Courtship Chronicle

Bates Family General

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  July 1, 2013 marked a new day of celebration for Zach Bates and Whitney Perkins as they began courting! They first met in 2012 at a local restaurant where Whitney works, called Sonic. Needless to say, Zach makes a lot of Sonic stops! Over the course of several months, they have become best friends.

  Whitney was adopted into a family including 11 other siblings. Her parents, Johnny & Lydia Owens, live in Clinton, TN. Her father is a preacher and her mother is a hair stylist.  Whitney will be completing her schooling at a local college this fall.

  We are so excited to see what the Lord has in store for Zach and Whit’s future! They have helped each other through hard times, they have helped each other grow closer to the Lord, and they have helped each other learn to laugh and to love!

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  Zach bought Whitney a double heart necklace with 1/4 carat diamonds for their special day. The beautiful purple roses mean “Love at first sight!” (They came from Pots and Petals Florist in Lake city, where Alyssa helps work occasionally.) Alyssa was in charge of the table decorations at Rickard’s Ridge Restaurant in Lafollette, and Alyssa and Carlin did the photography. Alyssa, Carlin, Josie, Katie, and Whit’s sister, Nakota, sat at a separate table to chaperone… and to giggle about their older sibling’s nervousness..lol!. After a beautiful walk around the lake at Cove Lake State Park, they headed for The Track in Pigeon Forge to ride go karts. They ended their evening at the Comedy Barn where a surprise announcement was made about their news!IMG_3964IMG_6808