Michaella and Brandon: He Writes Fairy Tales

[Meredith Quill]

Your Michaella Topic!

[Absolom]

I guess not an old maid much longer.  Shouldn't we get an announcement soon?

[Sew Sumi]

I'm expecting a proposal TONIGHT, actually. They started courting NYE 2013, so it makes sense. They're on GMA tomorrow morning; maybe they'll announce it then. :)

[Fuzzysox]

I can't believe that there is no announcement yet.

[CarolMK]

Aren't they waiting until her boyfriend finishes school? I thought there could be no formal announcement until that time. Also, I wouldn't classify her as an old maid since she's been in a relationship for over a year now. I like the fact that she is actually employed as a nanny and doesn't work for her parents as an unpaid one. She probably has to only watch 2 or 3 kids as opposed to a dozen little ones. 

[trimthatfat]

I thought they couldn't get engaged until her boyfriend finished school.

[Sew Sumi]

He graduated from his program in November. I've seen an IG pic of them together in Michigan over New Year's (their courting anniversary). Her left hand was hidden in the pics. The deed could well be done, just not announced, because it may well have been filmed. Stay tuned! 

[3 is enough]

They are probably not making any announcements because the engagement is the big season finale.  Now that they have a show, everything is fodder for future episodes.

[CarolMK]

Does anyone think that the Bates family will await to announce her engagement on the television show, or will Kelly announce it on their blog? Poor Brandon, even though he has finished school several months ago, it seems like he's being pushed really hard toward marriage to Michaella as soon as possible. He's not "allowed" to wait two or three years after college the way most young people do in the real world to get married. 

[IndianPaintbrush]

I would bet money they are already engaged.  I don't know when the ring shopping episode was filmed, but no way could anyone in that family keep it a secret from Michaella for this long.

[KarmaG]

I would bet money they are already engaged.  I don't know when the ring shopping episode was filmed, but no way could anyone in that family keep it a secret from Michaella for this long.

 

But he didn't buy a ring during the episode so there's nothing to hide.

[IndianPaintbrush]

But he didn't buy a ring during the episode so there's nothing to hide.

But clearly he was ready to buy a ring, so it's just a matter of time.

[SpaghettiTuesdays]

https://instagram.com/p/1k_albJArX/?taken-by=webster4ever

 

MICHAEL IS FINALLY ENGAGED!!!

 

Edited to add ring pic - https://instagram.com/p/1lCwHRvmWr/?taken-by=brandon_michael_jn15

Edited April 18, 2015 by SpaghettiTuesdays

[andromeda331]

Congratulations Michaella!

[KarmaG]

Congrats to them.

[BitterApple]

I remember Brandon saying he wanted to incorporate her birthstone in the ring and it looks there's blue stones on either side of the diamond. I think that was a really nice touch.

[CarolMK]

I read elsewhere that their wedding is going to be on August 15. I'm looking forward to their show coming back, does anyone know when ? Maybe in September?

[IndianPaintbrush]

The new season starts June 4.

 

Lots to cover this season, including the births of Allie and Carson, Michaella's engagement, and Zach & Whit's adventures as new parents.  I predict a new courtship too, I just hope it isn't with a Duggar.

[Sew Sumi]

Aaaaand they have a David Waller-inspired website: Brandon Loves Michael(a) - because they can't decide HOW to spell her name on the front page! LOL

 

http://brandonlovesmichaela.com/

[BitterApple]

I read their story and I feel kind of bad for Michael. She pined after Brandon for years and he never noticed her and had no interest in courting until his sister pushed him into it. They seem to have a good friendship but I feel Michael is way more into Brandon than he is to her. It's like a Ben and Jessa situation, but in reverse.

Edited June 10, 2015 by BitterApple

[lookeyloo]

I read their story and I feel kind of bad for Michael. She pined after Brandon for years and he never noticed her and had no interest in courting until his sister pushed him towards her. They seem to have a good friendship but I feel Michael is way more into Brandon than he is to her.

That has been my impression right from the start, even though he does some "sweet things" for her.  He just doesn't seem to have the same level of interest in her that she seems to in him.  Maybe he is more reserved in front of the camera.

