Former boy band member Lance Bass popped the question to his artist beau, Michael Turchin. Their big day has made history as the first televised gay wedding, writes Debashine Thangevelo
NSYNC’s Lance Bass came out of the closet in 2006. His revelation, following much speculation about his sexual orientation, also saw him receive the Human Rights Campaign Visibility Award in October that year.
Once again, he has grabbed headlines – this time for having the first televised gay wedding on TV in the E! Special, Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding.
He met Michael Turchin in 2011 at a birthday party in Palm Springs. And they got engaged, after a failed first attempt in New Orleans, right here in South Africa.
Turchin recalls: “So it was right after the ’NSYNC reunion at the VMAs (The MTV Video Music Awards). We were going to broadcast the radio show (they co-host Sirius XM, a talk show) at a festival down there. And we had a bunch of friends from LA come down with us. And a lot of friends from Mississippi came, too. New Orleans is Lance’s favourite place in the world. And my family’s from there so it’s special for both of us.
“During lunch, he ran out and got a ring. That night, we broke off from the group and walked to Jackson Square, which is a beautiful spot. As he got down on one knee and proposed, this man interrupts and asks to take a photo with Lance. I was so mad.”
But all was not in vain. During their safari trip to Singita (in the Kruger National Park) a few months later, Bass tried again.
He shares: “I knew when we were going to South Africa – we were calling that our honeymoon because we didn’t know if we were going to have time off after the wedding – and I brought the ring that I wanted to propose to him with, knowing at some moment I wanted to do it, maybe at sunset. And the second proposal was much better.”
On how he knew Turchin was “the one”, Bass shares: “There are many reasons why I knew he was the one. I knew I was in love with this man on one of our first trips together. When you travel with someone, you know if you can be with them or not.
“We went to Mexico and stayed at a friend’s house. We stayed there for four days, did not leave the house and never got out of our onesies. I knew if a man can sit in a onesie with me for four days and not say this is cheesy, that’s the guy I need to marry. And we still have those onesies.”
When they were initially approached by E! to have their big day televised, the couple were hesitant. Bass explains: “We said there’s no way as we are very private people. But it only took us about 24 hours when they asked us again and we decided that it would be an amazing opportunity to share with the world something that I think people need to see. And it’s very important to be visible in this day and age, especially for LGBT.”
The loved-up couple wed on December 20 last year and spent two weeks at a Malibu ranch with their dogs.
Unlike the fairer sex, Bass and Turchin say they didn’t turn into groomzillas.
Bass laughs: “At the end of the day, we might be gay, but we are still two dudes planning a wedding.”
They did not, however, see eye-to-eye on the wedding cake. Interestingly, it was Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) who pimped her cake designer to the boys.
Bass notes: “She had an upside down chandelier wedding cake. It was incredible. Our whole theme was this OTT royal wedding meets the Met Ball. I, of course, looked at Prince William’s cake for inspiration. And I wanted the story of our lives around it.”
Turchin chips in: “And then we met the cake designer – Kimberly from The Butter End – for a good hour. And the last five minutes, she found out I was an artist, she was like: ‘Oh, let’s change everything’. I showed her my work and she was like: ‘I want to do a cake that’s of your art’. And Lance just couldn’t grasp how that would happen. So he was difficult on that one.”
Although Justin Timberlake couldn’t make it to the wedding as he was on tour, the other members turned up.
On their most memorable moment from their big day, Turchin shares: “The actual wedding. I mean, walking down the aisle and seeing him for the first time was kind of a shellshock. And then I cried for the rest of the time.”
Bass laughs: “He was bawling the whole time. I think my favourite moment was the ceremony. And we had Kelly Price singing us down the aisle to I Am by Christina Aguilera. There was something about seeing all your friends and family stand up and applaud. It was just this feeling of overwhelming love. I had goosebumps that didn’t go away until we said, ‘I do’.”
They also kept a few wedding traditions like not seeing each other the night before.
Bass adds: “And we had something blue, something borrowed and something new.”
Still glowing from being in that honeymoon phase, it’s back to work for the couple.
Turchin is working on the sequel to an independent film, First Period, and Bass is developing a scripted show for E!
He shares: “It’s something I created a few years ago and is along the lines of Nashville – but a pop version. It’s based on stories I have witnessed in my career.”
And life’s pretty much back to normal for the two lovebirds as they also bid farewell to those reality TV cameras!
• Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding airs on E! (DStv channel 124) at 8pm tonight.