Actress and former beauty queen Maria Isabel Lopez shared the story of how she met her husband, Jonathan Melrod.

In an interview with Boy Abunda, Maria Isabel revealed that she met Jonathan through an online dating site, with the help of her sister who managed her profile.

"We met online. I had somebody in the US who was editing and accepting all the inquiries. I had my sister, si Maria Estela Lopez, siya 'yung sumasagot sa mga inquiries. Tapos isa 'yan sa mga choices niya," she recalled.

"Of course meron pa ring mga iba, mga contenders. Parang beauty pageant may elimination. Until finally we met," she added.

After connecting online, Jonathan then visited her in the Philippines. "I wasn't able to meet him in the States so what he did he came to the Philippines to meet me," she relayed.

The first time they met, Isabel highlighted to Jonathan that she wanted to build friendship with him first.

"Sabi ko sa kanya we want to build this on a foundation of friendship so when he first came here I told him let's not expect anything. Let's just have fun," she said.

Describing her relationship with Jonathan, Isabel shared that it's a happy relationship, adding that it's "really a very peaceful life with him."

Isabel shared that Jonathan is a lawyer back in the US. "He's very special. He is a human rights lawyer. He gave me a lot of comfort and I gave him a lot of affection," she shared.

Maria Isabel and Jonathan tied the knot in the US on June 9, 2019. 

According to a 2019 report by PEP, the couple exchanged vows at Ranchito Milagro, which is a four-acre estate, located in Sonoma County, California, which also serves as the couple’s home.

The actress relayed that the wedding ceremony was non-denominational, "which is a universal religion whether you are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, etc."