New York, Jun 4 (IANS): Actor Richard Gere says he is the happiest man in the universe after getting married to girlfriend Alejandra Silva in an Indian-inspired wedding.

Silva, 35, and Gere, 68, tied the knot in a ceremony that took place on the actor's ranch outside New York earlier this year.

"I feel like I'm in a true fairytale. Without a doubt, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world," Silva told Hello! of her wedding day.

The couple have been dating since 2014 and met when Gere came to stay at the hotel owned by her family.

Their romantic day was Indian-inspired, with the couple making quite an entrance to their ceremony in a tuk-tuk.

They imported tents from Jaipur and decorated their flowers with Tibetan flags.

"I'm the happiest man in the universe. How could I not be? I'm married to a beautiful woman who is smart, sensitive, committed to helping people, who's fun, patient, who knows how to forgive, who's a great cook, and who makes the best salads in the world," Gere said, reports metro.co.uk.

"Alejandra meditates, she's a vegetarian, a great mother, has the touch of an angel - and she's also Spanish: the land of kings and queens, of Cervantes and Bunuel. You can't get any better than that."

This is the third time he has walked down the aisle. He had a four-year marriage to model Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995. He also enjoyed a 14-year marriage with model Carey Lowell, which formally ended in 2016.

Silva was previously married to Govind Friedland, with whom she shares a son.