HK Casino King's daughter, Laurinda Ho, weds Shawn Dou in 50 million wedding

After four years of dating, the daughter of Hong Kong tycoon Stanley Ho, Laurinda Ho, and Chinese actor Shawn Dou are now husband and wife! How did their relationship come about?

Laurinda Ho is the third child of late casino magnate Stanley Ho. Born into a wealthy and influential family, she has made a name for herself as an entrepreneur and socialite in Hong Kong.

Image: laurinda_ho / Instagram

Laurinda's father, Stanley Ho, was known as the "Casino King'' for establishing Asia's largest gaming empire. Her mother, Ina Chan, was his third wife, and Laurinda has several half-siblings from her father's other marriages.

Image: laurinda_ho / Instagram

Laurinda Ho grew up in luxury and privilege, but she didn't rely solely on her family's fortune. As the owner of Jiu Wu Beef Noodles in Hong Kong, she has worked hard to establish her own identity and a successful career as an entrepreneur in the food and beverage industry.

Image: laurinda_ho / Instagram

From Asia One, the Ho family has been embroiled in a number of scandals, including disputes over Stanley Ho's estate. Laurinda herself was involved in one in 2019 when she complained about a landlord attempting to raise her shop's rent, citing her family history.

Image: laurinda_ho / Instagram

Shawn Dou is a Chinese-Canadian actor known for his roles in various films and television shows. Born in Xi'an, China, he later moved to Canada with his family and began his acting career after returning to China.

Shawn started acting in 2010 and quickly gained recognition for his roles in films like ‘Under the Hawthorn Tree’, ‘Wolf Totem’ and ‘Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy’.

According to Yahoo, Laurinda Ho was in a four-year relationship with Taiwanese singer Kenji Wu before meeting Shawn Dou. Her relationship with Kenji Wu was a public one at the time, and their messy breakup was widely publicized.

Yahoo also reported that Laurinda Ho hinted on Grace Chow's socials about her similarly public breakup with Show Luo that the reason for their very public breakup with Kenji Wu was infidelity, writing: "I have experienced what you experienced. I know how painful it is. I admire your bravery."

Given that she has now tied the knot with Shawn Dou, things have been much better for Laurinda Ho’s side since Kenji Wu!

Image: laurinda_ho / Instagram

How did the now-married couple first meet given their very different backgrounds and fields of work? According to Yahoo, Laurinda Ho and Shawn Dou first met at a fashion event in March 2019 and quickly became close. They were later spotted attending an Ed Sheeran concert together in Hong Kong.

After dating for four years, Laurinda Ho and Shawn Dou got married on April 18, 2023, in a lavish Bali ceremony at the Six Senses Uluwatu resort. Their wedding is estimated by '8days' to have cost about HK$50 million!

Image: laurinda_ho / Instagram

Despite Laurinda's public complaints about rising rent for her business and her insistence on being "poor" from an Asia One report, the couple's wedding was far from modest. They reportedly hired 120 security guards and provided extravagant wedding favors worth HKD$ 1,000 for each guest.

Image: laurinda_ho / Instagram

To add to the lavish nature of the wedding, Asia One reports that Laurinda Ho wore a custom-designed Vera Wang gown, while Shawn wore a chic white-and-black tuxedo to match his bride.

Image: laurinda_ho / Instagram

Despite the extravagant nature of the affair, Laurinda Ho played a minor role in it. According to Yahoo, the entire event was a "surprise" from her now-husband, Shawn Dou, who was in charge of the execution and planning!

Image: laurinda_ho / Instagram

Although it was assumed that some family members might be absent from the wedding, Asia One reports that Laurinda Ho's mother, Ina Chan, was present, along with other family members.

The event, however, appeared to be limited only to those outside the entertainment circle, as notable friends of the couple, such as G.E.M and Fiona Sit, were absent from the wedding and had to relay their well-wishes for the couple via social media, Asia One reports.

Image: laurinda_ho / Instagram

Laurinda Ho and Shawn Dou now begin a new chapter of their lives together as husband and wife. The way Shawn Dou showed his affection by orchestrating the entire ceremony was especially touching.

Image: laurinda_ho / Instagram