Bates Wedding Part 2: Zach N Whitney

[Closed Womb]

It's hard to tell anything from pictures. My husband can't take a good one to save his soul. But, the vibe from these two is certainly good -- way better than I got from their engagement photos. I hope everything is really as it appears in these pics.

[singsingsing]

Imagine if Kelly Bates was taking your engagement photos, flanked by a bunch of giggling chaperone siblings. Then imagine what you'd look like in those photos. Might explain a lot (though I thought they looked happy and relaxed, personally). :lol:

[VincentvanGoGo]

I'd bet the novelty is going to wear off faster than some think - once they're done with the lovely honeymoon and get home and settle into everyday life, which does not involve huge incomes coming in, since unlike the Duggars they don't depend on TLC and overblown-political-internship money.

I'm gonna go ahead and hold out hope for them being fundie-lite, which I think is more likely than Chad and Erin. Looking at how Chad is holding on to Erin in some of the pictures, I have a feeling their honeymoon happiness has diminished fast.

Whitney is DEFINITELY wearing black leggings in that one pic of them and you can see the black denim skirt off to the side. Good girl! I think there's a reason all the other pics are just of Zach....

Also I"m just glad it's not all selfies anymore.

Im just curious, which photos are you talking about in the bolded sentence?

[feministxtian]

I find it funny that the Bates blog hasn't been updated with anything from Zach & Whitney's wedding...

[albanuadh_1]

I find it funny that the Bates blog hasn't been updated with anything from Zach & Whitney's wedding...

Great minds think alike! I've been checking their blog and nothing. Not a word or a picture...

[gypsygirl22]

Great minds think alike! I've been checking their blog and nothing. Not a word or a picture...

Didn't it take her a few weeks to update after Erin's wedding? Maybe she's sifting through the pictures & deciding which ones are "appropriate" for the blog? Who knows. I just wish she'd post an update, I keep checking that blog daily!

[FloraDoraDolly]

Didn't it take her a few weeks to update after Erin's wedding? Maybe she's sifting through the pictures & deciding which ones are "appropriate" for the blog? Who knows. I just wish she'd post an update, I keep checking that blog daily!

Also, it's Christmastime and I'm sure Kelly has a lot to do.

[nokidsmom]

I'd bet the novelty is going to wear off faster than some think - once they're done with the lovely honeymoon and get home and settle into everyday life, which does not involve huge incomes coming in, since unlike the Duggars they don't depend on TLC and overblown-political-internship money.

I'm gonna go ahead and hold out hope for them being fundie-lite, which I think is more likely than Chad and Erin. Looking at how Chad is holding on to Erin in some of the pictures, I have a feeling their honeymoon happiness has diminished fast.

Whitney is DEFINITELY wearing black leggings in that one pic of them and you can see the black denim skirt off to the side. Good girl! I think there's a reason all the other pics are just of Zach....

Also I"m just glad it's not all selfies anymore.

I am still holding out for Zach and Whit going fundie lite. Whit may yearn to be in a larger family because of her late adoption experience but she is close to her adoptive parents / family so I suspect that after a while, after she and Zach return to real life, she may see the real differences between them and the Bates. And I still think Zach is pretty darn happy to be out of that house. He's relishing his freedom. I suspect he will go along with Whit if she wants to remain fundie lite or go mainstream.

[Coconut Flan]

Zach looks to me like he's ready to live life. I see him buying a TV, surfing the net without restriction, and not caring one way or the other if Whitney wears a skirt or pants.

[slp]

Also, it's Christmastime and I'm sure Kelly has a lot to do.

I agree. Kelly's had two weddings in the last month and a half, Christmas gifts to buy, probably church stuff to prepare for for Christmas, and regular Christmas things, and all the pre wedding stuff (showers, etc). She seems like she does quite a bit of the 'taking care of the kids' stuff too, so I'm sure she's busy busy busy this time of year, normally, and even busier this year.

[nokidsmom]

Zach looks to me like he's ready to live life. I see him buying a TV, surfing the net without restriction, and not caring one way or the other if Whitney wears a skirt or pants.

Yes, and I suspect that was one reason why his failed courtship was so disappointing to him. It wasn't just about getting married, it was about finally living his own life and calling his own shots. He's had experiences away from his family. During his courtship with Sarah, it was reported on the Reith's blog (entries scrubbed after the coursthip fail, IIRC) that he spent some time staying with the Reiths as part of getting to know them plus he traveled with the family for a few weeks while they did a band tour. I don't recall any "accountability partner" such as a sibling going on the band tour, pics just showed Sarah, her sibs and Zach. So he got to spend some time with a different family, experiencing their day to day life and probably seeing a difference between them and his own. And yet they were still considered a good family and Sarah a godly young woman. So he got to see that people can be "godly" but perhaps not as controlling or extreme. I wonder if it caused him to quietly question whether he wants to exactly model his own life after his parents or not. And that's a good thing.

[Closed Womb]

I agree. Kelly's had two weddings in the last month and a half, Christmas gifts to buy, probably church stuff to prepare for for Christmas, and regular Christmas things, and all the pre wedding stuff (showers, etc). She seems like she does quite a bit of the 'taking care of the kids' stuff too, so I'm sure she's busy busy busy this time of year, normally, and even busier this year.

I also think it is Christmas that has this delayed. From what I remember of their show, her parents (or his parents, I can't remember which) were not too fond of their lifestyle/number of kids and yet the Bates family still obviously loved them (they were HILARIOUS, too; I think the grandmother's name was Jane.) Gil may be high up in ATI, but seeing them interact with family, it appears that they would not disown or ignore any children who decide to live a little more liberally.

[Closed Womb]

It's hard to tell anything from pictures. My husband can't take a good one to save his soul. But, the vibe from these two is certainly good -- way better than I got from their engagement photos. I hope everything is really as it appears in these pics.

