If you've ever been married, you know that the hours following your wedding reception become one of the most memorable times of your life.
For a young Texas couple, those precious moments ended in tragedy.
Only two hours after Will Byler and Bailee Ackerman tied the knot on November 3, the newlyweds boarded a Bell 206B helicopter near the Byler family ranch, approximately 15 miles northwest of Uvalde, Texas.
In footage captured by a wedding guest, the couple was seen walking towards the helicopter, surrounded by their friends and family.
In a tragic turn of events, the helicopter crashed about 1:47 a.m. on Sunday, also claiming the life of the aircraft pilot, 76-year-old Gerald Green Lawrence.
Gerald Green Lawrence has been identified as the pilot in the helicopter crash that killed 2 newlyweds near Uvalde, Texas, just an hour and a half after the wedding. https://t.co/qV6zRjHDil pic.twitter.com/cI3nXaH4Wi
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) November 5, 2018
According to his stepdaughter, Amilyn Willard, Lawrence once served in the Vietnam War and was a captain in the Army.
She told ABC News affiliate KTRK-TV that the flight path was "routine" for her stepdad, which is why everyone is shocked by the accident.
People in the couple's community took to Facebook to share their condolences and remember the couple by posting photos of their engagement.
The National Transportation Safety Board reported on Twitter that they're investigating the crash.
[H/T: ABC 13]
