From The Straits Times    |

A few days ago (June 6), Taiwanese supermodel Lin Chi-ling shocked everyone when she announced on social media that she had gotten hitched — and not to on-again, off-again beau Jerry Yan (!), much to the dismay of fans — but to Japanese actor and popstar Akira. Akira, 37, whose real name is Ryōhei Kurosawa, is a member of J-pop group Exile.

The pair had apparently met when they starred together in the stage version of Red Cliff eight years ago and developed a friendship, but it was not until last year that it developed into something more.  Who would have thought?

Still, the 44-year-old doe-eyed goddess has always been searching for love, and had waxed lyrical about it in past interviews, so we’re glad she finally got her happy ending. “I have always believed that if I believe in love, love will one day reward me. After many falls, twists and turns, we met at a different time – a right time, which showed us the face of love,” she said on her Weibo page.

With this announcement, Chi-ling has officially been taken off the market, joining a host of other celebrities who have tied the knot this year.

Here are 10 other celebrity lovebirds who have said “I do” this year.

 

1. Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger

Actor Chris Pratt, 39 and Katherine Schwarzenegger, 29, got married in Santa Barbara, California last Saturday (June 8). The couple shared a gorgeous photo from the wedding on their Instagram, with the bride in a stunning mermaid gown by Giorgio Armani. In the photo, the newly-minted husband and wife can be seen walking hand in hand while gazing at each other lovingly. 

“Yesterday was the best day of our lives! We became husband and wife in front of God, our families and those we love. It was intimate, moving and emotional”, Pratt wrote.

The couple had announced their engagement in January following a whirlwind romance that became public last June. Ex-wife and actress Anna Faris, whom Pratt had split up with back in August 2017, and share a six-year-old son with, was one of the first few to congratulate the couple on their engagement. 

 

2. Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner

American singer-songwriter Joe Jonas got hitched with actress Sophie Turner at Las Vegas’ Little White Wedding Chapel, hours after attending the Billboard Music Awards on May 2, 2019. Their surprise nuptials was officiated by an Elvis Presley impersonator, and was conducted in front of a small crowd.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Happy Valentine’s Day my love. You make me the happiest.

A post shared by Sophie Turner (@sophiet) on

Joe, who is 1/3 of the Jonas Brothers, had proposed to 23-year-old Sophie, known for her roles as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones and as a young Jean Grey in the latest Dark Phoenix movie, in November 2017. This ceremony, though strange, was befitting of the pair’s goofy and carefree personalities. Joe, 29, has since said that they are planning a bigger wedding further down the road and the Las Vegas one was just for legal purposes.

 

3. Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre 

English actor-producer Idris Elba and model Sabrina Dhowre tied the knot in Marrakesh, Morocco on April 26, 2019. The pair exchanged vows at the Ksar Char Bagh hotel while surrounded by family and friends. Idris met 29-year-old Sabrina while filming thriller The Mountain Between Us in 2017, and they have been “literally inseparable since”, he said in an interview with British Vogue.

This is Idris’ third marriage. The 46-year-old has a daughter, Isan Elba, with his first wife Hanne Nørgaard, and a son, Winston Elba, with former partner, British makeup artist Naiyana Garth.

 

4. Gina Rodriguez and Joe LoCicero

Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez married Joe LoCicero on May 4, 2019 in an emotional outdoor ceremony that saw the both of them in tears. “With that one kiss we got 100 new family members,” she wrote in a caption accompanying her wedding video which she posted on Instagram. “May 4th, 2019 was absolute magic. To my husband Joseph, I am yours forever.”

Gina and Joe met when he played a stripper on the show in 2016. They got engaged in the summer of 2018. Fun fact for fans of the show: Gina was serenaded by Justin Baldoni, the man who plays Rafael on Jane the Virgin, aka Baby Daddy, when she walked down the aisle.

 

5. Paul Wesley and Ines de Ramon

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Happy Valentines Day to this babe!