[Fabricationary]

From http://brandonlovesmichaela.com/our-story/:

 

 

 

November 2, 2013, Brandon flew to TN to be an usher in my younger sister’s wedding! After his visit here, I thought for sure there was never a chance that we could be anything more than friends! He was such a gentleman, so careful and above reproach in his conduct, that I gave up the last tiny dream of being a part of his life! Little did I know that 3 weeks later, my life would be forever changed!

 

Someone please introduce Michael(a) to the proper use of punctuation. 

 

But yes, I agree that she seems way more into him than he is to her.  Her narrative reads "I've been longing for this guy for years and years so much that everyone around me (except him) has noticed," and his is like "I wasn't interested or maybe just oblivious to her for years, and then after being in ATI ministry school for years and realizing I'd need a wife, someone suggested her, and she seemed suitable."

 

Apparently Brandon and Michael(a) are registered at Target, though I managed to skim through their registry without rolling my eyes at any of their requests (unlike the Duggar girls).

Edited June 10, 2015 by Fabricationary

[IndianPaintbrush]

No candy, 20 sets of towels, multiple irons/vacuum cleaners or cheesy wall hangings?  Clearly not a fundie registry.  :)

[Mom only twice]

How! Many! Exclamation! Points! Do! You! Need!

I couldn't read the rest of Michael's story because I felt like she was yelling at me.

I did snoop the registry and found it very normal and modest and typical of most couples --even getting the circo sheets.  I found myself pumped for them someone bought their vacuum. :)

[KarmaG]

All the exclamation marks are simply her showing her age. My daughter is just a couple years younger than her and writes in a similar fashion, especially when excited. And while I find it annoying, I also have to say if the worst thing someone can say about her is she uses too many exclamation marks then she's doing a great job at life.

Edited June 27, 2015 by KarmaG

[BitterApple]

Isn't Michaela like 24 or 25? That seems a little old to be talking in exclamation points every other word.

[KarmaG]

Isn't Michaela like 24 or 25? That seems a little old to be talking in exclamation points every other word.

 

She's somewhere in that age group yes but has lived a very sheltered life so I think her maturity on some levels isn't the same as we'd expect from a "regular" 24/25yr old.

[Hero]

I feel like Brandon was pressured into his marriage with Michael.

From where I am watching, it definitely seems like Michael is more into Brandon than he is into her. Of course it could be because of the cameras.

[BitterApple]

I feel like Brandon was pressured into his marriage with Michael.

From where I am watching, it definitely seems like Michael is more into Brandon than he is into her. Of course it could be because of the cameras.

Honestly I was getting embarrassed for her. When she told Brandon she wanted to marry him the first day she met him, even HE looked taken aback. I do give Brandon credit for putting thought into the proposal and designing a lovely ring, but if he was a mainstream guy he would have headed for the hills a long time ago.

[lookeyloo]

I have been saying that all along.  She looks love sick, looks at him with such longing.  He doesn't look at her like that or act in love.  Maybe just the way he is in front of the cameras.  I hope it turns out the way she wants and isn't a marriage where she is all over him and he says "not tonight, dear, I have a headache".  

[KarmaG]

If he wasn't as into her as she is him I don't think he'd go to the trouble of the elaborate treasure hunt for her to find the ring. I think he's just not that into the cameras and not everyone is so "out there" when it comes to showing their emotions period.

[andromeda331]

I hope that is the case. Michaella is obviously head over heels and the scavenger hunt was really cute. I hope it works out.

[Flowers]

Why is their forum subtitled He Writes Fairy Tales?

[Hero]

Honestly I was getting embarrassed for her. When she told Brandon she wanted to marry him the first day she met him, even HE looked taken aback. I do give Brandon credit for putting thought into the proposal and designing a lovely ring, but if he was a mainstream guy he would have headed for the hills a long time ago.

Definitely! Her desperation comes through the TV. I always have to fast forward her and Brandon's part because I feel, like you, embarrassed.

[cereality]

Why is their forum subtitled He Writes Fairy Tales?

Because when he asked her to court he took her some restaurant in Michigan that had a dark, medieval type of vibe and then he pulled out some ridiculous fairytale he had written -- that was practically the size of a novel -- and read it to her/gave it to her. It was the whole knight in shining armor w his princess thing that seemed ridiculously over the top for two people who barely knew each other.

