01:00 AM EST on Sunday, February 29, 2004

Hieu Dao and Chau Phan

Karen Rowicki and Tim Nieuwandyk

Rhode Island Hospital Trust Building, Providence

2.8.04

Briefcase in hand, Peter K. Rosedale -- attorney, former Providence Municipal Court judge, and justice of the peace -- strides purposefully through the lobby of the old Hospital Trust Building, though it is a deserted Sunday morning in Providence's financial district. Trailing after him is a young Asian couple, followed by an older Asian couple.

Chau Phan and Hieu Dao are here to be married. "There was a slight misunderstanding," says Rosedale. "I thought it was yesterday at 11:15 a.m., and when they didn't show up, I called. They thought it was today." Anyway, here they are with Hieu's parents in tow to serve as witnesses, a half-hour early.

After fighting with elevators that at first refuse to ascend to the sixth floor (it has to do with the way they're programmed on weekends, says Rosedale), the entourage enters the law office conference room. "Do you have the marriage license?" asks Rosedale, and the ceremony begins.

Chau and Hieu, both 30, are from Tay Ninh, Vietnam. Ten years ago, they came to the United States, with their parents, who were friends. Hieu and Chau knew each other, "but we weren't boyfriend and girlfriend," says Hieu. Chau's parents live in Atlanta now, Hieu's in Worcester. And Chau and Hieu -- they live in Middletown.

Chau works as a software engineer, and Hieu manages an accounting/tax serice. Last May, they had a big traditional Vietnamese ceremony -- they thought they were married. When they visited town hall to get a copy of their marriage certificate, they were told they had to get officially married by a justice of the peace (or equivalent) first.

Within fifteen minutes, vows and rings have been exchanged, the marriage certificate has been signed, and the foursome are sent on their way.

Five minutes later, another group enters, this time three couples. Karen Rowicki and Tim Nieuwandyk apologize for being a few minutes late -- they had problems with the elevators.

Karen is 58, Tim is 57. Tim is Dutch, a naturalized citizen of Australia, and Karen hails from New York. Her work as a travel nurse has taken her all over the United States, with a couple of years logged at Roger Williams Hospital.

In two days, they will be leaving for California, where Karen has a three-month assignment. Tim is retired -- his field was accounting -- so he goes wherever Karen goes.

They met three years ago at the Redwood National Park Hostel in remote Klamath, Calif. He was touring the U.S. on a bus; she was working in California. He invited himself to go hiking with her. "We were only together for 1 1/2 days," says Karen, "but we clicked." They kept in touch via email. When she took a nursing job in Anchorage, Alaska, he asked if he could join her. Upon returning to the lower 48, they spent several weeks camping, sightseeing. Then it was back to Australia for Tim -- he could only get six- month visas.

Last year, around Christmas, Tim asked Karen to marry him. They were thinking maybe May. But when she got the California assignment, they decided to just do it now. "Three weeks ago, I asked Tim: 'What are we going to do about a ring?' and he said, 'I already have it.'

"So I looked for a JP, and found Peter Rosedale on the Internet."