'Bringing Up Bates' Star Tori Bates Gets Married—With Duggars Looking On!
Bringing Up Bates star Tori Bates got married on Saturday, and most of the Duggar family members were on hand to watch her walk down the aisle, as PEOPLE reported.
Tori, 21, is part of the Bates family which boasts 19 kids featured on a TV show, just like the famed Duggars, who first starred on 19 Kids and Counting, and then Counting On. Tori is known to be friends with the Duggar clan, especially Jim Bob and Michelle's son Joseph.
The bride, whose family show airs on UP TV, said her "I dos" with Bobby Smith in Knoxville, Tennessee and she and Smith called it "the wedding of our dreams. We're so grateful to God for His love and the love and support we received from our family and friends that helped us celebrate this magical day. We couldn't be happier about sharing the rest of our lives together."
The huge group at Calvary Baptist Church boasted a whopping 700 guests, including all the Duggars except Jinger, who lives in Texas with her husband.
According to PEOPLE, for the holiday-themed wedding, the church was decorated with lit Christmas trees from the Bates family farm.
But was Tori a bit of a rebel in her conservative family when it came to a musical choice? She reportedly walked down the aisle to Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years," which flew in the face of the usual Bates' family traditions.
No one had an objection, though, as Tori's father, Pastor Gil, officiated the vows. During the ceremony, Bobby cried and Tori giggled; she joked that she was "messing it up."
Dad Gil told his daughter at the altar, "This is your day, you're not messing anything up. I'm proud of both of you."
Although Tori's brother Lawson performed an original song at the wedding, "One Plus One," the Bates weren't allowed to dance in keeping with the family's old-fashioned ways.
The reception consisted of a lemon blueberry cake, baked potato bar, and sweet tea and lemonade.
Bates' wedding dress was designed by Renee's Bridal owner Renee Miller, who also made wedding dresses for Joseph's wife Kendra Caldwell and Jinger and Joy-Anna Duggar. As RadarOnline.com readers know, Joy-Anna has gotten hit hard with a shotgun wedding scandal after fans saw big baby bump photos.
The Duggar and Bates' families have bonded over their bigness! Plus, their courting practices are similarly strict; Bates and Smith met in 2015 through a mutual friend and officially began long-distance courting in November 2016.
Bobby asked Tori to marry him in September -- and they didn't wait long to wed with Dec. 16 nuptials!
Bringing Up Bates returns for its seventh season on Jan. 4 at 9 p.m. ET on UP TV.
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