Definitely! Her desperation comes through the TV. I always have to fast forward her and Brandon's part because I feel, like you, embarrassed.

I wonder how she decided that Brandon was THE ONE upon seeing/meeting him for the first time? What exactly did he say that made her think -- I have to marry this one?? Or is it just that she was the "fat ugly" sister (she's not but I have a sense she thinks she is) compared to Erin and Alyssa and a guy walked by and said hi and she thought -- OMG someone likes me, I have to lock this up!? Or was it love at first sight -- I mean he's handsome but so are any number of other guys. Why exactly would she pine for him for 5 yrs and beg him to make a move, when he was dragging his feet and kind of showing a lack of interest? Does she really think there were no other fish in the sea for her? Did she think -- I've been working on this guy for 3 yrs, may as well keep pursuing until I wear him down -- I mean Erin and Alyssa are my little sisters and getting married so I HAVE to make this work and get a ring too?

[andromeda331]

You know, cereality, those are really good questions the environment that their in it doesn't sound like Michaella would have a lot of time to be around Brandon. So did she just see him and that was it? And why? Did she really think as you stated wearing him down? If so, maybe its me but that doesn't sound really romantic. She does remind me of a lot embarrassing moments from my first crush and first boyfriend, but lucky I had a mom who tried to keep me grounded. A lot of things Michaella says and does are things that would scare boys off. The intense chase. Her mother right their trying to push it a long too. I mean maybe she was trying too for Michaella's sake because its what she wanted but its a little weird that she's pushing as hard as her daughter. Older you'd think she'd have told her to back off a little or even after spending what three years chasing him and nothing, that maybe it was time to move on? That's a long time for a boy who still doesn't show any interested in her. And even now he still doesn't. It still comes off as well he needs a wife. I do hope I'm wrong and he really does love Michaella because I'd had to see her hurt.

[lookeyloo]

Good questions all.  I do believe in "love at first sight" - it's how was with me and my first husband.  It was the same kind of thing.  Took years of on and off before he got with my program and then he seemed all in.  Of course 11 years later he was gone, but, I have two great kids, now grown and a fabulous second husband.  BUT, I think if I didn't end up marrying #1 I would have always thought of him as my one true love who got away.  I'm hoping Michaela and Brandon will settle into some kind of satisfying life for both of them.  Maybe she will lose a little of that moonstruck thing over time and he will fall more in love with her and they can meet in a happy middle.  

[BitterApple]

Cereality, I think Michael does feel like the ugly duckling of the family, even though she's not. Erin is classicly beautiful, Alyssa is blonde and skinny and Tori and Carlin are cute with swagger. I agree she felt like it was Brandon or nothing and that's why she obsessed about landing him for years. Hell, her own sisters implied she was desperate.

[IndianPaintbrush]

I don't know if Michaela felt like Brandon was her only option, I think she just REALLY REALLY wanted to get married and start popping out babies.  I don't think she bargained for such a long delay either.

[trimthatfat]

I do wonder why Michael decided she wanted to marry Brandon the first time she saw him. No offense to Brandon (he seems like a sweet kid).

 

I think Michael is very pretty. She looks like Gil. I hope she doesn't feel like an 'ugly duckling'. Truly, all of the girls in the family are quite pretty.

[Sew Sumi]

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it weird that Michael chose her mother to be her matron-of-honor? I get that many of these girls are isolated, and I've always thought Michael - being such an introvert - especially so, but she doesn't even have a sister that she could choose? Even Jill Duggar, who similarly doesn't have out-of-family friends managed to pick a sister to stand up as her MOH. 

 

The fact that Brandon has friends outside the family and Michael does not (aside from SAHD Jana Duggar) could further isolate her if there are problems down the road. I wonder how close the oldest Keilen daughter is to her family, because she lives in Arizona and is no longer fundie (saw her FB about a year ago, she and her kids all in shorts, even the girl). Her interests and likes really marked her as a mainstream adult. One wonders if the Keilens consider this one a "failure," since she didn't stay in the Gothard fold. 

