Inside Cassidy Gifford's Relationship With Her New Husband, Ben Wierda
Although many people are postponing their weddings in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing rules, other couples are taking the plunge despite all that. For example, Kathie Lee Gifford's daughter Cassidy and Ben Wierda got married and their small, private wedding actually seems so more romantic than any big party would have been. A rep for Cassidy said in a statement, per Us Weekly's June 2020 report, "Ben and Cassidy got married in an intimate setting in his backyard in Michigan. They're planning on having a big celebration when it's safe to do so in the future."
The couple announced their engagement in November 2019 and Cassidy's famous mom could hardly contain her excitement. Kathie Lee wrote on Instagram at the time, "So thrilled to announce that my beautiful daughter @cassidygiff is engaged to a wonderful man, Ben @letsgetwierda. I am beyond the moon and stars. Thank you, LORD!" The famous TV personality also told Access Hollywood that Wierda and Cassidy have known each other since they were 14 and 11 years old, respectively, so it's about time they actually made it official.
Everything you need to know about Ben Wierda
So, who is this man that's known Cassidy Gifford for most of her life? Ben Wierda actually seems like the perfect guy for her. Unlike Cassidy — who grew up around showbiz thanks to her TV host mom, Kathie Lee Gifford — Wierda is just a regular kind of guy. According to his LinkedIn page, Wierda is a project manager for a tech company in Santa Monica, Calif. He says that he's "skilled in market analysis, business development, asset management, and start-up environment." He also has a bachelor's degree in international management from Pepperdine University.
According to Distractify, Wierda's parents own two car dealerships and also work for Down East Yachting, which sells super fancy yachts. Transportation runs in the family — the outlet also reported that Wierda's mom is the daughter of Edgar and Elsa Prince, who were the founders of the Prince Corporation, which sold automotive parts to car manufacturers. The Princes had four kids, including Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education in the Trump administration, and Erik Prince, who is the CEO of Blackwater. Cassidy married into a very connected family, more so than even her own family... and they know the Kardashians.
Cassidy Gifford and Ben Wierda are 'SO HAPPY' together
It's clear that Ben Wierda and Cassidy Gifford make a great couple, especially given her mom's enthusiasm for their relationship. It seems like all of Kathie Lee Gifford's kids are tying the knot these days, too. Cassidy's brother Cody Gifford also got engaged to his fiancé Erika Brown last year. When Brown posted about Cassidy and Wierda's engagement last fall, Kathie Lee commented on the picture, per People, "Still can't stop sop [sic] smiling!! My kids ARE SO HAPPY!! Makes me one HAPPY MAMA."
Having lost their dad, Frank Gifford, in 2015, the Gifford kids (and Kathie Lee) have been through a lot in recent years, so it's nice to see that they're finding love and expanding their families. That's all Kathie Lee wanted from life anyway, as she said of her husband's death, per Closer Weekly, "If you're not careful, what you've lost in life can define you. It's so much healthier to be defined by what you still have." Hopefully, Cassidy and Ben have each other for years and years to come.
Cassidy Gifford experienced a few big losses in recent years
Cassidy Gifford's dad, Frank Gifford, was obviously not at her small intimate wedding to her new husband Ben Wierda in mid-June 2020, having died in 2015. The family released a statement at the time of his death, per Today, "Our suspicions that he was suffering from the debilitating effects of head trauma were confirmed when a team of pathologists recently diagnosed his condition as that of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) — a progressive degenerative brain disease."
Kathie Lee Gifford's longtime Live! co-host, Regis Philbin, was close to her husband Frank, and so when Philbin died in late July 2020, Cassidy shared a touching tribute from her social media accounts as well. She captioned a picture of her father and Philbin together, "The laughter I know you two are sharing together again in heaven is palpable... love you forever, Reeg," using her mom's nickname for the television personality.
Between saying goodbye to Philbin, losing her father a few years ago, and marrying her soulmate just this summer, it's been quite an emotional past couple of years for Cassidy Gifford.