Taika Waititi Says Rita Ora Proposed to Him: ‘I Said Yes, Instantly’

Filmmaker Taika Waititi and singer-songwriter Rita Ora are opening up about details of their marriage and revealing for the first time that it was Ora that proposed.

The pair first met back in 2018 at a barbecue at his house in Los Angeles, but they didn’t start dating until 2021 while Watiti, 47, worked on Thor: Love and Thunder in Australia and Ora, 32, was a judge on The Voice Australia. Watiti tells Vogue that Ora popped the question in the summer of 2022 while they were on vacation in Palms Springs. “She proposed to me, and I said yes instantly,” Waititi says.

Their intimate wedding was held a few weeks later on Aug. 4 at their Los Angeles residence with only a few close ones in attendance. “There were about eight people there — just close friends and family, and parents on Zoom,” Taika says. “Just having close friends and not having it too big. We didn’t have table settings or any of the stressful things that go along with weddings, and it was nice to just have it super-simple.” The wedding was followed by a dinner party at their friend Guy Oseary’s house where the guests were treated to an Elvis impersonator and danced to a playlist made by the bride and groom.

Waititi and Ora’s relationship is no stranger to the celebrity rumor mill, and it’s something Ora in particular acknowledges. The couple kept their marriage a secret until earlier this year.

“It’s actually been quite entertaining for us to see the different stories people made up and all the while getting to keep it to ourselves,” Rita says. “And, I love that we now get to share what really happened — and to do it on our one-year anniversary, no less!”