Hong Kong - The Chinese New Year opened on an unforgettable note for actor Jordan Chan.

The 42-year-old married his girlfriend of three years, actress Cherrie Ying, 26, at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas just 30 minutes after midnight on Sunday, also Valentine's Day.

Among the 30-odd guests were Ying's family, actors Michael Tse, Eric Tsang and Kenny Bee, and the couple's manager, Tiffany Chen.

The tuxedo-clad Chan burst into tears during the ceremony and also bungled his lines, drawing laughter from the crowd. Making his wedding vows, the actor, who is not fluent in English, was supposed to say 'my wife' to Ying, who wore a Vera Wang gown. But he said instead: 'You are my best friend, you are my best wife.' That made Ying laugh.

Also, according to Apple Daily, when the pastor asked if they had words to say to each other, Chan said to Ying in broken English: 'Care you every moment.'

Ying, who is Taiwan-born but grew up and studied in New York, replied in Cantonese: 'Don't worry, I will take care of you,' making the audience laugh again.

In another faux pas, as they left the chapel, he held onto the crook of her arm, instead of it being the other way around, said Apple Daily.

They threw a party at a hotel after the ceremony, and that night Chan joined Tse to perform at Wynn Las Vegas.

Chan and Ying went public with their romance in 2007 after being rumoured to be a couple since working together on a music video in 2003. Ying, a former Miss Chinatown USA, made her film debut in Hong Kong in Fulltime Killer (2001).

This article was first published in The Straits Times.