Imagine if Kelly Bates was taking your engagement photos, flanked by a bunch of giggling chaperone siblings. Then imagine what you'd look like in those photos. Might explain a lot (though I thought they looked happy and relaxed, personally). :lol:

Good point! I didn't even think about the audience that they would have had for engagement pics. I keep forgetting about their need for accountability.

I though Zach and Whitney looked happy and relaxed in the engagement photos, too, just not that kind of "in love" look that Chad and Erin had. I didn't think much of it, but I certainly didn't get the vibe of "wow, these two are meant for each other." The honeymoon photos are kind of giving me that vibe.

*NOT that my vibes mean a damn thing, of course :lol: *

Actually, thinking back, Chad and Erin looked happier in the engagement photos, less happy in the post-wedding pics. Zach and Whitney, the opposite. I hope there is nothing to that and all is well between both couples.

[nokidsmom]

Good point! I didn't even think about the audience that they would have had for engagement pics. I keep forgetting about their need for accountability.

I though Zach and Whitney looked happy and relaxed in the engagement photos, too, just not that kind of "in love" look that Chad and Erin had. I didn't think much of it, but I certainly didn't get the vibe of "wow, these two are meant for each other." The honeymoon photos are kind of giving me that vibe.

*NOT that my vibes mean a damn thing, of course :lol: *

Actually, thinking back, Chad and Erin looked happier in the engagement photos, less happy in the post-wedding pics. Zach and Whitney, the opposite. I hope there is nothing to that and all is well between both couples.

I hope there's nothing to it either but hey, for the heck of it, I will give a couple of guesses:

Chad and Erin: Princess Erin is finding what it means to do all the housework now plus she's only getting attention from one person versus 20 other people at home. The silence must be deafening.

Zach and Whit: They got through the engagement and wedding ok, pleasing Zach's parents along the way and now it's "yee haw! we can live life now!"

[ari_belle]

I'd bet the novelty is going to wear off faster than some think - once they're done with the lovely honeymoon and get home and settle into everyday life, which does not involve huge incomes coming in, since unlike the Duggars they don't depend on TLC and overblown-political-internship money.

I'm gonna go ahead and hold out hope for them being fundie-lite, which I think is more likely than Chad and Erin. Looking at how Chad is holding on to Erin in some of the pictures, I have a feeling their honeymoon happiness has diminished fast.

Whitney is DEFINITELY wearing black leggings in that one pic of them and you can see the black denim skirt off to the side. Good girl! I think there's a reason all the other pics are just of Zach....

Also I"m just glad it's not all selfies anymore.

Never underestimate the power of religious/fundie guilt. I think that could make them stay fundie, possibly for life.

[Mela99]

Zach looks to me like he's ready to live life. I see him buying a TV, surfing the net without restriction, and not caring one way or the other if Whitney wears a skirt or pants.

I think Whitney only went skirts for the parents, not Zach.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

Never underestimate the power of religious/fundie guilt. I think that could make them stay fundie, possibly for life.

True. It's the fear of hell that scares a lot of people into becoming more and more religious. And it's a terrible fear to have (trust me I know!)

[nokidsmom]

I think Whitney only went skirts for the parents, not Zach.

This is exactly what I think. I don't think Zach had/has any problem with Whit wearing pants. They met at Sonic so she would have obviously been wearing pants and if Zach himself had such objections to women wearing pants and going skirts only, he might not have given Whit the time of day or certainly not caught her when she chased him. But I can see Kelly and Gil making a stink about her not wearing skirts so she does this so they can get engaged, then get married and then oh well, they tell them to go jump....

As far as Zach breaking away from ATI only time will tell. He's relishing his freedom now and whether he decides he wants to hold on to it for dear life, enough to tell his parents "no" or for whatever reason, decides they are right after he's had his "rumspringa" of sorts, remains to be seen.

One thing, he does have other influences and possible support systems now. Whit and also her family.

[Coconut Flan]

One thing, he does have other influences and possible support systems now. Whit and also her family.

I expect Gil's parents would be thrilled if Zach decides to leave ATI and Gothard.

Edited because give is not leave.

[FloraDoraDolly]

I expect Gil's parents would be thrilled if Zach decides to give ATI and Gothard.

Yeah, I really liked Gil's family when I saw them on "United Bates."

[anjulibai]

It must be hard for Gil's and Kelly's parents to see the life their children have chosen and what their grandchildren are subjected to. I mean, Gil's father was a judge and his mother a nurse - what does Gil have to say about his mother having a career? I know Kelly's father was a minister (not sure what her mother did, SAHM or something else), but the family was obviously not fundie.

[nellautumngirl]

By the way, can you buy/watch the episodes somewhere by now (apart from 1 and 2)? I know you can buy them on Amazon, but only if you're in the US.

[Kelsey]

Kelly updated!

They had a party for Tori and Erin's photos came in.

[socalrules]

I am kind of impressed that Kelly mentioned that anyone that purchased gifts for Zach and Erin at Targetshould check their statements due to the credit card breach. It was a very nice thing to do. I cannot see other fundies doing that or even caring.

[freethemall]

So are Zach and Whitney deliberately avoiding all cultural activities in Hawaii? I'm not shocked they'd avoid luaus but still, there's so much rich culture in Hawaii and while there's great natural activities, it's sad if they're not learning about the native culture at all. I wonder what they're eating as well, if they're trying anything new. I know we'd predicted beforehand they wouldn't connect to the culture at all, but still it's kind of sad if all they're doing is hiking and screwing. And this comes from a fellow Hawaii honeymooner who went to all kinds of ancient Hawaii temples, palaces, cultural museums and ate poi and lau lau and every form of raw fish and exotic fruit I could find.