Bringing Up Bates alum Warden Bates and Kaybrie Patterson married earlier than planned after Patterson said they moved up the wedding so her late father could attend. The couple shared the news on Instagram Thursday, May 28.
Warden Bates and Kaybrie Patterson have officially said “I do,” and the timing carries a bittersweet kind of weight.
In a joint point shared via Instagram on Thursday, May 28, the Bringing Up Bates alum announced that they have married—just two months after they first debuted their romance on social media in March.
The couple’s fast-moving timeline started with an engagement reveal on May 2. Just days later, they married on May 5—an adjustment Patterson said she and Bates made because her late father could not wait.
Patterson. 19. explained in Thursday’s post that the wedding date had originally been slated for September. but they felt compelled to bring it forward so her father could attend before he died of Stage IV colon cancer. She shared that she had been facing that reality for years. saying her dad was diagnosed with the disease three years ago and fought to survive until treatment was “no longer an option.”.
She described how joy and grief ended up living side by side. “And yet, right in the middle of all that heartbreak, one of the happiest moments of my life happened,” she wrote. “I got engaged to the love of my life, and we began planning our big wedding celebration for this September.”
As her father’s condition worsened and hospice care became part of their days. Patterson said she confronted something she had never allowed herself to imagine: a future where her dad wouldn’t be the one to walk her down the aisle. So they decided to gather immediate family for a small, private ceremony while there was still time.
She added gratitude for the day that did happen. “On May 5th, my dad walked me down the aisle. It was simple. emotional and beautiful in a way I will spend the rest of my life trying to find words for. ” Patterson wrote. “The next day he became unresponsive, and three days later he went home to be with the Lord.”.
Even with the smaller ceremony already behind them, Patterson said she and Bates plan to still hold a bigger wedding celebration in September, with her father “looking down on them.”
Bates, 22, and Patterson’s relationship began sharing on social media in March, following their engagement announcement on May 2. Their proposal post on Instagram was captioned. “The easiest yes 🤍💍.” Patterson also shared more photos from the moment in her Instagram Stories. writing. “I cannot wait to be your wife. I love you more than words.”.
Bates’ parents also reacted quickly. After the engagement. Gil and Kelly Jo Bates—parents of Warden. one of the 19 children of the Bringing Up Bates couple—wrote via Instagram: “We’re beyond thrilled to see the smiles they’ve brought each other. & we’ve already all fallen in love with Kaybrie’s sweet. fun. enthusiastic personality!. Couldn’t feel more blessed!”.
Bringing Up Bates Warden Bates Kaybrie Patterson married engagement May 2 wedding May 5 Instagram Stage IV colon cancer hospice care Gil Bates Kelly Jo Bates