Theresa Nist’s Wedding Dress For The Golden Bachelor Was Picked Out by a Surprising Contestant
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Something golden. Theresa Nist’s wedding dress for The Golden Bachelor wedding special with Gerry turner was picked out by a contestant you won’t expect. Gerry Turner, a 71-year-old retired Restaurant Owner from Hudson, Indiana, and Theresa Nist, a 70-year-old Financial Services Professional from Shrewsbury, New Jersey, met on Season 1 of The Golden Bachelor in 2023. They got engaged at the Final Rose Ceremony after Gerry gave his Final Rose to Theresa and proposed to her.
In an inteview with People in January 2024 ahead of their wedding, Gerry and Theresa opened up what it was like to have their dream wedding in their ’70s. “See, you’ve got to remember, Theresa didn’t get — her first time around, she didn’t have much time to plan and really, I didn’t either,” Gerry said, referring to Theersa’s first marriage to her childhood sweetheart Billy, who was drafted during the Vietnam War while she was in her first year of college.
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Gerry also had a similar experience when it came to his low-key wedding when he married his first wife, Toni. “We didn’t have a whole lot of time and [we were] pretty broke, both of us,” he said. “So this is kind of big. We want to make it so we don’t miss any of the moments.”
Gerry and Theresa also explained why they wanted to marry so soon after their engagement. “When you’re in your 20s and you put something off for a year, it’s a very small percentage of your life,” Gerry said. “In your 70s, the clock ticks faster. And I’m 100% certain I found the right girl for me. So it’s like, why not?” Theresa added, “I met the man of my dreams. It wasn’t our original timeline, but to be presented with the wedding of our dreams? Spectacular, incredible, wow!”
Though they were happy with marrying just a month after The Golden Bachelor Season 1 finale, Gerry admitted that he did have some reservations about the fast timeline. “Since she’d sort of gotten the hurry-up job the first time, I wanted her to be able to savor all of the anticipation and the joy and the planning and everything. That was my only question is, ‘Are you OK with the timeline? Do you feel like you get cheated a little bit in it?’ And it doesn’t sound like she’s getting cheated,” he said.
But back to Theresa Nist’s wedding dress for The Golden Bachelor wedding special. So who designed Theresa Nist’s wedding dress and how did she pick it? You may be surprised by which Golden Bachelor alum is responsible for the wedding dress Theresa Nist wore on The Golden Wedding and who else went shopping with her.
1. Who made Theresa Nist’s wedding dress for The Golden Wedding?
Who made Theresa Nist’s wedding dress for The Golden Wedding? Theresa’s wedding dress for her nuptials with Gerry Turner was designed by Badgley Mischka, an American fashion label by Mark Badgley and James Mischka that has designed several looks seen on the Bachelor franchise. Along with Theresa’s wedding dress, Badgley Mischka also designed Season 1 Bachelorette Trista Rehn’s wedding dress to her winner, Ryan Sutter, in December 2003. Trista and Ryan also married in a special titled Trista & Ryan’s Wedding.
Badgley Mischka also designed Final Rose Ceremony dress for Vanessa Grimaldi, the winner of The Bachelor Season 21 with Nick Viall, and the shoes for Lindsay Yenter, runner-up on The Bachelor Season 17 with Sean Lowe. The label was also behind several Night One dresses on The Golden Bachelor Season 1, including gowns worn by Faith Martin, Peggy Dercole, Christina Kempton, and Ellen Goltzer.
In an interview with People ahead of The Golden Wedding, Theresa revealed that she picked out her wedding dress with the help of her daughter, daughter-in-law, and Golden Bachelor co-stars Susan Noles (who also officiated her and Gerry’s wedding) and Kathy Swarts, whom she feuded with throughout Season 1 of The Golden Bachelor. Theresa also revealed that the wedding dress
“I was presented with these incredibly gorgeous gowns from Badgley Mischka, and I was overwhelmed,” Theresa said. “I asked each one of these beautiful women to go pick their favorite. And then I picked three of mine, and I walked down the stairs with them. And when it was the dress, they unanimously thought this was the good gown. I think Susan was so proud because that’s the one I picked out!”
