The Los Angeles-born professional footballer, who has captained New Zealand’s national team since 2017, saidshe was privileged to get married in Santa Rosa Valley on Sunday (NZT) amidst tragedy.
“It gave us a few hours of joy,” an emotional Riley told the Herald.
“Not everyone was able to be there and we didn’t expect people to come, but it brought my parents so much excitement to be able to still do this and still celebrate.”
On the Wednesday prior (NZT), Riley, 36, said her mum and dad had just hours to evacuate their home in the Pacific Palisades after receiving an alert on their phone saying the fires were moving towards them.
“Your phone does these alerts - it’s the loudest, you can’t miss it - everyone’s [phones] in the area are doing this big blast. “They started packing but even still, no one thought it was going to come that way. Luckily they just were home, they were able to pack both cars. So many of our friends weren’t home at the time of the alert and couldn’t get back in.”
Riley said her parents left their home at about 2.30pm seeking safety at her house in the Woodlands Hills and their home likely burned down around 5-6pm.
“Mum and I were thinking worst case scenario, like ‘it’s burned down, it’s burned down’ and my dad was still so hopeful.
“When we finally got proof from people who biked back into the neighbourhood - because you can’t drive in - they went down our street and there was nothing standing. Just chimneys and some steel beams, but every single person lost their home. If you left the car, it had melted, basically.”
Riley shared a series of photos from their Saturday nuptials to Instagram on Monday - mere days after confirming she had lost her home in the catastrophic fires.
She reposted a snap of her and Nilsson in their wedding attire with the caption: “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Together through it all. For the rest of our days.”
The couple tied the knot after Riley lost her family home to the Palisades fire last week. Photo / Instagram / @rileythree
She also reshared a photo from American professional football player Toni Deion Pressley, who was in attendance.
“My heart is so full. To be able to share this moment with two amazing humans is truly a gift and something I will always cherish,” Pressley wrote.
Riley also reposted a guest’s photobooth snaps to her Instagram Story, the snaps emblazoned with “Lucas + Ali” and the date, January 11, 2025.
“After a truly devastating week and their family losing everything in the fires, so grateful we were still able to come together for this magical day to celebrate these angels,” fellow guest Sierra Nielsen captioned footage from the nuptials.
Riley herself shared a simple black and white shot, sans caption, of her in her wedding gown.
Ali Riley has wed her partner Lucas Nilsson after losing her family home to Los Angeles' wildfires. Photo / Instagram / @rileythree
On Thursday (NZ time), Riley shared an aerial photo of the upscale Pacific Palisades suburb after the fire, showing the charred remains of the decimated neighbourhood - including her family home.
“This was our home. How is this real? It can’t be real,” she wrote.
Riley, who is signed to the Angel City team, also posted a video to her Instagram that captured the blackened remains of her street.
“We lost so much but have everything we need,” she captioned the footage.
“My parents evacuated with two full cars and have been offered so many places to stay. They have home insurance and are luckier than so many who are left with nothing.
“We are looking forward to joining the relief efforts and rebuilding our great city together. Infinite appreciation for the firefighters and first responders still out there fighting for our friends and neighbours.”
Nilsson has also been reposting photos from the couple’s special day, although neither have publicly commented on their wedding at the time of writing.
Despite significant firefighting efforts, the largest fire has spread toward upscale Brentwood and the densely populated San Fernando Valley as winds up to 80km/h hit on Sunday (local time).
Thousands have been left homeless, with more than 12,000 structures razed.
Conditions are set to dramatically worsen, with “extreme fire behaviour and life-threatening conditions” to peak with 112km/h winds in a rare “particularly dangerous situation” declared from early Tuesday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld.
A number of high-profile celebrities have lost their homes to the wildfires, including Paris Hilton, Anthony Hopkins, Billy Crystal, Jeff Bridges, Adam Brody and Leighton Meester, Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, Eugene Levy, and Anna Faris. Star-studded enclaves such as Pacific Palisades and Malibu have suffered significantly: the Palisades fire, the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history, has now burned more than 9300ha, according to reports.
