This wedding will have you feeling both the love and the thunder.
Rita Ora and Taika Waititi are celebrating their first wedding anniversary with a gift—to fans, that is. The couple—who confirmed their August 2022 nuptials earlier this year—gave an inside look at the intimate ceremony while reflecting on life as newlyweds.
"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, 32, told Vogue in an interview published August 4. "And, I love that we now get to share what really happened—and to do it on our one-year anniversary, no less!"
Setting the record straight on certain rumors, Taika, 47, added, "It wasn't in London or in France like everyone reported. It was in L.A. with a small group of friends."
And they really do mean small. Only eight people—including Rita's sister Elena, Taika's kids Te Hinekahu and Matewa Kiritapu and his close friend Jemaine Clement—were in attendance, with Taika noting that their parents joined in over Zoom.
One benefit of keeping the ceremony smaller? It made it easier to plan, which was helpful since there were only a few weeks in between Rita popping the question midsummer to Taika—who says he "said yes instantly"—and the ceremony itself.
Despite the time crunch, the pair's ensembles fell into place quite easily.
Taika donned a navy Brunello Cucinelli suit while Rita wore a dress designed by Tom Ford (who she says is a good friend), Lorraine Schwartz jewels and her mother's pearls.
"Because it wasn't planned, I didn't know if the right dress was even going to be in town," she said of her bridal look. "I just took the risk and went to the Tom Ford shop and they had it perfectly waiting with the veil, in my size, no alterations needed to be done. I mean, it was like it was meant to be, to be honest. And it just made me so happy."
And for the singer and director, who first met at a barbecue Taika hosted in 2018 before reconnecting in Australia in 2021, it was a perfect day.
"It was beautiful," the Thor: Ragnarok director shared. "Just having close friends and not having it too big. It was nice to just have it super-simple. My daughters were there, and they made everything really fun and easy: I think just because we didn't have the pressure of having caterers and all of these things, you know, people turning up late, and all of the different moving parts."
By eschewing the usual chaos, the day was nothing short of serene for the "Anywhere" singer.
"I felt really peaceful actually," Rita added. "It was almost like another day. We just all dressed up and got married."
While the couple stayed mum on their marital status for their first few months of marriage, Rita confirmed she was "officially off the market" during a January radio appearance.
So where do the newlyweds stand a year into marriage?
"It's still working!" Taika joked to Vogue. "I can't believe it's been a year."
Echoing her husband's sentiments, Rita added, "It feels like nothing's changed since the day I met him at the barbecue. It just feels so good to be with my best friend."