Recap: 'The Wedding To-Do List'

Tonight on Bringing Up Bates, "The Wedding To-Do List"...

• Michaella calls Brandon to tell him that Wallace Memorial Baptist Church has agreed to let them use the church for their wedding. The church has a youth lock-in that weekend, so the Bates and Keilens can only set up for the wedding the day of, and the reception must be over by the early evening.
• The Bates family has a fabulous oral surgeon who works with their budget. Zach, Michaella, Erin, and Tori have all had their wisdom teeth pulled, and now it's Lawson's turn.
• According to the family, Lawson has a pain tolerance of zero and is very melodramatic when it comes to dental procedures.
• On the day of the surgery, Gil brings a camera to capture Lawson's entertaining post-op for Kelly, who stays home because she is prone to fainting during the kids' medical emergencies. The mom of 19 can handle pain herself, but when she sees her children in pain, it makes her feel lightheaded.
• When the procedure is over, Lawson plays up the severity of his condition, but he manages to take a selfie on the drive home.
• Brandon comes to Tennessee so he and Michaella can meet with a wedding coordinator friend, shop for wedding bands, and choose brown tuxedos. Tori and Carlin go along as chaperones.
• Most people would consider 500-800 guests to be a massive wedding, but according to Nathan, "anything under 1,000 is a small wedding." Lawson agrees. Brandon, on the other hand, considers a small wedding to be one with around 50 people. Michaella and Brandon are going to have less attendees than all three previous Bates weddings.
• Although Michaella's wedding is going to be big, she and Brandon are committed to keeping it cost effective, which makes Gil very happy. "Sometimes when I see [my dad] crying when the girl is walking down the aisle, I wonder if he is crying because he is losing his girl, or if he is crying because he is seeing all the things he bought that he is just discovering," says Nathan. 

Recap: "All Together Again"

Bringing Up Bates "All Together Again"

• The entire Bates family gathers to celebrate "I Love You Day" (aka Valentine's Day), which many of the kids say is their favorite holiday. Brandon Keilen, Michaella's boyfriend, flies in to join the celebration.
• "I hope this is the last Valentine's Day before I get married, says Michaella."But if it's not, we'll have another one to celebrate together." (Update: Brandon and Michaella got engaged in April and have set their wedding date for August 15th.)
• Gil and Kelly gather everyone in the living room for a family meeting. Four older men dressed in matching suits stop by to surprise Whitney. They hand her a card and a rose from Zach and sing two love songs.
• "It was the sweetest thing I'd ever seen," says Whitney. "I was proud of myself," says Zach.
• "Gil has always been very thoughtful," says Kelly. "And I think growing up, all of the boys in the family saw it was worth spending your time, your money, your effort on making your marriage fresh and alive."
• Gil and Kelly take all four couples on a date to a Japanese restaurant. The chef cooks the food in front of them and provides entertainment, as well.
• To celebrate "I Love You Day," the Bates family draws names for a gift exchange. Gil and Kelly encourage the kids to focus on what they will give, rather than on what they will receive. Each family member spends about $25. 
• Later, Gil and Kelly and the younger kids go shopping for gifts. "Whenever we go to any store, my dad starts sweating like crazy," says Lawson. To cut down on costs, Gil goes through the gifts and takes out a few knick knacks that he doesn't think his kids need.
• Back at home, everyone helps prepare for the big Valentine's dinner. As usual, there are a lot of opinions flying around. According to Kelly, the only thing the entire family ever agrees on is to have more kids.
• Lawson and Nathan work out a plan to hang a piñata in the house. They back a crane up to the door and extend the arm through the doorway. "Y'all make the simplest things so complicated!" says Carlin.
• Everyone dresses up in their fanciest clothing and gathers for dinner. Then they distribute gifts, one at a time.
• The kids clap and cheer when Gil receives a new pair of jeans from his "special pal." "We have tried for a very long time to get my dad jeans that actually look good," says Tori.
• Brandon and Michaella unveil a big surprise for the family: a 3-D Bates family tree with a picture of each family member.
• "I have the greatest life of everybody I know," says Gil.
• Gil and Brandon plan a meeting with Brandon's parents to discuss his relationship with Michaella.

Recap: "Michaella and Brandon"

Bringing Up Bates, "Michaella and Brandon"

