Former TVB star Gigi Lai wed the man of her dreams, Hong Kong tycoon Patrick Ma in a ceremony in Australia before the Chinese New Year.

But the couple held an intimate dinner for close friends and family who did not attend their wedding ceremony in Sydney at luxurious five-star hotel, The Peninsula Hotel, in Hong Kong yesterday evening.

The couple had checked into the hotel's presidential suite a day earlier before their wedding banquet, which costs HK$70,000 a day (about S$14,000).

Gigi, who is very close to her twin brother, who was injured in an accident, had specially arranged for her brother to be escorted to the hotel, as she wanted him to witness her wedding ceremony.

The banquet, which hosted 10 tables, was said to cost HK$10o,000 (S$20,000) per table. The couple also hired 20 additional bodyguards to be present during the dinner. The entire event is said to cost over HK$3 million (S$600,000).

Friends of the couple who were interviewed by Hong Kong media also revealed that the pair had distributed red packets to the media that were worth HK$1,000 who were present at the event.

A spokesman for the event also said that the couple had hosted a dinner for family only the night before the banquet, and no pictures were available. The spokesman also revealed that the bride did not wear a wedding dress, as the dinner was not a wedding ceremony. However, TVB actress Le Yiling, who was one of the guests at the dinner, said the bride wore a wedding gown and looked very beautiful. Clips of the Sydney ceremony were also shown at the dinner.

Gigi said: "I'm very glad to have found a good husband." She is also said to be pregnant, and will be heading to Australia to give birth.