The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in quite a few changes. There was virtual school, virtual work, and, for Nicolas Cage and Riko Shibata, virtual marriage proposals. After spending time together in early 2020, the couple eventually went their separate ways for a while because of COVID. "She left New York and went back to Kyoto, Japan [during the pandemic] and I went back to Nevada," Cage told his brother, Marc "The Cope" Coppola, in a radio interview. After living apart for six months, Cage decided to propose to Shibata on a video call. "I finally just said, 'Look, I want to marry you' and we got engaged on FaceTime," he shared.
The actor later shipped a black diamond engagement ring over to his fiancée. "Her favorite color is black so she wanted the black gold and the black diamond," he said. After their Las Vegas nuptials in February 2021, the pair made their first red carpet appearance in July 2021. Shibata, of course, wore a black dress.