• Brandon comes to Rocky Top, Tennessee, for a two-week visit with the Bates family. His relationship with Michaella has been long-distance since the two started courting on December 30th, 2013, so Gil and Kelly suggested he come for an extended stay to bond with the rest of the family.
• "I have been counting down the days since I first found out he was coming," says Michaella. "I have been so excited about having this time to spend with him and seeing him interact with my siblings."
• When he arrives, Brandon surprises the kids with candy. "It was the bestest!" says Judson. "He's my favorite."
• "Brandon was smart to bring candy in one way, but he would have been smarter to bring earplugs," jokes Zach, who admits he is enjoying the quietness of married life with only one kid.
• As the third youngest of ten kids, Brandon's upbringing was busy, but definitely not as chaotic as Michaella's. "It's kind of overwhelming at times, but it's also kind of fun, just to be able to be in the atmosphere," he says, smiling. "They are all very loving people."
• Michaella and Brandon met at a homeschool conference about five years ago. "The more I get to know her, the more I realize how honored I am to be in this relationship with her," says Brandon.
• Gil and Kelly share one rule with the couple: they cannot be alone in a room together.
• While Michaella works her day job as a nanny, Brandon, born and raised in Michigan, accompanies Gil and the boys on a tree job. "He might be a Yankee, but he works," says Tori.
• The future Bates son-in-law is cautious at first, but by the end of the day, he is pulling his own weight. "Brandon was working so hard that he was making me start to look bad," says Trace.
• Later, Gil and Kelly take the courting couple on a walk in the woods. They give Michaella and Brandon some privacy by stepping back and allowing their daughter and her boyfriend to go on ahead. 
• "When you have chaperones, sometimes it's awkward to carry on really in-depth conversations together," explains Kelly. "So we like for all the courting couples to have opportunity to have all the conversations they need to have..."
• Gil and Kelly pray with Michaella and Brandon and give them a book, which is also used by the Duggar family. The "Getting Ready for Marriage Workbook is available on the Store page of the Duggar Family Blog.
• Michaella and Tori take the little kids to an indoor bounce house, and Brandon comes along. Tori tries to force Brandon to go bouncing and go down the slides with her. At one point, she grabs his arm, and Michaella, in fun, shouts, "Tori, hands off!"
• "If I'm not going to touch him, then she can't either," says Michaella, laughing. Tori shares her side of the story: "It wasn't like I was trying to hug the guy for crying out loud. I was just trying to get him to come have fun with me."
• Next, Brandon goes bowling with the Bates boys. "When do you think you're going to get engaged, man?" asks Nathan. "It's hard to say," responds Brandon, who admits that he is thinking about proposing but that he wants to keep the details a secret.
• At the end of the evening, Michaella's brothers put their stamp of approval on Brandon.
• To get a feel for Michaella's style, Brandon takes Tori, Carlin, and Josie ring shopping. Each sister has a slightly different idea about which ring Michaella would like best. In the end, everyone knows that Brandon will make the final decision.
• "Brandon handled all the connections with the kids in a great way, and I think he's really a star player," says Gil sincerely.

Recap: "Courtship & Marriage"

Tonight on Bringing Up Bates, "Courtship & Marriage"...

• Gil and Kelly Bates understand that as their kids grow older, they are going to cut their own trails.
• "I think all of our children are going to make choices that maybe we didn't make," says Kelly. "But I think the core values, in spite of the little differences, are the same."
• For example, Zach and Whitney say they plan to let Bradley watch Pooh Bear, even though Zach's parents hardly allow their kids to watch any TV.
• Erin, who lives only a few miles away from her family, has Callie, Ellie, and Warden over for a sleepover. "It gets lonely," admits Erin. "I'm not used to being by myself, and I really don't like it."
• Chad returns home from work, and he and Erin share a hug and a kiss. Chad joins Erin and the kids in the kitchen as they finish making dinner. As part of the meal, Erin serves steamed broccoli, but her siblings aren't thrilled about trying it.
• Now that she is married, Erin has adopted a healthier lifestyle. "I have to be honest," she says. "My family tries to eat healthy." But with 19 kids, it isn't easy, especially since Kelly grew up on TV dinners.
• Back at the Bates house, Michaella packs for a trip to see her boyfriend, Brandon, who is away at Bible college in Texas. Gil prays with his daughter before taking her to the airport.
• Michaella is chaperoned by her friend, Amber. She and Brandon share a few heartfelt hugs when Michaella arrives. Brandon is thrilled to see his girlfriend. He had no idea she was coming to visit.
• Gil and Kelly discuss courtship standards. "We as parents set general parameters," says Kelly. They instruct their children to keep Christ at the center of their relationships and to remain pure. They would like each of their kids to save their first kiss for their wedding because they know that kissing in private can lead to other temptations.
• Gil and Kelly admit that they did not save their first kiss for their wedding. Zach and Whitney intended to but ended up kissing beforehand. They say their parents were very understanding when they admitted what they had done. Zach and Whitney encourage their siblings not to follow in their footsteps.
• Michaella and Brandon plan to save their first kiss for their wedding, but they exchange frontal hugs when they greet each other and say goodbye.
• Zach accompanies Whitney to her last doctor appointment before Bradley's birth. The couple is able to see a clear picture of Bradley's face on the ultrasound.
• Erin and Chad visit a doctor to attempt to find out why they have not been able to sustain a pregnancy. He runs tests and instructs Erin to take an aspirin each day, as well as extra folic acid. Erin and Chad are thrilled to have a remedy to try, and they both give the doctor a hug before leaving.
• "...We are very hopeful for the future," says Chad.