Katie Thurston, Jeff Arcuri on Backyard Wedding, Future Plans (Excl)

After exchanging traditional vows in their New York City backyard on March 22, newlyweds Katie Thurston and Jeff Arcuri checked in with Us Weekly.

“Being married doesn’t feel any different since we often referred to each other as husband and wife already,” 34-year-old Thurston — who is battling stage 4 breast cancer— explained in the new issue of Us. “I did introduce Jeff as my husband at my latest doctor’s appointment and that felt powerful for some reason.”

Arcuri, 36, agreed. “She’s been my wife since the day I met her,” he said. “The ceremony was emotional, but only a temporary placeholder until the true celebration.”

The comedian noted that he’s most looking forward to “seeing my wife walk down the aisle” when they have a bigger wedding in the future. Thurston added, “Not only will we get to celebrate our love with all those we love around us but also celebrate the completion of cancer treatment.”

The season 17 Bachelorette and Arcuri met in May 2024 after connecting via Instagram two months prior. They were engaged by August, and after Thurston was diagnosed with cancer in February, they decided to tie the knot ASAP.

“It was so sweet. Obviously, we were wanting to plan a wedding and there’s a lot of emotions that come in with chemo and the impact and the health and we don’t know what the next year looks like,” Thurston explained to Us last month. “And one night he said, ‘I want to show you that I still love you and that I’m here to stay. I’ll get married to you tomorrow.’”

On March 22 — the anniversary of the date where Thurston messaged her friends about discovering Arcuri’s comedy on Instagram — they celebrated with their parents who flew in from out of town and had dinner at Da Andrea, an Italian eatery in NYC.

Days later, Thurston got the results of a biopsy that confirmed cancer had been detected on her liver, moving her diagnosis from stage 3 to stage 4. On Monday, March 31, she went to “chemo class” before she officially starts treatment.

“Sometimes I think ‘wtf is my life?’ But whether I like it or not, this is my life and I have to make the best of it,” she told her Instagram followers. “They say live like you’re dying, but now that I am, it’s easier said than done. And don’t get me wrong, every day, we are all closer to death. Not in a morbid way but in the undeniable circle of life. So cancer or not, I am blessed with today. So while I have sad moments or days, I want to do my best to cherish my time, cancer or not.”

Thurston, who has been open about being in therapy, shared a similar sentiment with Us.

“In this entire process, I’ve never thought, “This is the end for me,”” she said. “I’ve always thought this is just a year of inconveniences, and I can’t wait to get to the other side.”

For more from Thurston and Arcuri, watch the video above, and to see photos from their wedding, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.