Gerry, for his part, told People that he considered wearing a blue suit but decided on a black tux to have a more classic look. “We talked one night, and we came to the conclusion that a black tux would look a little more formal,” he says. “And that’s where I’m going, the black tux.”
2. Who is Gerry Turner from The Golden Bachelor?
Who is Gerry Turner, The Golden Bachelor 2023? Gerry, the first Golden Bachelor, is a 71-year-old retired restaurant owner, father, and grandfather from Indiana. His Instagram handle is @goldengerryturner. “It’s never too late to fall in love again,” Gerry said on Good Morning America in July 2023, announcing him as the first Golden Bachelor.
Gerry is a widower. He married his wife and high school sweetheart, Toni, in 1974. They share two daughters, Angie and Jenny, and two granddaughters, Charlee and Payton. (Gerry’s daughters were the ones who encouraged him to apply for The Golden Bachelor.) Gerry and Toni were married for 43 years until her death from an illness in 2017, six weeks after her retirement. “She got robbed,” Gerry told Good Morning America about Toni. “Every day that goes by, that’s the thought I have.”
When asked what Toni would think of him starring on The Golden Bachelor, Gerry told Good Morning America that he believed his late wife would be “rooting” for him. “I have her picture on a dresser in my closet,” he said. “Every morning I give her the nod, ‘So what do you think about this?’ For a while it was like I was having a hard time figuring out if she would be OK. But we always told each other, when one of us goes, we want the other one to be happy.” He continued, “She’s saying, ‘Yeah Gerry, do this.’”
As for what he’s looking for, Gerry told Good Morning America that he wants a partner who matches his personality and loves sports. “I’d love it if I found a partner who was high energy, someone who’s fairly competitive, that they enjoy sports,” he said. “Someone that maybe plays pickleball, someone that maybe plays golf.”
Read Gerry’s Golden Bachelor biography ahead.
“It’s never too late to find love, and Gerry Turner is ready to prove it! ABC announced today that the charming 71-year-old patriarch from Indiana is the network’s first Golden Bachelor, showcasing that love stories, like so many other things, only get better with age. Turner will begin handing out roses when “The Golden Bachelor” premieres this fall.
A retired restaurateur and doting father and grandfather, Gerry [GAIR-ee] Turner lives in his dream house on a beautiful lake in Indiana. He’s often busy hosting barbecues, playing pickleball, cheering on his favorite Chicago sports teams, four-wheeling and spending time with friends and family at restaurants and local haunts.
Always a romantic, Turner married his high school sweetheart, Toni, in 1974. Together, they lived a full and happy life with their two daughters, Angie and Jenny, and later two granddaughters, Charlee and Payton. Sadly, after 43 years together, Toni suddenly fell ill and passed away in 2017.
Six years after Toni’s passing and with the support of his family, Turner is ready to put himself out there and find a love that will stand the test of time in his golden years.”
3. Who is Theresa Nist from The Golden Bachelor?
Who is Theresa from The Golden Bachelor? Theresa Nist, the first Golden Bachelor winner, is a 70-year-old Financial Services Professional from Shrewsbury, New Jersey.
Read Theresa’s biography for The Golden Bachelor Season 1 ahead:
“Theresa is a gorgeous catch with a huge heart. She is very close with her children and grandchildren, and loves nothing more than seeing them all thrive. Theresa describes herself as optimistic, encouraging, and ready to love again after loss. She hopes to meet a partner who will be her best friend in this next chapter of life and will appreciate all the little moments with her. When she’s not spending time with her family, Theresa enjoys playing board games, gardening, reading romance novels, and hula hooping. Theresa is here for the real deal, and fingers crossed it’s all fireworks when she meets the Golden Bachelor!
Fun Facts:
● Theresa loves to sing … alone in her car.
● Theresa taught herself all about the stock market
● Theresa loves ’70s rock, both soft and hard.”
The Golden Wedding airs on Thursday, January 4, at 8 p.m. on ABC. Here’s how to watch it for free.
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Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman
Bachelor Nation by Amy Kaufman
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To get more of an inside scoop, check out Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman’s book, Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure, for a deep dive into the Bachelor franchise. The book uncovers the secrets of Bachelor Nation, from how much the Bachelor and the Bachelorette are paid to the rules contestants have to follow, that producers don’t want fans to know. It’s a must-read for any Bachelor Nation member.
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