Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley are still going strong.
Fans got another peek at the romance on Saturday, February 8, just a day before The Real Housewives of Orange County couple celebrated another big milestone. Gretchen posted a handful of Instagram Stories in which she showed off the stunning gift she received in celebration of her and Slade’s 16th anniversary. That’s right, the love birds have been together for 16 years.
Gretchen and Slade celebrate 16 years together: “How crazy is that?”
“Happy anniversary, love,” Slade said from behind the camera.
The video showed Gretchen walking to their Costa Mesa kitchen, where a beautiful floral arrangement was displayed on the counter.
“Aww. Babe, this is so beautiful, oh my gosh,” Gretchen said. “This is so pretty! It came with a cake and everything.”
“Sixteen years; it’s the least I could do,” Slade said before Gretchen started talking directly to her viewers.
“So, tomorrow (February 9) is Slade’s and my 16-year anniversary,” she said. “We’ve been together 16 years. How crazy is that?”
See Slade’s “beautiful” anniversary gift to Gretchen
RHOC’s Gretchen Rossi reveals her anniversary gift from Slade Smiley. Photo: Gretchen Rossi/Instagram
The flower arrangement consisted of red roses and maroon orchids with little butterfly decorations throughout. The flowers were placed in a dark red box that featured Gretchen and Slade’s initials in gold-toned lettering. Next to the arrangement was a petite red cake with tonal piping details and a metallic “Happy Anniversary” topper.
Gretchen credited the cake to Nonna’s Cuisine and the arrangement to Glamour Flower Boutique — a New Port Beach-based company she enlisted for her 2019 baby shower.
“Of course, this is Glamour Flower Boutique. They make the most beautiful arrangements,” she said. “So, you guys, they did so many of my floral arrangements for our baby shower. I just love them. They have some of the most unique, beautiful arrangements. I love that this little cake came with it, babe. We’re going to have to have this tomorrow…
“Oh, you know what? For all the men out there: If you guys are looking for a good Valentine’s Day gift, this would be a beautiful arrangement for a loved one,” she continued. “You get a cake… and you guys can put together a beautiful arrangement for your lady.”
Gretchen and Slade share more details about their relationship
Gretchen Rossi posts an image of herself and her husband, Slade Smiley to her instagram on July 24th, 2023. Photo: Gretchen Rossi/Instagram
Gretchen and Slade confirmed their relationship during RHOC Season 5 (2010), a year after Gretchen joined the cast. Their romance immediately became the subject of on-screen drama, as Gretchen’s castmates repeatedly questioned Slade’s motives for dating another Housewife. He was previously engaged to original RHOC cast member Jo De La Rosa (seasons 1 and 2) and was later romantically linked to RHOC alum Lauri Peterson.
The couple opened up about their relationship during a 2024 appearance on Bravo’s Hot Mic podcast, saying they had met each other more than 25 years ago when they were both working in the real estate business.
“He was really nice and he was cute and whatever, but I was married and he was engaged to Jo,” Gretchen explained. “So that was never any of that thing between us.”
Gretchen then recalled a conversation in which she asked Slade about his unique name: “It was funny because there was just this strange thing that happened for me in that moment: I don’t know why, but I remember thinking and feeling that ‘Slade’ was somehow going to be in my life at some point.”
Will Gretchen and Slade ever get married?
Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley at the 2024 Global Impact Awards on November 16, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. Photo: Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images
Gretchen exited RHOC after Season 8, which documented her over-the-top marriage proposal to Slade. Although they’ve since hit many relationship milestones — including the 2019 birth of their daughter, Skylar Gray Smiley — the couple has yet to formally tie the knot. Gretchen shed more light on her decade-long engagement during a 2022 appearance on the Behind the Velvet Rope podcast, saying she was in no rush to walk down the aisle.
“No wedding plans as of right now,” she said. “I always say this: I want to be like Goldie [Hawn] and Kurt [Russell]. Look at how long they’ve been together and they’re so happy and in love… But listen, if my little girl one day is like, ‘Mom, dad, I want you married,’ I’ll probably just go, ‘OK, we have to do it.’”
Fans can expect to see more of Gretchen’s home life in RHOC Season 19, which will find her returning to the series as a friend. Click here to see how the OC ’Wives reacted to Gretchen’s casting news.