Bride's dad dies minutes after they share the most precious moment at her wedding.

Michele Howard had always imagined that her wedding day would be the best day of her life.

The wedding was to be held in tropical Costa Rica, and Michele planned to surround herself with close family and friends.

But when the time for saying her vows rolled around, tragedy struck.

Only moments after she shared a traditional father-daughter dance with her dad, Tim Buchanan, he suffered a sudden heart attack.

Mere hours later, Michele’s father died.

In the wake of the tragic event, Mr Buchanan's wife, Jeni, has posted about her grief on Facebook. The heartbroken message appeared alongside a candid photo of the couple kissing at Michele's wedding, which was taken by a close family friend.

"You never know when the last time will be the last time!" Jeni Buchanan wrote.

"[Tim] was the most beautiful soul I have ever known and I will never be the same without him.

"I am so very grateful for this image of us that our dear friends snuck during our daughter's wedding yesterday. Little did I know just a few hours later we would lose him."

Mr Buchanan worked as a detective in South Carolina, and his colleagues have also come forward to honour his memory.

“All of our hearts are saddened about the loss of this great law enforcement officer,” Sheriff Bruce Bryant told the Herald Online.

“Tim dedicated almost 19 years to this profession as an outstanding deputy, forensics investigator and most recently detective in computer crimes. His talents will be sorely missed.”

Despite the tragedy, it seems fitting that Michele was able to spend a last perfect moment with her father - and, of course, that Jeni and Tim shared one last kiss before his death.

A GoFundMe account has been set up by the family to help cover expenses. If you'd like to donate, you can do so here. 

Feature image via Facebook.