Tony, Carina to wed in Bhutan?

Tony, Carina to wed in Bhutan?

HONG KONG - Actors Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Carina Lau have kept the tabloids guessing where and when they will marry: Would it be Hong Kong, Bali or Phuket, this month or in October?

Now Sing Tao Daily, quoting a 'reliable source', reports that the couple will tie the knot in the reclusive Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan next Monday.

They chose Bhutan to keep their big day paparazzi-free, says the report. The kingdom limits tourism and it is not easy to apply for visas.

According to the newspaper, 80 guests, including singers Faye Wong, Stella Chang and Lui Fong and actor Ng Ting Yip, will go on the all-expenses-paid trip that will cost the couple at least HK$3 million (S$521,000).

Lui and Ng are two of about 10 friends invited by Leung, says the report. The rest of the guests are Lau's friends.

Travelling from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, everyone will gather in Bangkok on Saturday and fly to Bhutan the following day, says the report.

The White Dragon King - the Chinese-Thai soothsayer to stars such as Jackie Chan, Andy Lau and Leung - will attend the wedding too.

Apparently, the couple have kept the wedding location so secret, not even their guests know it. They have just been told the departure date and asked to send photocopies of their passports for their visa applications.

The report says Lau got visas for the guests with the help of billionaire Cheng Yu Tung, who is the honorary consul of Bhutan to Hong Kong.

In an interview published last Friday in China's Nanfang Daily, Lau said she would have a small wedding overseas.

She was quoted as telling writer Eunice Lam: 'We will do it when we are travelling. Wai Chai's mother and my mother haven't requested a wedding banquet. However, we must invite some old friends.'

Wai Chai is Leung's nickname.

Lau said that besides close friend Wong, she would also invite long-time colleagues such as directors Wong Kar Wai and Tony Au and production designer William Chang.