Actor, writer and producer Simu Liu and Allison Hsu, the vice president of digital marketing at Interscope Records, first met in 2022 at a mutual friend’s Fourth of July barbecue. Whenever this comes up, “Simu likes to say ‘God bless America,’” Allison jokes.

After nearly three years of dating, Simu proposed on 10 May 2025, on the rooftop of the Shangri-La Hotel in Paris, surprising Allison with a string quartet and a private dinner attended by her closest friends and family, who he had secretly flown in for the occasion.

For their early October wedding weekend, the couple returned to France, this time choosing Provence for a weekend-long celebration planned by Lisa Vorce. “From the moment that we saw Carrières des Lumières and Chateâu d’Estoubon in our initial search, we knew that the south of France would be the perfect location for our dream celebration,” Allison says. “[And after we chose the location,] it took the world’s most incredible village to help us execute our plans step by step. This was ultimately the greatest joy – planning not only as a couple but as an entire community with our friends and family, and our highly talented and generous team, led by Lisa.”

The festivities began on Thursday evening with an intimate rehearsal dinner for family and the wedding party at Chateâu d’Estoublon. Allison wore an Alexis dress with rosette detailing and a pleated skirt, and she accessorised with a Lady Dior bag from Jonathan Anderson’s autumn/winter 2026 water lilies collection. “It felt like carrying a literal work of art as we walked around the chateau,” she recalls. “Taking in the beauty of our venue and soaking up all of the excitement and anticipation that our wedding weekend was about to begin.”

The following evening, guests gathered at Carrières des Lumières, a former limestone quarry turned immersive art space in Les Baux-de-Provence, for the welcome party. The couple had reserved the entire venue, where guests made their way through projections of works by Picasso and Frida Kahlo before arriving at an open-air cocktail reception. Dinner was served family-style at two long tables illuminated by hundreds of candles.

Allison wore a fully beaded Georges Hobeika dress – the very first look that she found while planning her wedding wardrobe. “It was the kind of dress that you see and know immediately that you can’t live without,” she says. “I always imagined welcoming all our guests on the first night in a look that matched the beauty and detail of our venue, and this dress exceeded all of my expectations. It will forever be one of my favourite pieces I’ve ever worn.”

The evening didn’t end after dinner. Instead, a group of guests, including Woody Harrelson, returned to the chateau for a competitive 20-person game of Mafia that lasted until 4am. “Basically until we had to get our beauty sleep for the wedding day,” Allison jokes.

On Saturday, rain clouds gathered over Chateâu d’Estoublon as guests assembled for the couple’s 5.30pm ceremony. Showers had come and gone throughout the afternoon, and umbrellas were still open as the wedding party began its procession. But as soon as the bride appeared, the rain stopped dramatically, making way for a mostly dry ceremony.

For the wedding, Allison chose a dress by Nicole + Felicia, the label founded by Taiwanese sisters Nicole and Felicia Chang. The choice was particularly meaningful to the bride, whose parents were born and raised in Taiwan and met while attending university in Taipei. “To be able to wear a design from a powerhouse Taiwanese sister duo on my wedding day felt like the perfect way to honour my family,” Allison explains. “My parents and my own sister were moved when I shared the story of this dress with them.”

Simu also paid tribute to his heritage through his wedding wardrobe, working with the Asian-Canadian-founded Garrison Bespoke on his look, which he paired with one of his favourite Versace jackets.

Their mutual friend and groomsman Jason Y Lee officiated the ceremony, while Woody Harrelson read “Blessing of the Hands” by Reverend Daniel Harris, and Allison’s brother Joshua read “Union”, a passage by Robert Fulghum. The couple exchanged vows they had written themselves.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about how perfect everything was,” Simu recalls. “Our friends and guests looked absolutely beautiful, and then the moment Allison stood at the top of the aisle, I was overwhelmed with emotion looking at my life partner.” For Simu, the timing of the rain was particularly significant, too.

“The rainfall just before our ceremony was the most convinced I have ever been that something greater exists beyond our comprehension,” Simu notes. “I had been thinking a lot about my grandparents, who passed from Covid in 2021. Yeye and Nainai raised me until I was four and a half years old in China, and I have always felt deeply connected to them.” In the months leading up to the wedding, Simu found himself dreaming of his grandparents regularly. “Just before the ceremony began, it drizzled as my parents took their seats,” he continues. “It seemed so coincidental, the timing and the gentle droplets, as if someone was sending reassurance that they were watching. Even as I think back to this moment, it defies my sense of rationality and logic. A part of me believes they were with us. I hadn’t originally written them into my vows, but I felt compelled to tell Allison that I believed Yeye and Nainai would have loved meeting her.”

After being pronounced husband and wife, the newlyweds drove away in a vintage green convertible, just as the sun began to peek out from the clouds. Guests then gathered in the gardens for cocktails before moving to an outdoor dinner reception beneath a canopy of twinkling string lights.

For the reception, Allison changed into a customised version of Danielle Frankel’s Lua dress, a column silhouette she wore for dinner, the cake cutting, and the first dance. “I’ve always been so enthralled by Danielle Frankel’s innovative work,” Allison says. “The intricate and delicate fabric of this gown moved so beautifully for our first dance that the dress just felt like an extension of me.”

Following speeches from the couple’s parents, Allison’s maid of honor Randi, and Simu’s best man Peter, the newlyweds cut into a tiered wedding cake featuring layers of matcha and vanilla. Then, their friend Reneé Rapp took the stage to perform Etta James’s “At Last” for their first dance. Brooklyn Soul followed, getting guests on the dance floor before the after-party began at 11 pm. Eventually, Canadian DJ duo – and Simu’s fellow Western University alums – Loud Luxury took over, playing a set that included their hit “Body” and their remix of Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia”.

For her late-night looks, Allison envisioned ending the evening in something short, sparkly and made for the dance floor. She chose hand-beaded minidresses by Rosie Etienne and Galia Lahav. “I knew from the very start that I wanted to end our wedding night in shimmery, sparkling brilliance,” she says. “The intricate beadwork was done so masterfully on each dress. Finding and trying on these killer party dresses with Rosie and Galia each was one of my favourite parts of the wedding process.” At 1am, Simu’s friend and castmate Benedict Wong made an appearance as his musical alter-ego, DJ Obi-Wong, keeping the party going until the early hours.

“Looking back, we’re just so overwhelmed with gratitude,” Allison says. “We’re still wrapping our heads around the fact that we were able to celebrate the start of our marriage with our loved ones in a place as magical as Provence, and at venues as special as Carrières des Lumières and Estoublon.”

For the newlyweds, it was about everyone who made the weekend possible just as much as it was about the celebration itself. “We continue to be moved by the amount of time, energy and coordination that our destination wedding required of everyone involved,” Allison says. “And we just feel unbelievably lucky as we continue to reflect on the weekend’s celebrations and every precious memory it created.”