 

I dunno; I think Michael is setting herself up for a lot of disappointment, for which she will feel a ton of self-guilt. She's been bred to think that it's always "her" fault; her sisters seem to have figured out that this isn't the case, but Michael just seems especially mired in the Gothard muck, and that's a basic tenet. I see lots of "keeping sweet" in her future, unfortunately.

Edited July 16, 2015 by Sew Sumi

[IndianPaintbrush]

Count me in the "It's weird" camp. As the mother of the bride, Kelly already has a special and unique role in the wedding. She'll be involved in all the pre-wedding activities and is really acting as one of the hosts.

I have nothing against the idea of your mom being your best friend. But Kelly should be enjoying the ceremony with her husband, not wearing a matching dress and standing at the altar with a bunch of girls.

[trimthatfat]

I've heard of men choosing their dads to be their best men so I guess it's not that odd to me that Michael would want her mother in her bridal party.

 

I have a feeling Michael will be fine. Alyssa moved away and has become friends with the women in her church so the isolation doesn't have to remain a reality for Michael if she doesn't want it to be. I don't look at her and see someone who is lonely or depressed.

Edited July 17, 2015 by trimthatfat

[andromeda331]

It is kind of weird that she chose her mom. I can't really tell yet though who Michael

is close to out of her sisters. I hope that's what she really wants and not one of

her sisters or one of her friends.

[cereality]

I imagine that if Michael chose her mother as MOH, it's because SHE wanted to not because Kelly forced it. While they are fundie, this family doesn't seem to be against friendships. We've seen Erin with a best friend from college, Alyssa with friends from John's hometown, Lawson and Nathan meeting friends on missions. It doesn't seem like a family where a 25 yr old sister is expected to say -- my best friends are all my sisters esp the 2 yr old. Nor does it seem like a family that friends can only be from other mega fundie families. Point is -- is Michael wanted a friend as MOH -- I can't imagine Kelly saying -- no it has to be ME. At most I've heard parents who try to inject a brother/sister as best man/MOH and have friends as groomsmen/bridesmaids on the reasoning that -- you don't know if you'll still be friends with your best friend in 20 yrs but your brother is your brother for life. So I could see Kelly saying -- well, I think you should pick a sister as MOH not a friend; I don't see her saying -- nope, no friends, no sisters as MOH -- it's MY turn. She just doesn't seem that pushy.

[IndianPaintbrush]

I agree there's no way Kelly forced it.  Michael is much calmer and more introverted than any of her immediate sisters, so I can see why she feels closest to Kelly.  As I mentioned before, there's nothing wrong with your mom being your best friend.  I just feel like Kelly already has a special role, and why add all those matron of honor duties to it.  Kelly is really sweet though, so I'm sure she's honored.

[zenme]

So, the Matron of Honor is different than the Maid of Honor, which is different than a bridesmaid. Hmm,..I guess it'a bit unorthodox for Kelly to fill that role, but I guess it's sweet.

Is it really a thing to choose a church based on the church's colors?

[andromeda331]

Is it really a thing to choose a church based on the church's colors?

 

I wondered that too. None of my friends or family have ever done that before but wondered

if maybe it was just us. Also, is it normal to have a fixed wedding date? Most of my friends

and family may have picked the season but the actually date was usually when ever the

church, hotel or venue had openings. Or even outside depended on when the judge or

minister had openings.

Edited July 17, 2015 by andromeda331

[KarmaG]

I wondered that too. None of my friends or family have ever done that before but wondered

if maybe it was just us. Also, is it normal to have a fixed wedding date? Most of my friends

and family may have picked the season but the actually date was usually when ever the

church, hotel or venue had openings. Or even outside depended on when the judge or

minister had openings.

 

I had a fixed date for both my weddings. One was a church wedding and the second was just at the JP.

[IndianPaintbrush]

What are the requirements for getting married in a Baptist church?  When I got married in the Catholic church we had to be members of the parish, provide proof of our baptisms and go through premarital church-based counseling.  It didn't seem quite as easy as the way Michael and Brandon did it, but maybe there was more behind the scenes.

 

It would never even occur to me to eliminate a church based on its colors.  It's not as if pink and brown decorations would have clashed with the first church's colors.