Revisiting Trista and Ryan Sutter’s Bachelorette Wedding Plans

More than 20 years after their wedding, Bachelor Nation’s Trista and Ryan Sutter‘s love story still gives Us butterflies.

In a September 2003 issue of Us Weekly, the original Bachelorette and her now-husband exclusively dished about their dream wedding, which would go on to mark the franchise’s first-ever televised ceremony. The couple went on to welcome two children, son Maxwell in 2007 and daughter Blakesley in 2009.

Today, the pair are still happily married, proving that you actually can find true love on reality TV. Earlier this year, however, Ryan sparked concern with a handful of cryptic social media messages. He revealed via Instagram in May that the twosome weren’t spending Mother’s Day together.

As fans began to fear another Bachelor Nation couple bit the dust, Ryan offered an explanation in a separate Instagram post. “Trista is fine. We are fine. We’re great,” he wrote. “Trista is at a place in life where she is searching a bit. An opportunity presented itself that may help her on that quest. With her family’s support, she has taken it. Part of that process means that she is temporarily inaccessible to us. I miss her. We miss her.”

One month later, Trista hinted that she would eventually reveal the reason for her absence from the family’s Mother’s Day celebrations. “I will share it as soon as I possibly can but, yeah, life is crazy right now,” she said on the “Almost Famous” podcast. “It’s summertime right now with two teenagers who need to get jobs and get ready for their junior and sophomore years.”

Back in 2003, romance was in the air — and all over Us‘ cover. Britney Spears and Jared Leto sparked dating rumors as their respective exes Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz got together. Spears later set the record straight, insisting she and Leto were just “good friends.”

At the time, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck‘s first wedding was looming, and the Argo director celebrated with a bachelor weekend. The fun was short-lived, however, with the couple calling off their nuptials just three days before they were set to walk down the aisle.

Bennifer found their way back together two decades later, rekindling their romance in 2021. Affleck proposed the following spring, and the twosome exchanged vows in two ceremonies: first in Las Vegas and again at Affleck’s Georgia estate.

While it appeared as though the pair found their happy ending, split rumors began to swirl earlier this year. Lopez and Affleck went weeks without being spotted together before Us confirmed in May that he moved out of their Beverly Hills home. Two months later, the duo didn’t publicly acknowledge their second wedding anniversary.

Us confirmed on Tuesday, August 20, that Lopez filed for divorce, listing the pair’s date of separation as April 26. The paperwork was filed two years to the day after their Georgia ceremony. “The timing of the divorce was a big f—k you to Ben,” a source exclusively told Us.