A post shared by Paul Wesley (@paulwesley) on

Vampire Diaries star Paul Wesley has apparently gotten married to his partner Ines de Ramon, after the pair were spotted in February wearing rings on their left hands. The notoriously private couple, who have not walked the red carpet together, were first spotted together in June 2018 after a dinner date in New York.

Little is known about Ines — some reports say she is a health coach, while others say she is a retail coordinator for a luxury jeweller brand. Paul, 36, previously dated his Vampire Diaries castmate Phoebe Tonkin on and off from September 2013 to October 2017. Before that, he was married to actress Torrey DeVitto from 2011 to 2013.

 

6. Fala Chen and Emmanuel Straschnov

Chinese actress and singer Fala Chen, known for her roles in Hong Kong’s TVB dramas, married technology entrepreneur Emmanuel Straschnov in Paris on May 18, 2019. The 37-year-old, who met her French husband while she was pursuing a four-year Master of Fine Arts in Drama degree at Juilliard, looked resplendent in a simple yet elegant white gown that had sheer long sleeves. Emmanuel apparently spoke at the wedding in Mandarin, promising to take care of her forever.

This is Fala’s second marriage — she was married to Neway Entertainment heir Daniel Sit from 2008 to 2013. Fala is set to star in upcoming HBO miniseries The Undoing, which also stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.

 

7. Lea Michele and Zandy Reich

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

3/9/19❤️

A post shared by Lea Michele (@leamichele) on

Former Glee star Lea Michele married her boyfriend of almost two years, Zandy Reich, on March 9, 2019, in a romantic ceremony in Northern California. Zandy, 36, serves as president of the AYR clothing company. The ceremony was attended by family and close friends, including Lea’s Glee co-stars Darren Criss and Becca Tobin, as well as Scream Queens actress Emma Roberts, according to People, and it was officiated by Glee’s Ryan Murphy.

Lea previously suffered heartbreak when boyfriend and fellow Glee star Cory Monteith died in July 2013 from a lethal combination of heroin and alcohol.

 

8. Priscilla Wong and Edwin Siu

Hong Kong artistes Edwin Siu, 41, and Priscilla Wong, 37, quietly registered their marriage last year, before announcing their surprise decision in December 2018 at the 2018 TVB Anniversary Awards. But it was only in May this year that they held a proper ceremony — a romantic affair that was held at the Six Senses Uluwatu Resort in Bali.

“A year ago, we gifted ourselves with marriage. A year later, we held a wedding for our parents. We felt the love from everyone present,” Priscilla said on Instagram.

The pair started dating in May 2014 after starring in the drama, Madam Cutie on Duty, in which they played a couple.

 

9. Lang Lang and Gina Alice Redlinger

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We said yes.

A post shared by Lang Lang – 郎朗 (@langlangpiano) on

World-renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang married 24-year-old pianist Gina Alice Redlinger on June 2 at the Palace of Versailles in France. The star-studded affair drew celebrities such as singer-songwriter Jay Chou and his wife Hannah Quinlivan.

Gina is of German-Korean parentage and started playing the piano at the age of four. She performed in public for the first time at age eight and gave her first solo recital when she was just 15 years old. She graduated from Hochschule fur Musik und Theater Hamburg, one of the most prestigious academies of music in Germany. The pair apparently met in Berlin a few years ago.

 

10. Gong Li and Jean-Michel Jarre

Okay, while this is not entirely confirmed, rumours are rife that Chinese actress Gong Li and her French composer beau Jean-Michel Jarre have secretly tied the knot, after she was spotted wearing an engagement ring. The pair have been seen in public looking blissful and lovey dovey.

Jean, 70, is known for his electronic, ambient and new-age music and was married three times. Gong Li, 53, was previously married to Singaporean businessman Ooi Hoe Seong, but they divorced in 2010 after 13 years of marriage.


See also: TINA YONG TO TAN JIANHAO: YOUR FAVOURITE SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS WHO JUST GOT MARRIED AND ENGAGED