Actor Desmond Tan weds university sweetheart in French chateau

Mediacorp actor Desmond Tan announced his marriage to his university sweetheart of 12 years on Tuesday night. The 35-year-old star, who is in Southern France, tells The Straits Times over e-mail that they have already held two celebrations.

"We did a small and intimate wedding in Singapore with our families last month, considering the Covid-19 situation, to celebrate the union of these two lovebirds and our families. We then had our dream destination wedding in a chateau in France in the presence of some of our closest friends," he says.

The couple had originally put their travel plans on hold due to the pandemic. But when the vaccinated travel lane to France opened up, they took the plunge and went ahead with their "dream wedding" last week.

Tan says: "It is quaint and beautiful and perfect for an intimate and dream-like wedding. Every sunrise and sunset is simply magnificent and almost poetic."

In the wedding photos that Tan posted on social media, his wife's face is obscured. Her identity and age are not known and he declines to reveal more about her. They had met during orientation camp at the National University of Singapore.

He was one of the finalists in the talent competition Star Search 2007, but juggled work and school until he graduated in 2011.

In his post, he quoted a Bible verse: "I have found the one whom my soul loves. Solomon 3:4."

He added: "Once upon a time, I became yours and you became mine. We stay together through tears and laughter because that's what they call happily ever after."

The actor tells ST: "It's been a mutual choice to keep our relationship private to protect her privacy for her daily life and work. We prefer to keep our love story away from the spotlight because we feel it works best for us."

He proposed to his wife five years ago during a vacation to the United States, in a national park.

"It was a quiet winter morning. With the snowy mountains as our backdrop, I got down on one knee and popped the question. I was so nervous. Thankfully, she said yes."

He says he always knew she was "the one" and they were simply waiting for the right time to tie the knot. The newlyweds have moved in together and live with their two dogs - Hoshi and Udon. Both their fur kids attended the wedding in Singapore.

Tan says his better half has always been supportive of his career and calls her the perfect wife. "She is loving, selfless, kind, family-oriented, an animal lover and loyal."