Joe Nieh, Vivian Chow already married 10 years ago

Yahoo News

The dramatic twist in Joe Nieh and Vivian Chow's relationship is unbelievable. While their marriage preparations are in progress, there is a new development to their love story. According to the latest edition of Hong Kong's East Magazine, Chow and Nieh has registered their marriage ten years ago in the States. This is also speculated to be the reason why Chow has tolerated and forgave Nieh's frivolous behavior, in salvaging the marriage.

East Magazine also reports that when Chow gave up her career at its peak in 1997 for migration to the States, she was only holding a social visit visa and has to constantly renew it every three months. To save the trouble, Chow and Nieh registered their marriage under the witness of Nieh's parents and some close relatives. They had been staying in San Francisco until 1999 when they moved to Canada after Chow received her green card.

Last Thursday, Dec 18, Nieh announced unilaterally that he will be marrying Chow. According to a lawyer, their marriage registration in the States is legally effective in Hong Kong and there is no need to re-register their marriage. However, even if they were to re-register, it will not be considered bigamy as long as their spouse is the same person. Even if they were to file for divorce, it is also not necessary to do it in both countries. However assets allocation will be done according to the legislation of the country where the divorce is filed; in Hong Kong, both parties will take half of their total assets.

The media and public have also been speculating the venue of their wedding. Most believe that the highly luxurious and tranquil Hong Kong Parkview may be the place for the wedding banquet as Nieh is a member of the clubhouse. In addition, there are also reports that the couple is eyeing the Hong Kong Jockey Club at Happy Valley for its tight security and reasonable pricing. The place is also near Chow's residence and is also the best place to shake off the paparazzi.

With regards to the wedding date, Jan 5, which was previously announced, the public is expecting it to change anytime. Chow's manager Ambrose Chan tells reporters, "It should not be that soon. The marriage registration will only be approved in 15 days; it is not possible for the wedding banquet to happen immediately after the approval." The couple's bosom pal Leo Ku also says he has not received any notifications on Chow's wedding yet.