The paparazzi had recorded both their public and private displays of affection during their two-year courtship.

And, on Sunday, they were there, in hordes, outside the groom's family home, a HK$700 million (S$138 million) beachside mansion on Hong Kong island, where the wedding was held.

The HK$100-million nuptials befitted the bride's new status as the wife of Hui, the son of Hong Kong shipping and property tycoon Hui Sai Fun.

The groom, trailed by the paparazzi, went in a reported HK$5.5-million bridal Rolls-Royce at around noon to pick up Reis. They were met with a media scrum at his family home which led to her female assistant being knocked to the ground.

The couple posed for pictures in the garden and next to the Big Wave Bay. The bride wore four gowns, including a red Valentino dress and a HK$1-million bridal costume from Italian manufacturer Bellantuono.

At around 5pm, they signed the marriage documents in a brief civil wedding inside the house, which was decorated with flowers from Holland.

Both of them shed tears of joy as they were about to sign the documents before some 50 friends and relatives, a spokesman told reporters later. Their first kiss as man and wife lasted 20 seconds.

A Western-style reception featuring dishes such as truffles and caviar followed.

It is the first marriage for Reis, 38, a former Miss Hong Kong whose last movie was in 2003. Hui, 46, is the former husband of casino tycoon Stanley Ho's daughter Pansy Ho.