Lance Bass Says His Wedding with Husband Michael Turchin Was Unique

Popstar and former NSYNC member Lance Bass came out as gay in July 2006 after the boy band broke up.

Since then, Bass has not shied away from being open about his sexuality. He settled down with his husband, Michael Turchin. 

The couple met at a mutual friend’s birthday party. Afterward, Bass’s future husband added him on Facebook, and the two struck a friendship. 

Bass was a huge pop star which intimidated Turchin even though he made the first move. 

“I am so shy and never would have made the first move. I was thinking, ‘This is Lance Bass. I grew up watching him on TV and listening to his music.’ That just added a whole other layer of intimidation,” said Turchin. 

The duo became best friends and were unaware of their mutual attraction. Therefore, they kept their friendship platonic and spent a lot of time together.

But one day, Bass went in for the first kiss, and the rest is history. 

Lance Bass and Husband Michael Turchin’s Wedding

On December 20, 2014, Bass and his husband tied the knot, becoming the first gay couple to have their special day televised on E! News in 2015. 

For Bass, it was important that the wedding was unique. He shared they added a lot of distinct elements for the occasion. 

The nuptials took place at the legendary Park Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, which had everything they needed for their dream wedding.

“It looks like you are in an old castle. The ballroom is all wood-paneled, with a wood-carved ceiling. We wanted it to have a royal vibe, and everything about the place is over the top and gorgeous,” shared Turchin. 

Bass and his husband had initially wanted to invite 750 people, but they had to bring it down to 300, which was a nightmare for the duo.

  

Lance Bass and his husband Michael Turchin on their wedding day. (Source: Michael Turchin/Instagram)

But they did it, and among those who made the cut were NSYNC bandmates JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, and Chris Kirkpatrick. 

The missing member, Justin Timberlake, couldn’t attend the event because he was on tour. 

Other guests included Bass’s pal Lisa Vanderpump, Cheryl Burke, Christina Applegate, and the grooms’ parents and families. 

Bass was touched to have his parents, from the deep South, by his side, for it spoke volumes about acceptance and change. 

Lance Bass on Preserving and Creating New Traditions

Although the pair wanted a unique wedding, they preserved Bass’s southern Baptist upbringing and Turchin’s Jewish heritage.

The grooms wanted their celebrations to have traditional elements passed down from their parents. 

They partook in Jewish traditions of marrying under a huppah and stepping on a glass at the end of the ceremony. 

But they also created new traditions, and one way they did that was by choosing their close friends to officiate the wedding. 

“You could easily go to a preacher, a pastor or a rabbi, but I don t like that because you don’t really know them. You have a stranger in charge of the most important day of your life. We loved the idea of using someone who knows us,” said Bass. 

Seven years later, the couple welcomed twins via surrogacy, and since then, they have lived happily as a family of four.