Kendra Loves Surprises

Kendra Caldwell loves surprises, and Joseph was able to pull off a big one on Monday's episode of Counting On. It's Kendra's 19th birthday, and she's in Kentucky trying on wedding dresses, which means she's apart from Joe. But little does she know that her fiancé has something up his sleeve. 

When Kendra is finished at Renee's bridal shop, she and the other Duggar and Caldwell ladies stop by a brick oven pizza restaurant. Guess who is waiting to greet Kendra when she walks in the door?

Photo/video courtesy TLC

The Kendra Gown

As I mentioned yesterday, I was able to watch some of the events shown in last night's episode unfold in real time from behind the scenes. Filming started in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, at Renee's Bridal, where Kendra Caldwell, along with her mom (Christina Caldwell), grandmother (Grammy), sisters (Lauren and Gracie Caldwell), and future in-laws (Michelle Duggar, Jana Duggar, and Josie Duggar) had an appointment with dress designer Renee Miller.

Kendra has a cheerful, bubbly personality, and it was neat to watch her interact with her family (and future family). Josie and Gracie are around the same age, so they enjoyed playing together and "helping" Renee. (They helped Kendra fan out her train and put on her veil.) Jana has an eye for design and is gentle with her opinions, so she was able to give Kendra guidance. As the oldest daughters in their families, she and Kendra are both strong leaders.

Kendra's family was as sweet as could be. You could tell that her mom and "grammy" were soaking in each moment as they watched Kendra try on dresses. The Caldwells spoke well of Joseph and seemed thrilled to have him join their family.

Before the gowns were revealed and the fitting began, Renee and Kendra sat down to look at sketches of the dresses. Renee had purposefully had the artist--Ashley Howell, owner of The Blue Rose--do the sketches "paper doll style" so Kendra could visualize how the top would look with each skirt.

For more photos from the day, visit Renee's Facebook page.

Kendra Loves Sparkles

"Kendra has always been our happy, bubbly, sunshine-on-a-rainy-day girl."
-Christina Caldwell

Tonight on an all-new episode of Counting On, Kendra Caldwell takes her mother, her grandmother (affectionately called "Grammy"), her sisters (Lauren and Gracie), Michelle, Jana, and Josie to Kentucky to find a wedding dress. Following in the footsteps of Jinger and Joy, Kendra will have a custom gown designed by Renee Miller from Renee's Bridal. 

 I (Ellie) am especially looking forward to this episode because I was able to be behind the scenes during Kendra's dress fitting, as well as during her birthday celebration later that day. Be sure to tune in tonight at 9pm ET/8pm CT.

Photo/video courtesy TLC

Dress Day with the Duggars Part 2

On Tuesday, I posted the first part of my series about dress shopping with Joy-Anna Duggar. (You can read it here.) Now it's time to pick up where I left off...

When the cameras were off, I enjoyed chatting with the Duggar ladies and playing with Jordyn and Josie. It was a long day, but the four little girls remained composed and well behaved through it all. During the individual interviews, we all had to be silent. Johannah, Jennifer, Jordyn, and Josie were able to amuse themselves quietly, as they walked around the store and chatted with us in whispers.

Seven-year-old Josie is a firecracker (always has been) and is very social and well spoken. She would wander away while the cameras weren't rolling, but she obeyed instantly when called back. At one point, I looked over and heard Jana instruct Josie to do 15 jumping jacks to expend her energy, which she did happily and without a fuss.

The camera/production crew members were very kind to everyone on set. Some of them have known the Duggars for as long as 12 years, and the bond is evident. They enjoy joking around with everyone, and they are very gentle with the little ones.

Although Joy was quite overwhelmed by the whole process of choosing a dress, she did seem to enjoy herself. Whenever anyone mentioned Austin, her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

After dress shopping was over, another lovely resident of Mt. Sterling came to Renee Miller's shop. Ashley Howell--owner of The Blue Rose--stopped by to present Jinger (Duggar) Vuolo with a special gift. I won't spoil the surprise, but Ashley tells all about it on her blog. (Click here to read.)

Photo courtesy Carrie Wilson Photography 
 
Visit TLC.com, Carrie Wilson's Facebook page, and the Renee's Bridal KY Facebook page to see more photos from Joy's dress day.