A newlywed couple died just hours after tying the knot on Saturday night when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed in Texas.
The news that Will Byler III and Bailee Ackerman Byler were killed was first shared by The Houstonian, a campus newspaper at Sam Houston State University, which reported that the pair were both in their senior year:
William Byler, the groom’s grandfather, confirmed to a local ABC affiliate on Sunday that the aircraft went down at the family’s ranch in Uvalde, west of San Antonio.
The helicopter pilot, Gerald Lawrence, also died. His stepdaughter, Amilyn Willard, said that he had been a captain in the Army and had served in the Vietnam War.
Photographer Madi Wagner posted a tribute to the newlyweds on Facebook and said she was “having a hard time comprehending this whole situation” after receiving a phone call that “I wouldn’t wish upon anyone.”
Will was studying agriculture engineering and Bailee studied animal science.
She was reportedly going to graduate in December and he was planning to finish school in May, per the San Antonio Express-News. Their ages were not released.
The couple’s page on The Knot confirms they were married on Saturday:
HuffPost has contacted the National Transport Safety Board for comment.