Wedding bells are ringing! Josie Bates married her fiancé, Kelton Balka, on Friday, October 5, Us Weekly exclusively confirms.
The Bringing Up Bates stars tied the knot at 4 p.m. in an outdoor ceremony at Cove Lake State Park in Caryville, Tennessee.
The bride’s father, Pastor Gil Bates, officiated the ceremony alongside Mike Fox. Her sisters, Erin Paine and Tori Bates, who is expecting her first child in November, were also involved in the nuptials, performing music on the piano and violin, respectively. Per family tradition, Josie’s brother Lawson Bates also wrote and performed a song for the newlyweds.
Members of the twosome’s family were also included in the wedding party, with Josie’s sister Alyssa Webster serving as matron of honor and siblings Katie Bates and Carlin Bates, who is newly engaged to Evan Stewart, acting as bridesmaids. Josie’s sister-in-law, Whitney Bates, who is married to brother Zach Bates, and Kelton’s older sister, Ariana Balka, were also bridesmaids, as was Josie’s friend, Makayla Landrum.
Meanwhile, Tori’s husband, Bobby Smith, was best man, with Stewart, Josie’s brother Trace Bates, Kelton’s brother Grant Balka, John Whitney and Jayman Yant, all serving as groomsmen.
Bridal party members wore custom Renee Miller gowns as they walked down the aisle to J. Pachelbel’s “Canon in D.” Groomsmen wore burgundy floral ties with suspenders.
The bride herself was escorted down the aisle by father Gil to “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” by Chris Rice.
Wedding-goers nibbled on chips, cheese balls, sandwiches and wedding cake, which was made by Josie’s aunt Kay — the same woman who made Tori’s cake for her wedding to husband Bobby Smith.
Josie, 19, and Kelton, 23, began their courtship in January and got engaged in June. “I cannot wait to marry the love of my life. Couldn’t have dreamed of a more sentimental engagement,” Josie captioned an Instagram photo of the happy couple at the time. “Kelton put so much time into planning and making sure every little detail was perfect and it felt like a dream. Can’t wait to do forever with you, babe.”
Kelton shared a similar sentiment about this fiancée on their wedding website, per The Knot. “I can truly say that Josie is the love of my life, my soulmate and the only person I could ever imagine spending forever with,” he said. “I used to think that the ‘Perfect One’ didn’t necessarily exist, but when God works in your life in a way that you never could’ve dreamed of, you can experience life changing answers to prayer!”
He added: “I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that Josie is the perfect one for me and I cannot wait to share the rest of our lives together!”
