Taika Waititi reveals proposal details, including that Rita Ora popped the question to him
In honor of their first wedding anniversary, Rita Ora and Taika Waititi's are sharing photos from their big day publicly for the first time.
In a profile for Vogue, the couple revealed never-before-seen pictures from their private wedding ceremony in Los Angeles, which took place a year ago to the day on Aug. 4, 2022.
Having met in 2018 at a barbecue that the New Zealand filmmaker was hosting at his home, the couple started off as friends first. According to their interviews, the two knew each other for years before the “Anywhere” singer ultimately sparked rumors that their relationship had become something more with an Instagram post in 2021.
In the years since that fateful post, they have been mostly tight-lipped when it comes to spilling the details of their romance.
Here’s a look at Ora and Waititi's relationship timeline as told by them.
Ora and Waititi prefer to keep their relationship “private”
Fans of the couple began to suspect that they were in a relationship in April 2021. Rumors that their friendship had become romantic were sparked soon after Ora shared a photo on Instagram that showed the two wearing matching rainbow sweaters.
Despite the public display, Ora declined to speak about her relationship status while doing an interview for Vogue Australia in October 2021.
At the time, the singer said, “I’m in a great place in my life, that’s all I’m going to say about that. I just think, respectfully, privacy is important.”
Ora and Waititi got engaged after the singer popped the big question
“She proposed to me,” Waititi told Vogue in the 2023 profile about their wedding. "And I said 'Yes' instantly."
According to the article, the singer asked Waititi for his hand during their summer vacation in Palm Springs in 2022.
The couple quickly planned an impromptu wedding weeks later at their Los Angeles home
“It wasn’t in London or in France like everyone reported,” Waititi told Vogue. “It was in L.A. with a small group of friends.”
The couple's small gang of attendees included Waititi’s best friend, who flew in from New Zealand and Ora's sister.
“There were about eight people there — just close friends and family and parents on Zoom,” Waititi explained.
They have a “fairy tale” kind of love
Ora shouted about her love for the comedian and actor during a September 2022 appearance on the “Greatest Night Ever” podcast.
In the episode, Ora veered away from her desire to keep their relationship private by admitting to the show’s host Jaime Winstone she was in love.
“I’m in love, I’m in love, I’m in love. Amen!” she told Winstone.
“I’ve always wanted the fairy tale, that’s what I grew up loving,” she added. “For me, it was always about that love, finding a partner, so I’m really happy I did … I love Taika. Shoutout to Taika!”
The wedding day was “perfect”
In January 2023, Ora appeared on “Heart Breakfast with Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden” and announced that she and Waititi tied the knot.
“It was just nice and perfect,” Ora said of her wedding. “Completely how I wanted it, just to myself sometimes. It was really sweet. … Sorry, it’s not that interesting! One day we’ll throw a big party. I’ll figure out a time to do a big, big party.”
Ora said their "love is scary" in Valentine’s Day post
In 2023, Ora celebrated Valentine's Day with a post on her Instagram featuring video clips of Waititi. In the photo, Ora could be seen getting a thrill out of pouncing out from around corners in order to scare her husband.
“Love is scary,” she captioned the post. “Happy Valentine’s Day to all the tormentors and tormentees out there.”
Their romance inspires music
Ora spoke to Billboard News about her third studio album, “You & I,” in a sit-down interview, sharing that Waititi played a big part in inspiring its tracks.
According to Ora, the album reflects on a time when she felt a bit lost in her music career. To get out of her own way, Ora flew to Australia to film the Aussie version of “The Voice” as a coach.
“I spent such a long time fighting to be heard over the course of my experience being in the industry that I guess I lost a lot of confidence and a lot of hope, fell really low,” she explained. “And I guess when you’re at your lowest point, you can make a choice. You either kind of get back up and keep going, or you just let it consume you. And I did that. I got up. I flew to Australia to do ‘The Voice’ over there, and I met somebody who changed me forever.”
Ora ultimately confirmed that the “somebody” was Waititi.
“Meeting Taika, who is my husband, I definitely never felt that before,” Ora says. “And so I just wrote it all down, and I thought, ‘Okay, I think it’s time to make some music again.’ And here we are.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com