On Thursday, January 4, a month after their finale aired, Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner and his fiancée, Theresa Nist, exchanged vows in a televised ceremony.
“Your spirit and heart are mine. I adore your laughs and grins. Between us, we had a great time. While exchanging vows, Theresa remarked, “We laugh until we cry.” We share a profound affection for our families. With so many more people to share it with, we have so much love to give. I pledge to support you through good times and bad, to laugh with you when you’re joyful and to be your rock in the storm. Above all, though, I want us to enjoy ourselves for the hour or so that we have left on this planet. I am really excited to be your wife because I love you so much.
Gerry returned the emotion with some poignant remarks.
It’s clear to me now that you are the one lady I cannot survive without. I’ve discovered that when you touch me, you instantly calm me down. During his vows, he stated, “I’ve learned that you make me laugh with the easy comfort of a long-lost friend.” “You are a strong, independent woman, and I am glad for your strength,” I’ve come to realize that your gentle voice and sense of sensitivity make me a better man and person. I can now be certain that I have discovered a complete companion with whom to go through all life has to offer, Theresa.
More than fifty Bachelor Nation guests were present in Palm Springs on Thursday, including the current Bachelor Joey Graziadei, Kaitlyn Bristowe, Tayshia Adams, Charity Lawson, Desiree and Chris Siegfried, Raven Gates and Adam Gottschalk, Jade Roper and Tanner Tolbert, and Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin.
During The Golden Bachelor’s first season, Gerry, 72, and Theresa, 70, got to know one another. The pair stated that they would exchange vows on television in January 2024 during the live After the Final Rose special, following their engagement during the November 2023 finale.
We’ve aged! Gerry explained his and Theresa’s plan to tie the knot as soon as possible on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast in November 2023. “Think about it this way: You can wait a year in your 20s because that might be 3 percent of your remaining life,” he said. “A year may represent 10 percent or 20 percent of your remaining time when you’re in your 70s.”
Before his proposal aired, Gerry said that he was reluctant to get married again following the passing of his first wife, Toni, in 2017.
He said in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly in October 2023, “When I was dating [before the show], I was looking for the person that I would spend the rest of my life with regardless of the label.” And as the process shown in the show approached, I began to genuinely understand that I did, in fact, want to get married, that I desired that commitment, that two-way relationship. And that was my goal as soon as I entered the show.
Following the announcement of their engagement, Gerry and Theresa talked candidly about their wedding preparations.
“Our daughters are very involved,” Theresa said in a December 2023 interview with People. “My daughter is amazing; she has witnessed a million weddings. She assembled the vision board. Is this anything you like?’ she asks. Are you fond of this? “Wow, okay, I don’t even have to do this,” I think to myself. This is fantastic. She’s managing it quite well.
On his part, Gerry was excited to hand Theresa total command over their special day.
He said, “When I talk to her and she’s talking about whatever it is—a dress, a cake, flowers, or anything else—I can just hear the joy in her voice.” “That she’s enjoying herself so much with it makes me very happy. What could possibly be more enjoyable?
Theresa described the things she and her partner were most excited about in their future together.
“Together, we should select a house that everyone wants to visit—our friends and family as well as ourselves—and simply go out and explore life, having experiences, doing trips, and living a fantastic, amazing life,” she remarked. “We think our lives together will be the best ones,”
This involves the union of their separate families. Theresa has a son, Tommy Nist, and a daughter, Jen Woolston; Gerry is the father of two daughters, Jenny Young and Angie Turner. “Going to be a very Gerry Christmas with Theresa and our blended family,” Gerry wrote in the caption of an Instagram photo he posted of their older children in December 2023.
