Surprise! Dennis Quaid and Laura Savoie are now husband and wife.
The couple, who got engaged last October, eloped to Santa Barbara and married in a spa on June 2. “It was beautiful,” Quaid tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s issue.
Having planned an April wedding in Hawaii and a second reception for family and friends in Nashville, the two had to postpone the celebration once the COVID-19 pandemic hit. On June 2, with only their pastor as a witness, Quaid, 66, and Savoy, 27, they exchanged traditional vows and Bulgari rings.
“Just looking her in the eye, she was the most impressive bride,” says Quaid, who opted for a Hugo Boss outfit.
Wearing a Chosen dress for a day and carrying a bouquet of roses and lilies designed by SR Hogue & Co. florist, PhD student Savoie was touched by her officiant’s message “of what it really means to unite their lives ” she says. “Putting someone else before yourself.”
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Quaid: who is currently hosting the podcast The dennissance via Audio Up, a company he co-founded, and Savoie met at a business event before they started dating in May 2019. “It was love at first sight,” says the actor, who was previously married three times.
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Originally from St. Louis, Savoy attended Pepperdine University, where she was a first-rate student and earned a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Notre Dame. “I love who she is as a person,” adds Quaid. “Her character, her intelligence, of course, her beauty. And her view of the world.”
Savoie insists that “he has never met someone who is so in love with life. It is as if nothing could bring him down,” he says. “Just living with someone who lives that way is inspiring to me. It changes my perspective and brings a lot of joy every day.”
For more exclusive photos from the couple’s wedding, pick up this week’s PEOPLE number at newsstands on Friday.
