Why so secret?

Why so secret?

Maybe it was just their style.

Or perhaps they took a leaf from Brangelina's book, aka Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Mirroring the surprise wedding stunt of the Hollywood A-listers, local TV stars Qi Yuwu and Joanne Peh tied the knot in a similarly low-key and "sudden" affair on Tuesday.

Only family and the closest of friends were invited - hardly any celebrities.

It was a stark contrast to fellow local celebrity Yvonne Lim's nuptials last weekend when she married former Taiwanese boy band B.A.D member Alex Tien.

The star-studded wedding banquet at Ritz-Carlton had 49 tables and saw a host of celebrities like Zoe Tay, Zheng Geping, Hong Huifang, Chen Hanwei and Xiang Yun.

A 30-minute press conference was held before the event to address any questions the media might have.

And yes, everyone knew of their union well in advance.

But for Qi and Peh, the media and most of their industry buddies and fans were kept in the dark.

Still, devoted fans did not hold it against their idols.

"I did wonder why (Peh) did not let us know sooner so we can congratulate her earlier. But I suppose some celebrities just want to keep their private lives a secret."

"I'm glad they got married, but I was shocked when I found out because she said last year that she would not get married so soon," said student Gwyneth Ng, 12, who is part of Peh's fan club, Jollity Club.

Student Germaine Si, 19, agreed.

"It is a bit weird that they didn't make it known especially because it is good news. But I wish them all the best and hope they will have kids soon," she said.

"I've asked her before about her love life and (Qi) seems like her kind of guy, someone who can protect her and give her a sense of security."

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But why so private?

Former actor Edmund Chen, 52, suggested that going public might add pressure and rush the process of preparing for one's big day.

"The moment word gets around (that you're getting married), everything just speeds up and happens so fast," he said.

Chen, who has been married to Channel 8 actress Xiang Yun, 52, for 25 years would know.

When word quickly spread that he had registered their marriage, he admitted that he and his wife were forced to speed up the wedding planning and preparation.

Not even their closest friends or family knew that they had planned to register their marriage.

Instead of waiting a few years, as they initially wanted, they held their wedding reception the following month.

It saw "one to two hundred" close friends and family in attendance, including their closest industry pals.

Chen thinks that a hush-hush wedding is not unusual these days, even for celebrities.

"A private affair seems to suit Joanne's and Yuwu's characters and I don't think there's anything wrong with that as long as they are happy," he said.

Local actor Zheng Geping agreed.

"They might even have a destination wedding banquet next year, maybe somewhere romantic, with a few close friends and family. It's not unusual among the younger generation," said Zheng, 50, who is married to veteran actress Hong Huifang, 53.

The pair had also attended Lim's wedding last week, something Zheng described as "fairytale-like".

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BIG PARTY

Their own wedding banquet in 1993 was "a big party", with about 100 tables at Orchard Hotel and "many, many" family members and celeb friends.

"Still, a big party doesn't always mean everlasting love. It's what happens after that's important - the trust, lifetime commitment and communication", said Zheng.

He admitted that he had not heard about Peh's wedding until contacted and was "surprised it happened so fast".

Peh and Qi revealed their relationship only last year, shortly after her very public split from her radio DJ boyfriend Bobby Tonelli, whom she had been with for four years.

In April this year, she had said in an interview that she had no "concrete plans" to marry and start a family.

Said Zheng: "I thought it would happen in one or two years. but if she knows he's the right one, why wait?" .

Actress Rebecca Lim said she would not deliberately keep her wedding a secret.

Lim, 27, who is single, said: "It also depends on what my future partner wants."

But she said she would be uncomfortable sharing such news with the public because "I don't think anyone would be particularly interested (in my wedding)".

"I'll probably only tell those close to me," she said.

Asked if she felt offended she was not invited, Lim said: "No, not at all! I think weddings are very intimate affairs and I don't ask to be invited or anything."

Actor Elvin Ng, 33, who has paired up with Peh in Channel 8 drama serials like C.L.I.F. 3 and Happily Ever After, had only this to say about their surprise wedding: "This isn't about me. I think real love should be respected and admired."

ashikinr@sph.com.sg


This article was first published on Sept 11, 2014.
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