Josie's dream of a fall wedding has been fulfilled. She and Kelton tied the knot yesterday afternoon at Cove Lake State Park near Knoxville, Tennessee. The backdrop for the ceremony was a lake and the Smoky Mountains.
Many of the Bates siblings were part of the wedding party. Tori Bates Smith played violin, Erin Bates Paine played keyboard, and Lawson Bates performed an original song called "Crazy Love." The ceremony lasted 30 minutes and opened with a prayer by Kelton's father, who has faithfully prayed for Kelton every night.
The wedding colors were burgundy and "blush," according to Erin. Approximately 500 guests attended. The couple's getaway car was a Lexus GX470 SUV. Below are a handful of photos from their special day.
Wedding flowers
The Bates siblings
Bates/Balka wedding party
Josie and Kelton's guestbook
Josie Bates and Kelton Balka wedding
Josie and Kelton Balka
If you enjoy this blog, be sure to visit Ellie's other blogs (NashvilleWife.com and DuggarFamilyBlog.com).
For photos of the ring bearers and flower girls, check out our post from earlier today. More wedding photos can be found on the UPtv website.
Photos courtesy of Sarah Moser Photography; UPtv
Thank you for posting!Josie is a gorgeous bride. I knew her wedding would be beautiful, she has such great style.
ReplyDeleteOh, how beautiful!!!! Such a gorgeous setting and dress, and all those involved! Thanks for sharing the photos!🤵💍👰
ReplyDeleteOh wow. BEAUTIFUL. I love outdoor weddings. Congratulations and hope you have many many years of newlywed bliss
ReplyDeleteCongratulations you two. The wedding pictures are beautiful .
ReplyDeleteJosie is absolutely stunning! I pray God blesses their marriage.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations,Josie and Kelton!Ellie, thank you so much for posting pictures!
ReplyDeleteWhere was Ellie Bates in the sibling photo?
ReplyDeleteI was wondering the same thing. I hope she wasn’t sick on this special day.
DeleteI didn't see Addallee either.
DeleteActually, I checked and then found Addee.
DeleteWe were there and did not see Ellie or Callie. I spoke with Addee so I know she was there! It was a lovely wedding although very hot under the sun. They provided fans, but they weren't very effective. They did make good eye shades, though!
DeleteEllie was there. She held Lawson's music while he sang. Callie was also there. The younger girls were enjoying their friends and family. The entire Bates family was there. Josie was a beautiful bride! The ceremony and venue were perfect! It was like a fairy tale.
DeleteCallie is in the sibling photo between Carlin and Josie.
DeleteCallie was in the sibling photo, though. Ellie is the only one missing and yes, I already said that I found Addee.
DeleteBeautiful wedding pictures! May God bless Josie and Kelton in marriage!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos, thanks so much for sharing! I noticed that the photo with all the Bates children together has everyone except Ellie--I wonder why that is?
ReplyDeleteEllie had probably scooted on up to the reception. She was there.
DeleteI like that Lawson makes original songs for his siblings, thats sweet. I like the wreath?! on her head and they look so happy!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures! Congratulations to Josie & Kelton! In the family picture, where was Ellie?
ReplyDeleteWhere was Ellie? I noticed that she is missing from the sibling photo. I hope she’s ok and she didn’t have to miss the wedding because she was sick!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! Gorgeous wedding! ♥️
ReplyDeleteCongrats Kelton and Josie!
All the pictures are beautiful!!! Ellie you never let us down. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteAgree with everyone else, the pictures are gorgeous! I love the greenery.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Josie and Kelton..Josie was a beautiful Bride.. I have been watching her Grow up from the time she was a little girl until her Wedding day
ReplyDeleteJosie is pure class. Her understated choices were stunning! Blessings to the couple!
ReplyDeleteThose bouquets sure weren't understated, though. Yikes!
DeleteI would be interested to learn more about the education of the spouses and significant others of the Bates children. For example, were they homeschooled, did they go to public or private schools? Maybe you have already discussed this, just curious.
ReplyDeleteYes, that would be great to hear. You’ve mentioned it here and there but a refresher on the spouses would be fantastic.
DeleteThat’s a fun post idea! I would also like that! And where they’re from and the sizes of their families and stuff like that!
DeleteI wish them joy and happiness with God on there side. Such a sweet couple.Ty for the pics Ellie.
ReplyDeleteBEAUTIFUL!!!....
ReplyDeleteBlessings to this beautiful couple!
So gorgeous! I finally looked at the pictures on my desktop instead of my phone and realized that the bridesmaid I thought was Erin was actually Katie! I didn't realize they looked that much alike.
ReplyDeleteSimplest perfect... perfect wedding for this perfect couple. Best wishes.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Josie and Kelton.
