Golden Bachelor’s Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist Feel ‘Lucky to Have Found Each Other’ Later in Life

Once Gerry Turner realized that he loved Theresa Nist on The Golden Bachelor, he didn’t see the point of a drawn-out courtship. “When you get to this age, every moment is precious and you don’t want to waste them,” the retired restaurateur, 72, shared. “It’s a total different mindset.”

So it came as no surprise when he proposed to Theresa, 70, on the series’ season finale and they set a wedding date of January 4 — just five months after first meeting.

“Theresa and Gerry were so excited to get married,” an insider exclusively tells Life & Style of the televised “I do”s. “They feel so lucky to have found each other, especially knowing how hard it is to find love later in life. They are thrilled and so are their families — their forever is starting now!”

Held at the beautiful La Quinta Resort & Club near Palm Springs, the wedding featured a color palette of pale pinks, whites and creams with gold accents, and Theresa herself picked out the classical compositions the four-piece string orchestra played for an event Gerry described as “very elegant but not stuffy.”

But the lovebirds — who were both widowed by their first spouses and have grown children and grandkids — weren’t particularly hung up on the details.

“Gerry and Theresa were at the venue all week preparing with the team, and the staff kept joking that the Golden Bachelor and his fiancée were a lot less diva-ish than what they’re used to!” says the insider. “No bridezillas here!”

A Time to Celebrate

On hand for the big day? Gerry and Theresa’s families, of course, who made up the bulk of the wedding party. Meanwhile, their officiant was none-other than Golden Bachelor fan favorite Susan Noles.

“The happy couple came up with the idea because we became so close during the show,” the 66-year-old, who operates Nuptials by Noles — a wedding officiant company in Philadelphia — explained. “I’m really glad they did.”

Most of the other Golden women were also in attendance, as were Bachelor Nation success stories Trista and Ryan Sutter, Jason and Molly Mesnick, Desiree and Chris Siegfried, plus former lead Ben Higgins and Bachelor in Paradise bartender Wells Adams.

Post-vow swap, it was off to Italy for a swoonworthy honeymoon before the newlyweds resumed house hunting in Charleston, South Carolina, and New Jersey.

“We know that we have to enjoy life,” Theresa said. “We don’t know how much time we have left, and we want to enjoy every single second.”