The Golden Bachelor couple Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist officially got married in what turned out to be a night full of tears, surprises and Bachelor Nation cameos.
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Gerry and Theresa tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony at La Quinta Resort & Club in California in front of about 150 guests -- including friends, family and many members of Bachelor Nation -- as well as the entire world.
Before the wedding started, The Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer, former The Bachelorette star Charity Lawson, and The Golden Bachelor's Kathy Swarts talked to members of Bachelor Nation in red-carpet style interviews dubbed "the Gold Carpet."
Guests from previous seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette included Ben Higgins, Caelynn Miller-Keyes, Joey Graziadei, Kaitlyn Bristowe, Michelle Young and boyfriend Jack Leius, Rachel Recchia, Tayshia Adams, and Wells Adams.
The Bachelor-Nation couples who also attended Gerry and Theresa's wedding were Ashley Iaconetti and Jared Haibon, Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell, Charity Lawson and Dotun Olubeko, Desiree Hartsock and Chris Siegfried, Jason Mesnick and Molly Maloney, Kenny Braasch and Mari Pepin-Solis, Tanner Tolbert and Jade Roper, Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter, and Zach Shallcross and Kaity Biggar.
Gerry's The Golden Bachelor ladies who made an appearance at the wedding were Edith Aguirre, Ellen Goltzer, Faith Martin, Joan Vassos, Leslie Fhima, Natascha Hardee, Kathy Swarts, and Susan Noles.
The Golden Wedding also featured footage of Theresa and Gerry's Christmas together, when they combined both of their families. Gerry played games with Theresa's grandchildren, and Theresa made cinnamon balls with Gerry's daughters in order to keep his late wife Toni's memory alive.
The show also captured footage of Gerry and Theresa meeting with a wedding planner and getting the ball rolling on their "dream" wedding. They selected signature cocktails called "One Headlight," Final Rose," and "Turn Her Into a Mrs." And Gerry also picked a chocolate and buttercream cake.
Theresa was also shown trying on wedding dresses at a Badgley Mischka boutique. Theresa's family and Gerry's daughters accompanied her as well as Kathy and Susan. Gerry, meanwhile, picked out a wedding band with a meteorite in it from Neil Lane.
Prior to the wedding, Theresa, Susan, Ellen, Faith, and Sandra Mason participated in a boudoir photo shoot at Theresa's bachelorette party. The ladies also had some Las Vegas exotic dancers perform for them.
On the night before Theresa and Gerry's wedding, the pair sat in front of a fire and cried about how they were never going to have to come home to an empty house again. Gerry told Theresa that she made him a better person, and they repeatedly expressed their love for each other.
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RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
The wedding then finally commenced.
Theresa walked down the aisle arm-in-arm with her son Tommy, and she donned a gorgeous off-the-shoulder, mermaid-style gown with lace detail. She had her hair down in curls and wore a crystal necklace.
Susan, who officiated the ceremony, delivered charming and hilarious opening remarks.
"For those of you that don't know me, I just don't know why!" Susan joked, before adding, "I stepped out of the limo and said, 'Gerry, I'm going to marry you.' Turns out I was right."
And then Gerry and Theresa's children said a few kind words, which sparked a lot of emotion from the bride and groom.
"We're just so proud of you for taking this journey in the first place," Gerry's daughter Angie gushed.
"You laid your heart out there, you were vulnerable and for that, we're so incredibly proud."
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The sisters ended their speeches by announcing jointly, "Everybody here calls you 'the first Golden Bachelor.' We're just honored to call you 'Dad.'"
Theresa's daughter Jen -- who planned most of the wedding in a matter of weeks -- also shared a beautiful sentiment with tears in her eyes.
"Mom, you found your person to go to Italy with. And Gerry, you've got your person to share a sunset with," Jen said.
"And you have the love and support of all your children and grandchildren -- and Toni and my dad, I just know it. We're beyond thrilled that you've brought us together as family."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)
Gerry and Theresa had been crying for nearly the whole ceremony up to this point, and the tears kept flowing once it became time to exchange vows.
Theresa explained how she went on The Golden Bachelor open to potentially meeting the man of my dreams, but she never expected it to happen. She said that when she first met Gerry, she never expected to feel as if she'd known The Golden Bachelor star her whole life.
"I moved in for a kiss as if to say, 'Goodbye darling, I'll see you when I get home.' And then we went on our first date and it was nothing short of magical," Theresa shared.
Theresa recalled, "I started believing that there could be something between us. And I witnessed you being the most wonderful, kind, sensitive human being. Just a man of honor and integrity. And I grew to love you. And I do Gerry, I do love you."
Theresa then said she couldn't wait to join their lives and families together.
"We have that same deep love of family. We have so much love to share and now so many more people to share it with," Theresa said.
"I promise to be your calm in a storm, to comfort you when you're sad, to laugh with you when you're happy, and to stick with you throughout it all. But most of all, to have fun for the rest of the days that we have left on this earth -- which could be another hour."
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Gerry recounted the most special moments he had shared with Theresa on the show, including how he loved her deeply and knew at the end of his journey that she's absolutely The One for him and his perfect match.
"I learned that you are the woman I can't live without. I promise that if you're my partner in life, I will make you the happiest woman on Earth," Gerry told Theresa.
"I learned that you make me calm with the touch of your hand. I've learned that you make me laugh with the easy comfort of a long-lost friend. I've learned that you're a strong and independent woman, and your strength gives me joy."
Gerry continued, "I've learned that you make me a better person, a better man, because of your sensitivity and your soft voice. And so Theresa, I know I found a full partner to share all of life's experiences that are thrown at us."
The couple then exchanged wedding rings and the party got started.
Theresa threw her bouquet and it was ripped apart by several of The Golden Bachelor ladies -- including Kathy -- and then Gerry advised the crowd, "Don't Stop Believin'."
The Golden Wedding special also featured Dotun revealing that he and Charity will be getting married in Fall 2025.
And Brayden proposed marriage to Christina right in front of Jesse Palmer on the "Gold Carpet," and she said "yes."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
