What The First Bachelorette Trista Rehn Is Up To Today
It's not often that contestants on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette find love and live happily ever after. But when it does work, it's magical, to say the least. For example, Trista Rehn — who was the first Bachelorette, and was ranked as one of the best-ever Bachelorettes — found her forever with Ryan Sutter during her season in 2003, and the two are still together as of this writing.
During the finale, Ryan popped the question to Trista after their whirlwind romance. "Today is a day I have dreamt about my entire life, since I was a little girl. I had visions of a man I could see a future with, but someone whose face was always blurred until now," Trista gushed, per People. "I see a white dress, and I see it with you. You stepped out of my dreams and into my world."
Ryan and Trista got married on December 3, 2003, and later welcomed their two children, son Max and daughter Blakesley, into their lives. Just think: Trista would have never met her husband if she hadn't competed for Alex Michel's heart on The Bachelor in 2002. "Thankfully, I had my heart broken, and I had the chance to be the Bachelorette, so I am really thankful for it," she told Access Hollywood in 2019.
So, what is Trista up to now? Let's find out.
Trista Rehn 'always wanted to be a mom'
Trista Rehn and her husband, Ryan Sutter, along with their two kids, Max and Blakesley, currently reside in Colorado, where they lead a pretty normal life. These days, Trista — who has even declared herself a "proud hockey and dance mom" on her Instagram bio — posts about her adventures with her children, which includes hiking, attending sporting events, and going to the beach.
However, it wasn't always smooth sailing for Trista, as she got candid about her infertility struggle in 2015. "I always wanted to be a mom. It was always my dream, and although I wanted to be a career person for a very long time, overplaying that at all times was to become a mother," she told Fox News in 2015 (via People).
"When you get married you believe, 'Okay, the next natural thing is to have babies.' When that doesn't happen you start to question your relationship, you start to question yourself, even God," she added.
Luckily, everything worked out for the reality star in the end. "So. Very. Thankful. For so very much. Especially these three. #family #myloves #grateful #14daysofgratitude," Trista captioned a photo of herself with Ryan and their two kids on Instagram in 2018.
Trista Rehn has appeared on other reality shows since 'The Bachelorette'
After Trista Rehn appeared on The Bachelorette in 2003, she didn't walk away from reality television. In fact, she did quite the opposite — she appeared in Dancing With the Stars in 2005 and Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars in 2014.
Trista had "been asked a lot of times to do different shows, and it just never felt right." But when Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars was presented to her and Ryan, it made perfect sense, she told Parade in 2014.
"The more we talked to producers, the more we realized we wanted to be able to strengthen our marriage and to show people you don't have to be unhappy to want to be happier, you can be in a really good place and want to be in a better place," she added. "I wanted to do that for us, but also show people that it's not a bad thing to work on your marriage."
However, Trista made it clear that she has "no plans to return to reality TV" going forward. "We've been asked over the years, and I think our motto is never say never, but I'm trying to limit the amount of things that I'm doing and putting on my schedule," she told GoodHousekeeping.com in 2017. "I'm just focusing on my kids and trying to be as authentic and true to myself as possible."
Trista Rehn reveals the secret to her long-lasting marriage
Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter — who were once called the "godmother and godfather" of Bachelor Nation by host Chris Harrison, per Brides — have been married for over 15 years, and they are still in love to this day. So, what is the secret to their long-lasting relationship? "That is the No. 1 question, hands down, since we got married," Trista quipped to Us Weekly in March 2019.
"You just put your time and effort into your marriage, and into each other," she explained. "You prioritize each other. You focus on trust and respect and love and friendship, and enjoying each other, enjoying what you love to do together in this life."
Ryan — who was a firefighter for 17 years, per TVShowsAce.com — told Women's Health in 2019 that the pair "keep things exciting" in their relationship. "When we have an opportunity to do something, we do it. You have to try. We just try," he said.
It also doesn't hurt that Ryan is pretty much Prince Charming. "The most romantic thing Ryan has done for me is write a poem to me on the show and then turn it into a song recorded by Brad Paisley," she recalled. "He surprised me with that as our first dance on our wedding night."
Well, it's no wonder these two are still going strong!