple stands before Gil, one of the two officiants, he encourages them to stand close. Carlin puts her arm around Evan’s neck, but Gil puts the kibosh on that. “Hey, hey, woah, no, we’re not into that!” he exclaims. “You’ve got 23 more hours and 27 minutes.”
• After the rehearsal, everyone is eager to get to the rehearsal dinner, which is in an air-conditioned building. The Stewarts have done an amazing job. Carlin stands up and shares heart-felt words of gratitude with her parents and siblings. Evan does the same. “I thought Carlin’s speech was wonderful,” says Lawson. “…It really just shows how close everybody is and how many memories there are.”
• On the day of the wedding, all the ladies get ready together, while the groomsmen quickly put their clothes on and then enjoy refreshments and games in a room at the venue.
• During pictures, Callie breaks down. “On the day of the wedding, it just starts dawning on me that they’re leaving for good,” says Callie. Carlin gives her a big hug.
• Another emotional moment comes when Gil sees Carlin in her dress for the first time. The bride gives her dad a tie with the inscription, ‘I’ll always be your little girl.’
• Just before Carlin walks down the aisle, Erin and Whitney pray with her. “I don’t thing [Carlin] could have picked a more perfect place for her and Evan to have their day at,” says Lawson.
• Evan sees the dress for the first time when Carlin walks down the aisle, and he gets quite emotional.
• “It’s a hot day, so I have been informed that my charge needs to be short and sweet,” says Gil during the ceremony. At the altar, he reminds Carlin and Evan to cherish each other and not to let anything come between them. “Carlin, you treat this man like he’s Superman, and he will be Superman,” encourages Gil. “The more you brag on him, they better he’ll get. It just works for all guys. You tell them they’re good, even if they can’t fix anything…they’ll find out how to do it. They want to be your hero.”
• The couple exchanges traditional vows. When it’s time to sing the duet, they pull it off beautifully. “Baby I’m going to show you, with every step that I take, all of my ‘I dos,’ vows that I make.”
• When it’s supposed to be time for the kiss, Evan’s pastor says, “Let us pray,” which is apparently something that he has done during past weddings. After the prayer comes the kiss.
• Carlin and Evan run down the aisle and disappear. They arrive at the reception a short while later. The guests have been fed, and it’s time to cut the cake, made by Kelly’s sister Kay. Carlin and Evan do end up rubbing cake on each other’s faces.
• Ethan, Whitney, and Erin give speeches. During hers, Erin makes a cryptic announcement: “So it’s my bet that out of all of Mom and Dad’s children that you will be the best to have the most children. Me personally, I’ve made my contribution, contributions. Four is getting close.”
• The guests look around, wondering why Erin said four instead of three. “Oh, sorry, four,” says Erin. “Yes, I’m pregnant, for everybody that didn’t get that.” Everyone cheers.
• “I accidentally slipped,” says Erin later. “I was not planning on that. I think it’s just cause it’s on my mind. Like I’m so shocked at myself for having four children. I mean, that’s a huge feat.”
• After the speeches, everyone gathers around the outdoor dance floor and watches the couple share their first dance. Then comes the daddy-daughter dance. “Just watching Carlin enjoy that time with Dad, knowing the effort that Dad put into it--because he doesn’t dance--they did a beautiful job together, and it was just a really sweet time knowing how much it meant to her and knowing that he was willing to do anything to make her day special,” says Michael.
• The episode ends with the sparkler send-off, and the couple drives away in a green sports car.

'Home is Where the Heart is' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Home is Where the Heart is"

