"Wedding Bells" Recap

On tonight's new episode of 19 Kids and Counting, "Wedding Bells"...

• All the Duggars agree that Jessa isn't as focused on household tasks as she used to be, now that she's in a courtship. Jinger has been promoted to head packer and runs around getting the clothes organized for the family's trip to Erin Bates' wedding.
• The Duggar girls put together a gag gift for Erin. To play off the joke that Erin can't cook, the girls compile a book of easy recipes and takeout menus and purchase a smoke alarm and a fire extinguisher.
• Ben Seewald and his mom join the Duggars for the drive to Tennessee, which will be Ben's first trip with Jessa's family. "I'm going to try to do whatever I can to make myself useful," says Ben.
• Jim Bob's has employed a new strategy to get everyone out the door on time: "Last one out owes me $5."
• When the Duggars arrive at the Bates' house, Jessa is eager to introduce everyone to Ben, and Erin is eager to show her dress to the Duggar girls. She found it on the clearance rack at a local bridal shop and had it altered to fit her modesty standards.
• Chad and Erin take Ben and Jessa to their new house, a cottage located five miles from where the rest of the Bates live. The room that stands out the most is the master bedroom, which Chad allowed his fiancé to decorate. "It's...pink," says Jessa. "I was kind of surprised."
• Wedding prep is a bittersweet event for Erin and her sisters. Since getting engaged, Erin has had many tear-filled nights, realizing she won't be able to have late-night talks with her sisters after she gets married. Gil assures her she can come sleepover anytime. "I don't think Chad will like it if I just come over without him," replies Erin.
• "Chad is definitely a very romantic guy that adds special touches here and there," says Jana. "They're perfect for each other."
• On the morning of the wedding, a member of the film crew asks Erin if she has thought about her first kiss. "That's why I'm brushing my teeth!" she says.
• Erin is very nervous to walk down the aisle and asks Jana and Jill to pray with her before the ceremony starts.
• "Somehow I got selected to be the head car-trasher," says John-David, "And so I took the job very seriously." He and the other boys even go so far as to put sardines and mothballs under the seats.
• And of course, Chad and Erin have saved their first kiss for the altar. After the wedding, Chad cuts the plastic wrap off the getaway car, removes the sardines and mothballs, and he and Erin take off for their honeymoon.

Duggars at a Wedding

There will be wedding bells on tonight's new episode of 19 Kids and Counting! Erin Bates is getting married, and the Duggar clan travels to Tennessee to help prepare for the wedding. Tune in to TLC at 9PM EST/8PM CST for the hour-long special.

And if you missed last week's episodes, the network will air them immediately before. A gracious viewer has also uploaded them to YouTube. (Click here to watch.)

Interview with Jana Duggar and Erin Bates

In the following video interview, Jana Duggar and Erin Bates talk about their experiences on Journey to the Heart. The first part of the interview is focused on Erin, and Jana is introduced at 7:45.

Journey to the Heart is a ten-day retreat created for young men and women and now also available for parents. Jana and her sisters have all attended the Journey as participants and as volunteers. Participants meet in the Chicago suburbs and drive up to the Northwoods Conference Center in Watersmeet, Michigan, with the goal of drawing near to God, while enjoying the beautiful outdoors and forming lifelong friendships. Click here for more information on the Journey.

A Journey Interview with Erin Bates and Jana Duggar from IBLP on Vimeo.

Thanks to one of our loyal readers for sending us the link to this video!

Keeping Up with the Bates Family

If you are an avid watcher of 19 kids and Counting, you  have probably met Gil and Kelly Bates and their 19 children. Family friends with the Duggars and featured on several episodes of 19 Kids and Counting, the Bates started in a four-week TLC series called United Bates of America, which was canceled in October 2012.

Here are a few Bates family updates. Visit our page about Gil and Kelly and their clan to read more, or check out Kelly's blog.

Alyssa Bates said "Yes" to John Webster's offer of courtship on November 6, 2013, just three days before her 19th birthday.

Erin Bates and Chad Paine, engaged in August 2013, tied the knot on November 2nd. The couple had been courting since January.

On September 12, 2013, Zach Bates proposed to Whitney Perkins, a girl he had been courting since July. The wedding is planned for December 14th.

*Photo Credits: Gil and Kelly Bates family

Duggar-Bates Camping Trip: Photos

Check out these behind-the-scenes photos from the Duggar-Bates, girls-only camping trip:

 Setting up the tents, which were still wet from the previous camping trip

Carlin Bates and Joy-Anna Duggar launch themselves off the dock

 Katie Bates and Joy Duggar take a paddle boat ride

 Carlin Bates and Joy Duggar

 Jessa Duggar goes kayaking on the lake

 Erin Bates and Jana Duggar try to keep their balance on a longboard

 Girl talk and s'mores around the fire

Deep Dish Duggars

On this week's episode of 19 Kids and Counting...

•  Jessa and Jinger traveled to Chicago with Erin and Michaella Bates for a college music conference. Both the Duggars and the Bates are huge music families, so the girls were thrilled to be taught by college professors. This was the first time Jessa and Jinger went away on their own, but Jim Bob and Michelle knew they were ready.
• After the conference, the girls spend a day touring Chi-Town. And guess who joined them? Priscilla Keller, Anna's sister! They went Chicago style (on a double-decker bus). 
• The highlight? Stepping out onto a glass ledge on the Willis (aka Sears) Tower Skydeck, with less than 1/2 an inch of glass separating them from a 1,353-foot drop to the street. But don't worry - each balcony can supposedly support up to 5 tons, so the entire Duggar family could cram onto one ledge with no problem. (This is a situation where you really hope the builders knew what they were doing.) 
• Compared to Springdale, the Duggars' hometown, Chicago was quite different...to say the least. "Arkansas is so laid back," says Jinger. "Cow pastures, chicken farms....it's a lot different," explains Jessa. 
• And you can't visit Chicago without trying some of the city's famous, deep dish pizza. What better place to go than Lou Malnati's Pizzeria, a restaurant that boasts the "BEST Chicago-style deep dish pizza in the world?" 
• Back home, Jim Bob and the kids washed the Duggars' fleet of vehicles. Guess who is notorious for starting the water fights? Good ole Dad! 

 Duggars on the Skydeck's glass ledge!

Would you step out on one of the Skydeck's glass ledges? We have done it, and let us be the first to tell you -- it's scarier than any roller coaster or giant drop. It's even more frightening than walking down a dark alley at 1:00 AM, blindfolded.  

Photos compliments of the Willis Tower Skydeck. Click here to learn more about this unique tourist attraction!

Tonight: Duggars in Chicago!

Tune into TLC tonight at 9/8PM CST for the newest episode of "19 Kids and Counting" Deep Dish Duggars. Jessa and Jinger are traveling all the way to Chicago to try the city's famous deep dish pizza? Well, not exactly. They are going to a music seminar with Michaela and Erin Bates and will also be touring the Windy City. You won't want to miss this episode, especially if you have ever been to Chicago.
Back home in Arkansas, experience a Duggar car wash. No, the Duggars are not cleaning every vehicle in Springdale, just their own fleet.

Do your kids wash your family's car(s)?