Erin Bates's Wedding - Part 2

[BullyJBG]

The Happy Birthday song wasn't new to me; it was in our Mennonite songbook called Sing Alleluia, in the '80s. I'll have to find it to see who wrote it, but it's been around at least since then.

[Mela99]

Kelly posted in the comments that there were about 1000 people at the wedding. She said that C&E wanted to "honor Mr. Gothard" since they met through his "ministry". :doh:

Right. I'm sure it was totally their idea. :?

[singsingsing]

I'm sure it was their idea. Gothard is everything to these people, they'd jump at the opportunity to suck up to him and earn brownie points. I'm sure they were thrilled to be able to present him with his very own birthday cake at their wedding! Next fundie wedding he goes to, the bride and groom will probably take it a step further and give him a triple-decker cake, sing him a duet, and then wash his feet.

[Pretzel]

It's a bit like playing who's grandpa's favorite grandkid, isn't it?

[nokidsmom]

There was a Freakonomics podcast where they talked about how suicide rates are higher in the West. They speculated that it is because of lingering ideas of "Old West" individualism, that people should help themselves, and not as many people seek out the help of social services. Maybe Chris is butting up against that.

That's what I was thinking re: Chris. Success on the same levels of JB and Gil doesn't seem to be working for him but chances are he probably gives it just as a good effort which had me thinking that it's probably the attitudes of the people around them. Having traveled extensively in the West and have relatives there, I do know that the Old West "haul yourself up by your own bootstraps" individualism is very much alive.

Agree that the hospitality tradition in South combined with good ol' religion probably helps out both Gil and JB. Though I wonder about Gil's presentation about grifting for God does give away the game, IMHO, so there's bound to be some folks who grumble under their breaths as they "help" these families. And I wouldn't be surprised if there are folks who manage to find a polite, socially acceptable way to not deal with them.

[Dandruff]

Chris may be dealing with the disadvantages of fewer neighbors within 'donating distance' and less familiarity since he doesn't have a TV show or business that involves going to people's homes. Still, I remember when they were on TV (a special?) and I'm pretty sure his wife remarked on bags of clothing that people would anonymously leave for their kids.

[Arete]

Chris may be dealing with the disadvantages of fewer neighbors within 'donating distance' and less familiarity since he doesn't have a TV show or business that involves going to people's homes. Still, I remember when they were on TV (a special?) and I'm pretty sure his wife remarked on bags of clothing that people would anonymously leave for their kids.

Yes, they do get bags of clothing, but Chris has not been able to get anywhere near the freebees Gil and JB have. Those include building materials, free labor, food, appliances and electronics. Both Gil and JB will approach a vendor without shame for a "discount" based on their large families. It allows them a far higher standard of living than what they could actually provide with their own money. Chris has not been able to elevate his family's standard of living at all.

[VincentvanGoGo]

New pictures of Erin's wedding prep:

elizabethzellonphotography.com/2013/12/08/chad-and-erin-getting-ready/

"Nervous chatter and laughter lilting thought the air, curlers and makeup strewed around the room, butterflies swirling in the brides stomach as she realizes this is her last moments of singleness…" :?

I don't get why the photographer had to put the wedding rings on a tree? Is that a trend of some kind? Seems weird.

[mypsychoticself]

New pictures of Erin's wedding prep:

elizabethzellonphotography.com/2013/12/08/chad-and-erin-getting-ready/

"Nervous chatter and laughter lilting thought the air, curlers and makeup strewed around the room, butterflies swirling in the brides stomach as she realizes this is her last moments of singleness…" :?

I don't get why the photographer had to put the wedding rings on a tree? Is that a trend of some kind? Seems weird.

A lot of wedding photographers will do "artistic" ring photos, with varying results. My friend's photographer put the rings inside flowers and took pictures of them like that. Putting them on a tree isn't that much of a stretch.

[bucherwurm]

I like most of the pictures. The girls all looked nice. The bad thing (for Erin) was that we get an up close picture of how weird the modesty panels on Erin's dress looked.

[Ralar]

I like most of the pictures. The girls all looked nice. The bad thing (for Erin) was that we get an up close picture of how weird the modesty panels on Erin's dress looked.

The modesty addition on the back of the dress looks even worse than the front!

[Coconut Flan]

The back of the dress is really bad. The close up of the dress was even worse than I'd thought it was.

[uber frau]

The original dress is not-my-style (but it's not my wedding so that's neither here or there), but it's a whole piece that hangs together quite well. The additional panels wreck the lines completely and make the while thing look tacked together. Why couldn't she have gone for a similar drapey look in a dress that had been designed around a capped sleeve from the outset? Or if she couldn't have found one to fit her budget, why couldn't she have found a bolero or something to go over it? It's not like modifying a wedding dress is cheap.

One a different note, I'm seeing how similar Kelly and Erin look in these pictures.

