bride putting ring on groom's finger
Jade Small
Jade Small
March 21, 2022 ·  4 min read

Bride leaves empty seat for her late son, then cries seeing who showed up at her wedding

Becky Turney was about to celebrate the most special day of her life. There are few moments that can top this, like the birth of your child, and or possibly graduating from college. For Becky, it was her wedding day, because the joy of getting married to her soon-to-be husband surmounted a lot in her life.

The perfect wedding is the dream of many brides. White dresses, soft colors, flowers, vows, the whole shebang! The guest list is another affair altogether. Before Covid-19, the only thing that stood in the way of who you invited was your budget, so the seats at most weddings were considered valuable. In those days, it was odd to find an empty seat at a wedding reception, unlike our current times where the pandemic has driven a bit of social distancing between us, so an empty seat might seem normal to some of us now. For Becky and Kelly’s wedding, an empty seat meant something else. 

No parent should ever outlive their child – at least in the ideal world. For Becky, it was inevitable because her son Triston had passed away at age 19 in 2015. This means that he was unable to attend her wedding, so she and her groom, Kelly, decided to leave a set that was “reserved” for Triston. They left a plaque explaining to other guests why the seat was empty, and everyone respected it, except for one person. 

It Started Off as a Normal Wedding, But Then…

It was a glorious day in Alaska, with the crisp air, shining sun, and beautiful mountain views. The perfect conditions for a beautiful Alaskan wedding. Kelly was brimming with excitement, but could not help but yearn for her late son to be there with her. She puckered herself up, after all, her amazing groom was waiting for her to start their life together. Her dad walked her down the aisle, and as per tradition, he handed her over to Kelly for the ceremony to begin. She said later to reporters, I walked down the aisle with my dad and he handed me over to Kelly, that was all normal.”

Becky turned to their marriage officiant, but Kelly had other ideas. He gave her one quick look and started walking back down the aisle. Becky said she was very confused, and told the same reporters, “I was like, ‘What are you doing? We’re getting married right now!'”

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Kelly started addressing the guests. He spoke about Becky’s late son, how they both wished he could be there, but his passing was not all for naught because Tristan had requested to be an organ donor, making Tristan the hero for five different people. One of these people was actually there, sitting in the seat reserved for Tristan. Becky stood in awe, she did not expect this to happen. In an interview she told reporters; “At that moment, I just lost it, if my brother-in-law hadn’t been holding my hand, I would have fallen down.” 

Read: Bride Surprises Guests at the Wedding by Making Vows to Her Husband’s Ex-girlfriend and Son

His Heart Lives On

A man, named Jacob Kilby, stood up and walked up to Becky to meet her in person for the very first time. He had Tristan’s heart beating inside of his chest. Becky was not oblivious to whose chest would be blessed with her son’s heart. She and Jacob had actually been communicating via letters and phone calls before the wedding, but she did not expect him to be there on the day, nor did she ever expect to hear her son’s heartbeat. Jacob had brought along a stethoscope which he gave to Becky so she could listen to it beating away inside his chest. What a special moment for Becky, having a piece of her son with her on such a big moment of her life. 

“It was the most amazing moment of my life,” said Becky, “I threw my arms around him and told him that it was the greatest gift in the world.” What an auspicious moment indeed. Becky said later that this was the best wedding gift. Her son, whom she had given the gift of life, was able to pass on that gift to someone else. Jacob is alive today because of her son’s choice to donate, and Becky had the chance to connect with him. I had no reason to think he would be at my wedding,” said Becky “A lot of healing happened this week.”

Keep Reading: The “Last hour” with my wife… An amazing appreciation letter from a husband that will make you cry…

Sources

  1. Bride Leaves Empty Seat For Late Son, Can’t Stop Crying When She Sees Who’s Seated There.” Upworthy. September 2019.
  2. Bride Leaves Empty Seat In Memory Of Her Dead Son, Bursts In Tears When She Sees Who Shows Up.” Shared. August 2019.