• The Keilens are back in Tennessee! Lawson and Nathan stop by their house in Norris to deliver furniture and mow the grass. Brandon is still in Chicago tying up lose ends at work, but he will join Michael the following day.
• “I mean, it’s almost like a dream come true,” says Gil of the Smiths and Keilens moving back to East Tennessee.
• “I know you’re going to be crazy busy with school, but if you ever decide that you want a side job, I’m always hiring tutors,” says Kelly. Michael responds that she could stop by the big house every afternoon from 3:30-5:30, before Brandon finishes work.
• “I think family is one of God’s most precious gifts,” says Michael.
• The week of the wedding, Evan comes into town to help Carlin set up the house, which is also in Norris. While they are putting gifts away in their kitchen, with Warden as a chaperone, they have a disagreement about the definition of a pot versus a pan.
• Carlin and Evan also practice the duet that they will sing at their wedding ceremony. Evan still hasn’t finished writing it. “I definitely had a lot of things that I imagined that we’d do at our wedding, and now that it’s getting closer, I’m like, ‘I don’t know if we got time to do that, let’s ex that off,’” says Carlin. “But I think our song’s the one thing…I just can’t make myself mark that one off, even though it’s a lot of work.”
• Later, Kelly and some of the sisters get together with photographer friend Taryn Yager for a dress boutique photo shoot. “I don’t know why we decided to start the boutique right before my wedding, but whatever, we did!” exclaims Carlin, smiling.
• Erin, Whitney, and Carlin take photos for the boutique every week, and they always offer to pay the other girls to model for them. “We attempt to model,” says Carlin. “We do not call ourselves models.”
• Carlin and Evan are planning to get their marriage license later that day, but Carlin is concerned because Evan’s clothes don’t match hers. “We don’t have to match to get our marriage license,” Evan tells his bride. “Yes we have to match getting our marriage license,” insists Carlin.
• At the courthouse, when the clerk asks for Carlin’s social security number, she has to pull out her phone. Gil says he knows it. “I don’t know how people remember that many numbers,” says Carlin. Gil laughs.
• The couple receives a 60% discount for completing marriage counseling. “I’m glad to know that even the state recognizes there’s benefits to getting marriage counseling before you’re married,” says Gil, who paid for Carlin and Evan’s marriage counseling because he believes in it so much.
• “I’m happy for them, but it’s hard to let go of her, and this really makes me realize, this is the real thing, and it’s fixin’ to happen in just a few days,” says Gil. Kelly is so busy with prep that she doesn’t expect to go through her “crying spell” until after Carlin leaves.  

'Baby Mamas and Bridesmaids Drama' Recap

Bringing Up Bates "Baby Mamas and Bridesmaids Drama"

• Carlin’s wedding is in two weeks, but she is graduating from college, and Kelly wants to throw a little party to celebrate her accomplishment. The Bates mom meets with Whitney to plan the event, but when Whitney gets a call from her doctor’s office, the discussion quickly turns to another topic. Whitney is pregnant and just found out the gender, but Zach doesn’t know yet. Kelly wants her to reveal it at the party.
• “So Kelly really is the first one in the Bates family to know that I’m pregnant this time,” says Whitney. “And the only thing I think I have going for me is the graduation party is the very next day. So she’s not really that good at secrets, but I think since it’s like in less than 24 hours, I’ll be good this time.”
• “I was a little worried cause it is all about Carlin’s day and her graduation,” admits Whitney.
• Josie’s due date is almost here, and she and Kelton have just moved into a two-bedroom apartment to make room for the baby. Josie’s friend Samantha comes over to help decorate the nursery. When Kelton returns home from work, he starts assembling the crib, which ends up being a more difficult job than he had anticipated.
• “At the end of the day, because of Josie’s hard work, that nursery looked incredible,” says Josie.
• On the day of her graduation party, Carlin is thrilled to have completed her degree. “I couldn’t have made it through school without Mom, that’s a fact,” says Carlin. After eating, the family members share praises about Carlin. “If you’re ever needing something, Carlin’s always there, and she’s always going to be there for you,” Callie shares, through tears. “And I can’t believe she’s getting married.”
• At the end of the party, Kelly turns the floor over to Zach, who thinks he is about to announce the pregnancy.  “Well, I actually do have something to say, Carlin, I love you very much. And my wife was talking to Mom the other day and may have let something slip, and Mom can’t keep a secret, so we’re just going to go ahead and let everybody know that we have another little baby on the way.”
• At that point, Kelly opens the coffee cup that she has been pretending to sip and throws pink confetti all over Zach. “That’s what happens when you tell Mom,” exclaims Zach.
• “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Zach stunned,” says Kelly. The dad of three admits that he had no idea that Whitney had even decided to find out the gender.
• Later, the Bates and Stewart ladies meet at Whitney’s house to discuss bridesmaids dresses. Renee and her husband arrive to help. “We have more problems than we thought we did,” says Carlin. The ladies try on their dresses, which are a variety of styles and colors, and express a lot of concerns and complaints. When Tori says she can’t fit in her dress, Carlin responds, “Then we’re going to the gym together.”
• Everyone agrees that Whitney’s dress looks great, but Whitney is concerned that her baby bump will grow too much before the wedding. “I just ate two cheeseburgers and a large fry and a piece of pie all by myself!” she exclaims. “There’s a baby inside, which makes me crave food, so it’s rough.”
• Renee has plans to remake a lot of the dresses so they fit better. “Renee is magic,” says Erin.
• When Carlin tries on her dress, it’s perfect. “I do not want to hurt anybody’s feelings, but it is the prettiest wedding dress that I’ve ever seen,” says Kelly.
• “Okay that really hurt my feelings,” responds Erin. “She says it every time,” laughs Tori.