The two began dating in 2021 after meeting at a barbecue at Taika’s house in 2018, and in 2022, they got engaged. “Rita proposed to me,” Taika previously told Vogue, “and I said ‘yes’ instantly.”
Rita shared more details about their engagement this past week on the Begin Again podcast, recalling how it all went down during a trip to Palm Springs.
“I rented a hotel room in Palm Springs. A really nice fancy one, filled it up with balloons — heart-shaped balloons and a heart-shaped cake, because I’m basically doing what I would have wanted for mine,” she said, laughing.
Rita said, “He walks into the room and he’s like, ‘What the hell? Is it Valentine’s Day?’ I’m like ‘No!'” So “anyway, I get down on one knee, and he was just like, ‘What is happening?'”
Rita said she initially thought his reaction meant he would say no. She remembered thinking, “Maybe he doesn’t want it. Maybe it’s okay to just be in a relationship.” “Which was fine with me, too,” she clarified. “But I just wanted to lock him down.”
Luckily for her, Taika said yes: “He said, ‘Absolutely. What the hell, get up.'”
And we all know what happened from there — Taika and Rita got married in August 2022. “It was beautiful,” Rita told the host of their nuptials.
Listen to the podcast here and then tell me what you think of all this in the comments.