[dawniecakes]

Those dollar store asymmetric faux pearls on that necklace were SUPER FUG. The rest of her jewelry was decent. Why chintz out on the necklace? I'm sure she could borrow a better knock-off if not real heirloom pearls.

[Guest LilaFowler]

New pictures of Erin's wedding prep:

elizabethzellonphotography.com/2013/12/08/chad-and-erin-getting-ready/

"Nervous chatter and laughter lilting thought the air, curlers and makeup strewed around the room, butterflies swirling in the brides stomach as she realizes this is her last moments of singleness…" :?

I don't get why the photographer had to put the wedding rings on a tree? Is that a trend of some kind? Seems weird.

Erin is a really beautiful woman. Carlin is a beautiful girl.

[BirthingGodsWarriors]

Can someone remind me again what the blue sapphire ring she wears on her right hand is from? I thought that was the ring he proposed with, but seeing the wedding photos and the other ring now I am not so sure. Was it her purity ring? If so... are they trying to symbolize her loss of purity? Yikes soooo much hyper focus on sex, must be overwhelming at times. Also, do fundies continue to wear their purity rings even after marriage? If so, whats the point of that?

[FrancineFishpaw]

I wonder if it was given to her by Chad, his parents, or her parents as her "something blue" ?

[PhiMuLady]

Those dollar store asymmetric faux pearls on that necklace were SUPER FUG. The rest of her jewelry was decent. Why chintz out on the necklace? I'm sure she could borrow a better knock-off if not real heirloom pearls.

Those are Baroque pearls, and not cheap/chintzy - I have quite a few strands, and love them because of the originality.

[xReems]

When the dress is on the hanger, you can definitely tell how botched the alterations look like. The back looks so uneven and the sleeves look like she had to redo again. I don't know if I can blame the lady from the alterations department since Erin needed massive alterations done to the point of creating a new dress. I honestly think the people in the alterations department at DB are just use to taking a dress in, pulling it out, making is shorter, and maybe adding cap sleeves.

In my opinion, Erin should have just done some more research on finding a modest wedding dress online instead of going to DB and altering it severely. It looks so tacky and uneven, for my taste.

I will say that I love the makeup done on Erin and Alyssa. I've been to weddings, including Hindu ones, where the bride's makeup is so overly done that they look like a completely different person. I love how the makeup is done simple yet it brightens her face and just enhances her natural beauty.

[nausicaa]

If Chad and Erin are going to hold hands on either side of a door so he doesn't see her before the wedding, why does he also have to wear a blindfold? I've seen blindfold pics, and I've seen tons of the door type pic, but never both. Seems odd.

[NellieBell]

If Chad and Erin are going to hold hands on either side of a door so he doesn't see her before the wedding, why does he also have to wear a blindfold? I've seen blindfold pics, and I've seen tons of the door type pic, but never both. Seems odd.

Definitely had a Fifty Shades of Grey going there :wink-penguin:

The dress did look like a pieced together mess close up but she's a gorgeous girl and thankfully most people were looking at her. The "pearls" were ugly and did look cheap i.m.o.. Chad was looking a little Howdy Doody in some of the pics and the shots in the cemetery still squick me out.

[FrancineFishpaw]

If Chad and Erin are going to hold hands on either side of a door so he doesn't see her before the wedding, why does he also have to wear a blindfold? I've seen blindfold pics, and I've seen tons of the door type pic, but never both. Seems odd.

I flashed on "50 Shades of Grey"! :pink-shock:

[Cone]

Those are Baroque pearls, and not cheap/chintzy - I have quite a few strands, and love them because of the originality.

Agreeing with PhiMuLady, those are baroques and not cheap.

I get that this is a snark message board but I have serious eye rolls over some of the snark. Snarking on someone's personal moments of their wedding and choices isn't nice. I hope Erin doesn't find this thread bashing her pearls, dress, rings, etc. Maybe it's because I'm a recent bride but who cares that the photographer decided to put the rings on a tree. Yes, it is trendy right now, but I can assure you that Erin didn't tell the photographer to do that. Photographers do whatever they want to be creative. There were "creative" pictures my photographer did that were odd, but I'm hoping people had the decency to not judge the bride for it. /soapbox

[nokidsmom]

The alterations on the dress look worse than I thought. It really shows on the hanger but one good thing is that with Erin wearing it, the alterations would be obscured to some degree by her long hair and veil.

I still like the dress as originally designed. It's really a shame that a better alteration couldn't have been done, or Erin wore a bolero, or she simply went with a modest dress to begin with. Given the short engagement, there probably wasn't much time to do a better alteration or get a modest dress she liked, but a bolero would have been a solution. She seems to wear them a lot over dresses and shirts a lot but probably wasn't considered modest enough over a strapless gown.

[DarkAnts]

Erin ordered a modest dress online but she did not like one she tried it on. She picked a different one and had it altered.