ReplyDeleteHi in the bates siblings photo Elie is missing. Are there any photos of Kelly and Gil with Josie and Kelton.
ReplyDeleteWhere is the missing Bates sibling???
ReplyDeleteAmazing! Just wodering if you know why Ellie wasn't there?
ReplyDeleteI noticed the bride's attendants had their hair 'done' in updos. Why didn't the bride, who is a hairdresser do her own hair that way? It would have looked beautiful incorporating the floral ring on her head?
ReplyDeleteNo. It wouldn’t. Her dress and the wreath are shabby chic, boho style. An updo would not have looked good with that style.
DeletePersonally I think it looks better down, more innocent. And perfect for an outdoor wedding.So many blonds in the wedding party this keeps her look just for her.
DeleteShe probably wanted to wear her hair the way she did and figured she could do as she liked at her own wedding.
Delete3:55? More innocent? How so?
DeleteInnocent. Webster "lacking experience with the world and the bad things that happen in life". Perhaps there are better words to use but I chose innocent.
Delete7:33- I don't think that having your hair up or down affects one's innocence.
DeleteI agree with anonymous @3:45. The style of the bride's dress and the vibe of the wedding don't really call for a polished, elegant updo.
DeleteBeautiful! Stylish! Elegant!
ReplyDeleteThe bouquet though is way out of proportion to Josie - its wider than her so I can't appreciate the dress which looks lovely from bits I can see. A bouquet is meant to enhance not cover up half of the bride!
Agree! Couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t see her dress. Ha
DeleteWe were hoping to see a pic of Kelly, Josie together.
ReplyDeleteWere they not all told they were taking a picture? In the bridesmaid and groomsmen picture several aren't smiling or looking at the camera. With a professional wedding picture, I would have thought they would make sure everyone was smiling and looking at the camera.
ReplyDeleteI am sure they were waiting for the photographer to take the photo and a family friend took the one we are seeing.
DeleteIt probably wasn't a professional picture.
DeleteYeah. I just wouldn't want a picture of me posted especially a wedding picture where I wasn't smiling or looking at the camera.
Deletebeautiful bride love her dress looks like erin pregnant again though
ReplyDeletePlease don’t speculate. The last thing a woman who is NOT pregnant needs to hear is that she looks pregnant🤦♀️
DeleteMy guess is that Alyssa is pregnant. She's not showing, but she has that pregnant glow. You heard it here first. LOL :)
DeleteShe had a baby this spring. Pretty unlikely
DeleteIt is rude to speculate that someone is pregnant. Be thoughtful and keep that to yourself.
DeleteThe way she is posed makes it look like she "could" be pregnant, but it's still not considered nice to ask.
DeleteI was wondering the same thing about Erin. The Bates and Duggar’s all cradle their stomachs when they are expecting.
DeleteWhere is Ellie? She is not on the siblings photo, there are only 18.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to see one sibling missing from such a beautiful photo. Hope she is okay.
ReplyDeleteSo happy for Josie and Kelton. I love this family and enjoy them sharing their lives with us. It is too late for us but I hope Kelly and Gil's example of parenting helps some young families that are still raising their children.
ReplyDeleteI have checked and rechecked Ellie is definitely not in the siblings photo.
ReplyDeleteEllie wasn't in the photo, but she was definitely at the wedding. I saw her. Maybe the family (or photographer of this sibling picture) didn't realize she wasn't in the photo with them. That's a bunch of siblings to keep up with!
DeleteMr & Mrs. Hull: What are eye shades? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteEye shades are something you use to shade your eyes with (like holding the fan above your eyes to block the sun).
DeleteBeautiful wedding, love all the pretty flowers but in my opinion the bouquets were way to big. They took away from Josie dress and also from the bridesmaids dresses. Love that the wedding was outdoors. The scenery was just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteYes, they could have been scaled back a bit. The arrangements were gorgeous, though.
DeleteI agree - the bouquets were too big and TOO many greens. . . a delicate bouquet of just flowers would have been more flattering.
DeleteKelton looks about 14. Hard to believe he’s married.
ReplyDeletePoor Michael.
The 14 year olds you know must look old for their age. And why would you bring up Michael?
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the guestbook idea!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love Josies dress. Tori looks so cute. Where is Ellie?
ReplyDeleteAlthough all of the attendant's dresses and the bridal gown were beautiful and in good taste for a wedding; I don't think the attendants' style matched the bride's. The bridesmaids had glitter studded, formal gowns and the bride was more 'earthy' and had an outdoor look. They should all have the same 'feel and theme'.
ReplyDeleteI've been to many weddings and if there's one thing I've noticed of late, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on what the rules are for following a theme or anything else. People just follow their own tastes and desires, it's not necessary to try and please the masses. This is as it should be.
DeleteLovely photos. Love watching this family. Congratulations to Josie & Kelton.
ReplyDelete