Bride leaves empty seat to honor late son — can't stop crying when she sees who's seated there

A bride named Becky was given the most wonderful surprise by her husband-to-be on their wedding day. As a mother, Becky had experienced her worst nightmare when she lost her son Triston at the tender age of 19. At the time, his heart, along with his other organs, was donated to patients in need. Though Becky was in great emotional distress, she soldiered on, and two years later, she had the opportunity to marry Kelly, the man of her dreams. At their wedding, he planned the sweetest surprise ever that left her in tears she simply could not control.

At their wedding, Becky and Kelly had reserved an empty seat in loving memory of her late son. They left a sign on the seat that read, "I'm in heaven for your wedding so what shall I do? I'll come down to earth to spend it with you. So save me a seat, just one empty chair. You may not see me but I will be there." While this message was heartwarming in and of itself, Kelly had something even more touching in mind.

Just before the wedding ceremony took place, the doting groom let Becky know that there was someone that she just had to meet. Just then, a 21-year-old man named Jacob appeared - and Becky knew exactly who he was. Two years ago, Becky's son had donated his heart to Jacob. The heart recipient had flown day all the way from San Diego in order to be there for her special day. Unsurprisingly, the beautiful bride could not help but break down and cry unstoppably. She even got to listen to her late son's heartbeat with a stethoscope.

Becky couldn't contain her excitement; she jumped up and down as her guests cried tears of happiness. Her story went wild when it was shared on the social media platform Facebook. As a result, her journey has touched thousands of hearts across the world. Judith Cleek commented: This says so much about her new husband. What a marvelous show of caring and love, so touching and heartwarming. Helen Burnett added: This is such a beautiful thing... A selfless act of love... Shows us all things are possible... God bless this family. Tara Sorensen noted: Why can't we just have one news channel that is dedicated to sharing positive, inspiring stories like this? There is so much kindness and good in the world that could invoke the same if only it was shared. While Becky and Kelly had to bid farewell to Triston, this is a moment they will treasure forever as they continue to love and cherish each other even in the face of loss and adversity.

This article originally appeared 5 years ago.