Here comes the golden bride — live on ABC. Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist are ready to exchange vows, previewing The Golden Wedding during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly.
“I think it was a natural progression of the season,” Gerry, 72, told Us about the couple’s decision to film the nuptials. “We came out of that knowing each other so well and have learned so much more about each other with every passing day, and when the opportunity came around that we could do this, it just seemed like the right thing to do, the natural thing to do. And Theresa has said this very well — we’ve impacted so many people with the show that we wanted that to continue through the rest of our journey.”
Theresa, 70, who joked that the twosome talked about eloping, added that they “didn’t want to take” the wedding “away” from the viewers who watched them get engaged on season 1 of The Golden Bachelor during fall 2023. “We just felt like, ‘Let’s include everyone,'” she said.
The twosome will also be including their families, with Theresa’s daughter taking the lead as her mother’s unofficial wedding planner.
“[Gerry] lets me make all the decisions, so there’s no disagreement,” she quipped. “So, the first thing of all, my daughter has been helping me tremendously. She put together the vision board, and it was all beautiful. I love flowers, so important, and I love music. … I think just really to make this the most warm, wonderful family-oriented wedding, and to try not to even think that there are cameras around. Try to make it an intimate moment that we’re sharing with a lot of people.”
Both Gerry and Theresa walked down the aisle in the past. Gerry was married to Toni Turner for 43 years before she died in 2017, and Theresa was married to William “Bill” Nist for 42 years before he passed in 2017. They also both have two kids who have welcomed children of their own. Gerry noted that there’s “a pretty significant age range” among the eight grandkids, ranging from Theresa’s 6-year-old grandson to Gerry’s 22-year-old granddaughter.
“They’ve all gotten along so well, and it even goes to the level of Theresa’s daughter, Jen, thanking her for bringing two new sisters into the family. I mean, it’s really great,” he said.
Theresa noted that her daughter and Gerry’s daughters, Angie and Jenny, have a group chat. “You should have seen the decision about the dress that they’re going to wear,” she told Us.
Theresa tapped Jen, Angie, Jenny, daughter-in-law Amanda and some of her Golden Bachelor costars to go shopping. She challenged them all to pick out their “favorite dress” for Theresa to try on.
“And when I came down with [one] dress, everybody in unison went, ‘Oh, that’s the dress,'” she recalled. “And they also said, ‘Oh, your face was glowing. You look so beautiful.’ Now I’m trying to decide, am I wearing a veil with it? Am I wearing any headpiece?”
Theresa teased that she may be changing into a second reception dress because her first look “could be hard to dance in.”
Gerry, for his part, will be surprised on the big day. “The only thing I know is how many great reviews I’ve heard of the dress that Theresa has chosen,” he said.
Another surprise in store could be the Bachelor Nation members in attendance. When asked whether any of their Golden Bachelor costars weren’t getting an invite, Thersea replied, “You know what, if it was up to us, we would invite everyone. We’re not in charge of that process. We seriously love every single one of these women, but it’s out of our hands, so [I] don’t know. We actually don’t know the list.”
While it’s likely several past Bachelor and Bachelorettes will attend the wedding, fans will be waiting to see if Gerry’s runner-up Leslie Fhima is there. The exes had a rocky reunion at After the Final Rose in November 2023 after Gerry told Leslie he was going to pick her during their overnight date.
“He made plans with me for [the] future. He said kind of, like, ‘Save the date, this is what we’re going to do. I can’t wait for us. [In] two more days, we’ll be done with this [and] be together, start our life.’ Did he say, ‘Will you marry me?’ in there, no, but he all but said that,” Leslie claimed on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast last month. “I would’ve been happy with just, ‘I love you,’ but he took it to a different level.”
Regardless of whether Leslie attends, the couple do not appear to be fazed.
“[I’m most looking forward to] walking down that aisle to Gerry and then saying our vows in front of our entire families. I think that’ll be the best,” Theresa said. “And then just really having fun during the reception.”
Gerry added, “If there’s a moment that I’m really looking forward to, it’s turning around and seeing Theresa in her dress in all of her glory that day. It’ll be pretty spectacular. It’ll be special.”
The Golden Wedding airs on ABC Thursday, January 4, at 8 p.m. ET.
