Charlie Young marries S'pore beau in star-studded wedding

It was a glittery occasion when Taiwanese actress Charlie Young tied the knot with her long-time Singapore beau Khoo Shao Tze last Saturday night.

She was the charming star of the silver screen in the mid-1990s, with films such as The Lovers (1994), and the high-profile celebrity guest list at the wedding included bridesmaid and singer Valen Hsu, actress Anita Yuen and director Tsui Hark.

This meant that the regional media was out in force as well. Access to the ballroom area was controlled with W Singapore wrist-tags and the contingent of 40-plus media was allowed to stake out the area outside the ballroom.

On his way into the ballroom early in the evening, Mr Khoo, a trained lawyer, joked: "I don't have to register, right?"

But were they actually married? According to Lianhe Wanbao, a check with the Registry of Marriages revealed that the couple had not registered their union. The newspaper also said the bride was not wearing a wedding ring. Instead, she was pictured with a diamond band - possibly her engagement ring - on her right hand.

The couple had met in 1993 but split up for a period of time. They reportedly got back together in 2011.

The bride and groom obligingly stopped for photographs and to answer a few quick questions on their way in.

Young, 39, said she was "very happy" and added: "We feel very blessed."

When asked what attracted him to her, Mr Khoo said: "How much time do you have?" He added: "She has always been an angel to me."

Dressed in a white off-shoulder Romona Keveza gown and carrying a bouquet of purple flowers, she looked radiant and elegant while he looked debonair in a black suit.

Before dinner was served in the ballroom set for 34 tables, the couple gave an address, mostly in English.

Young said that after Mr Khoo, 43, proposed six months ago, some thought she was pregnant. "I said, 'Of course, I'm not'," she added.

"But that is our plan," Mr Khoo said to loud cheers.

The emcees were singer-actress Gigi Leung, who spoke in English, and actress Lee Sinje, who spoke in Mandarin.

Leung was dressed in a green gown and was there with her husband, Spanish food executive Sergio Crespo Gutes, while Lee, in a lacy off-white one-shoulder dress, was also there with her husband, director Oxide Pang.

Together with Hsu, the three women sang Sandy Lam's tender ballad As Long As There Is You for the happy couple.

Young, Leung, Hsu and Lee are "very good sisters", Lee told the media, and they had all long ago planned to play key roles at each other's weddings.

It was clear that they were all happy for Young on her big night.

Surrounded by loved ones including family, friends and old schoolmates, Young revealed that she had cried several times in the course of the day.

Everyone had also tried to help her keep the wedding a secret from the media. Asked when she knew about it, Yuen said with a smile: "I definitely knew about it before you guys, but as friends, we need to keep mum."

In addition to keeping her lips sealed, Yuen had given a gift of a vase.

Singer-actor Aaron Kwok was unable to attend but sent his well wishes via a video recording, said his manager Xiao Mei. He had also given Young a gift of diamond jewellery.

The two had worked together on a jewellery commercial in 1993 and it had attracted much attention for Young and set her on the path to stardom.

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