A dream ride in Paris leads to marriage for Connie and Hiram
A carriage ride down the Champs-Elysees, a candlelit dinner and a proposal written in rose petals lead Connie to wed fellow banker Hiram
When Connie Chue saw the horse-drawn carriage parked in Paris' Place Vendome last year, she could not help dreaming of her fairy-tale moment. Little did she realise that the dream was about to come true thanks to her prince charming, Hiram Ip.
The investment bankers registered their marriage on December 1 at St John's Cathedral in Central. They are hosting a banquet tonight in the ballroom of the Four Seasons hotel to celebrate with more than 300 guests.
Connie and Hiram, the son of former economic development and labour secretary Stephen Ip Shu-kwan, had been dating since 2003. Hiram sprung a surprise marriage proposal while they were on holiday in Paris last year. He booked a carriage, knowing that keen photographer Connie would not be able to resist having her picture taken with it.
"I thought the carriage was a tourist attraction at first, but then the horseman handed me a shoe and said I could only ride in the carriage if the shoe was my size. I was thrilled to find it was exactly my size," Connie said.
The shoe was bound to fit; it was part of Hiram's plan. They took a ride down the Champs-Elysees, where hundreds of tourists took photos of the carriage and cheered the happy couple.
Connie thought that was going to be her only surprise of the night, after Hiram failed to propose during the carriage ride and the candlelit dinner that followed.
However, when they got back to their hotel suite, there was another surprise. The room had been decorated with red panels and, on the bed, rose petals spelled out "Marry Me". Connie said yes immediately.