Erin Foster has shared footage of Simon Tikhman’s 2019 proposal alongside the Nobody Wants This scene it inspired. Her October 28 Instagram video cuts between their engagement and the Season 3 proposal involving Kristen Bell’s Joanne and Adam Brody’s Noah.
Both women react with disbelief before bending down toward their partners. Foster captioned the post “the truth behind Brian’s wedding,” referring to the celebration Noah invents to get Joanne to the vineyard.
The show’s connection to Foster’s engagement was already public. In an October 26 account, Netflix explained that the production team had watched her family footage while writing Episode 4.
Foster told the Television Academy on October 29 that the writers had planned to adapt the proposal since Season 1.
Tikhman Invented a Vow Renewal for ‘Carolyn and Chief’
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About a month before proposing, Tikhman showed Foster an invitation to a friend’s vow renewal in Napa Valley. It included a dress code and a weekend schedule. He described the trip as a work-related event and told her she could join him without making her attendance seem essential.
By the time they arrived, hotel employees were ready to play along. They handed the couple an envelope outlining activities and rehearsal times for Carolyn and Chief’s supposed celebration. Foster said Tikhman had traveled there beforehand to prepare the staff, according to PEOPLE.
Signs at the vineyard reinforced the story, although the venue was noticeably empty. Staff explained that the other guests had gone on a wine tour. Foster recalled being relieved they had missed that activity rather than wondering why nobody else was there.
Sara Foster Brought the Ring While Their Families Hid Nearby
While Erin traveled with Tikhman, her sister Sara was flying from New York to Napa with the engagement ring. Their families waited inside a barn overlooking the proposal area, watching without Erin’s knowledge.
In the footage, Sara can be heard shouting, “Oh God,” as Tikhman gets down on one knee. Erin initially thought he was proposing at someone else’s celebration, prompting him to explain that the entire event was a ruse.
The relatives emerged afterward and joined the couple for dinner. Foster described it as the first time their families had gathered together. Her father, music producer David Foster, and his wife, Katharine McPhee, also performed during the celebration, according to Entertainment Tonight‘s reporting from August 2019.
Noah Chooses Joanne’s Favorite Wine, Tulips and Taylor Swift
The fictional version includes several details chosen for Joanne: biodynamic orange wine, tulips and Taylor Swift’s “Lover.” Noah presents the engagement ring in a red jewelry box, and the couple’s siblings, Sasha and Morgan, arrive to celebrate after she accepts.
Co-showrunner Jenni Konner told Netflix that Foster’s family reactions influenced the playful atmosphere among Brody, Bell, Timothy Simons and Justine Lupe. Foster also appears in the episode, although her character nearly prevents Joanne from reaching the vineyard.
She plays Nicole, a woman at the airport who cannot secure a seat on a flight to Northern California to reconnect with a former love. Joanne offers Nicole her own ticket, then reconsiders when she learns that the man Nicole is pursuing is her brother-in-law.
Foster had originally written Nobody Wants This with herself in mind as its star, but told the Television Academy that Nicole finally gave her a role that fit. Konner encouraged her to take the part.
“It was so nerve-wracking,” Foster said. “But Kristen and Adam were both so supportive. They were my acting coaches.”
Her Original Engagement Announcement Came With a Manicure Mishap
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Foster announced the engagement on Instagram on August 20, 2019, posting a photograph of her surprised reaction. “How on earth did I pull this off,” she wrote alongside a ring emoji.
Her account of the preparations also included a less romantic consequence. Tikhman had arranged for her nails to be ready for engagement photographs, but his own trip to the salon ended with an infected finger.
In her Instagram Stories at the time, Foster said he had persuaded her to get a couples manicure. After the proposal, they visited a doctor’s office, where his finger was drained and he was prescribed antibiotics.
The couple married a few months later, exchanging vows on New Year’s Eve in 2019 at Saddle Woods Farm in Nashville, Tennessee.