Dennis Quaid Says It Was 'Love at First Sight' with New Wife Laura Savoie

For Dennis Quaid, meeting his new wife Laura Savoie changed everything.

"It was love at first sight," he tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week's issue. The couple, who began dating in May 2019 after being introduced at a business event, got engaged last October.

"I just love who she is as a person," the actor adds. “Her character, her intelligence, of course, her beauty. And her point of view of the world."

After postponing their planned Hawaiian wedding because of the pandemic, Quaid, 66, and Savoie, 27, eloped to Santa Barbara and were married on June 2. "And we're really glad we did," he says. "It was about us. It was beautiful."

• For more exclusive photos from the couple's wedding, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.

Quaid, a father of three who was previously married to P.J. Soles, Meg Ryan and Kimberly Buffington, says his love for Savoie has been fueled by their shared faith.

"We’re both Christians, and right from the start God has always had a hand in the relationship," he adds. "I think that’s where the real strength comes from."

As for the couple’s age difference, "it really just doesn’t come up," says the actor. "There's just something timeless about us. We're partners in our relationship and in life. It’s love. And love just has a way of surprising you."

Savoie, currently working towards her Ph.D. in accounting, finds strength in her husband’s maturity, “like the wisdom that Dennis has,” she says. “We both had to go through things to be who we are now and who we are now was ready for each other.”

Back at home and settling into their routine as husband and wife, the couple hopes to take a honeymoon in the next month or so and plans to celebrate with a reception for family and friends “when the time is right,” says Quaid, who currently hosts the podcast The Dennissance through Audio Up.

For now, the actor most looks forward to "just sharing our lives together," he adds. "She’s the greatest person I ever met. I love waking up and spending every day with her."