Bachelor Nation’s Brayden Bowers, Christina Mandrell Get Engaged During Gerry Turner’s Wedding Special
Love was clearly in the air during ABC’s The Golden Wedding live televised special as Bachelor Nation standouts Brayden Bowers and Christina Mandrell got engaged in the lead-up to Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s nuptials.
Bowers, who competed for Charity Lawson’s affections during The Bachelorette season 20 before failing to find lasting romance throughout the latest run of Bachelor in Paradise, proposed live to Mandrell, who appeared on Zach Shallcross’ season 27 of The Bachelor. The pair had just discussed with franchise host Jesse Palmer that they were about to move in together in Nashville after Mandrell reached out to Bowers via Instagram following his return from filming Bachelor in Paradise. But Bowers had something else to get off his chest.
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“I knew that there was something special, and there was something different, and then I got to spend time with you, and I got to spend time with Blakely,” Bowers told Mandrell of meeting her daughter. “I got to spend time and show you and introduce you to my family.”
He continued, “For the first time in my life, I feel like I found someone that I can be myself with unapologetically. I have no doubts that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Like Gerry said, ‘it’s like we have such little time,’ and Theresa — they’re the biggest inspiration. I know that I want to spend the rest of my days with you.”
A stunned Mandrell, who is the niece of country singer Barbara Mandrell, accepted the proposal and then said of his ring, “Put it on me!” She went on to ask, “This is why we got our nails done?” which led Bowers to reply with a laugh, “You are such a pain in my butt.”
Palmer explained the situation to the surprised crowd of onlookers. “Wow, congratulations and what a Neil Lane sparkler,” the host said of the engagement ring. “Did everybody just hear that? Brayden and Christina Mandrell just got engaged here live at The Golden Wedding. It’s absolutely incredible, and now they have a whole lot more that they need to celebrate.”
The impromptu proposal follows Bachelor in Paradise season nine having disappointed some fans over all three of its engaged couples announcing their splits shortly after the finale aired in December.
Later in the wedding special, Turner and Nist both got emotional during their vows as part of the ceremony that was officiated by Golden Bachelor alum Susan Noles.
“I’ve learned you are the woman I can’t live without,” Turner told Nist, referencing his proposal in Costa Rica that was part of his November season finale. “I promise that if you’re my partner in life, I will make you the happiest woman on Earth.”
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