You might think it was impulsive of Niki Chen and Gregory Kearns to tie the knot in a Las Vegas drive-through chapel, after dating for just three months, but the couple think otherwise.
'I was thinking ... do I want to do this? I know that we'd only been dating for three months, but I really didn't need to know any more about this woman before marrying her,' Gregory, regional IT director of insurance company Prudential, said. 'She's the one.'
Using a US$20 ring bought at a nearby crafts market, the quickie nuptials happened last July when Niki, a fashion buyer, went to San Francisco for job training and Gregory visited her, even though he only had 20 hours to spare before having to head back to Hong Kong.
'I was really moved when he came. We were originally planning to go to Napa Valley, but we missed the ferry. So I was looking at the brochure for alternative destinations and I suggested we go to [Las] Vegas,' Niki recalled.
Half-jokingly, she said they could even get married there. That was followed by an awkward silence that seemed to last forever.
'I thought, I'd really love to marry this girl,' Gregory said. 'When I first saw her, I noticed her beautiful face. And when I started talking to her, after five minutes, I realised it was her personality that attracted me. She's so bubbly and has such a strong character and opinions. She's also a very affectionate person.'
Although they registered their marriage in Las Vegas on July 10 last year, the couple held their wedding celebration two weeks ago in Bali, with about 40 friends and relatives.