Gone but not forgotten

That is an awesome idea! If you wanted something for the brother, a boys toy in his seat would be great and his picture. I am sure he will be greatful that you thought of his mother.

I love the toy idea. Very sweet.

I think thats an amazing thing to do. I say go for it!

That is what I was thinking also, I would put a toy car or truck (something for a little boy)

Sweet idea. Have you thought that maybe he might get emotional by seeing this? IS this something he would be happy about or shocked and emotional? It would depend on the person and just how close they were to them I guess.

Love this idea!

I'm sure he would love it but I guess it wouldn't hurt to give him somewhat of a heads up without ruining it I like the idea of a toy but being that is was a wreck I don't think a toy car would be suitable his whole family will be there and I don't want it to be an emotional melt down we have pictures of his mom in the house so I'm pretty sure seeing a picture of her at thd wedding would not be too much on him

Maybe just ask him if he minded honoring his mother somehow at the wedding? It wouldnt be giving it away at all, but giving him a heads up that it will be there.

My FH's father is deceased so I was reading up on this the other day and found a few posts saying be careful it doesn't start to feel like a funeral. I am thinking about doing the empty chair too—some recommended placing a white rose on the chair as a symbol of remembrance, but that a pic on the chair may be a little too somber. Maybe have family-oriented/group pics at your receiving table, and also mention them on the back of your program. I also agree to get a pulse from him on whether or not he wants to "go there" on your wedding day. I've been picking my FH's brain on if he wants to acknowledge his dad, and while I was going to surprise him too (at least with the chair thing), I'm now thinking he may greatly appreciate a collaborative process (but I'll still be sure to sneak in a surprise to go wit it).

I am having a charm on my boqurt with a picture of my deceased little sister, because I want her "close" to me on this day. However, we are also mentioning lost loved ones on the programs as Those who could not be here to share this wonderful moment but are looking down and watching now. fH just lost his grandma in Dec and they were close.

Be careful with any cars cause like you said the crash would be what they see with that. My FH is a plane mechanic and I wanted planes for centerpieces but my uncle died in a plane crash and so to some of my family they'd see reminders of him and since my receptions at a Air museum with planes I won't add more since this is the first family wedding he is missing..

At my venue there's a long hallway between the ceremony area and the cocktail lounge, im calling it the remembrance hall. i bought 8in pillar candles and found sone decals at joanns that im sticking to them that says "in loving memory of someone who will always brighten our hearts and be remembered." then im going to hang black and white photos on the wall with names and mini bios for each family member thats passed. i thinks its an awesome idea to honor loved ones that have passed away no matter how you do it. i do think Sherren is right that maybe you could ask him somehow without totally giving it away cuz you never know the emotional response he might have.....don't know if that makes sense. best wishes!

Yeah, have a chair beside his mom's chair with a pic of the boy and a few boy toys...like maybe a bear or blue blankie and a toy truck?

Yeah, you wouldn't want to surprise him and he be emotional the whole time...

like my SIL, she was close to her great grandma, and they did a memorial on a section of a pew...she didn't want it to be in sight, and before the wedding [idk if i'm right] but i'm pretty sure she took a Xanax [sp?] cause she was upset her great grandma wasnt there

take these things into consideration =]

Yea I think I will just but flowers in two chairs I will wrap a ribbon around the flowers. I want to ribbon to have their name on it. That way its there but it is not "screaming" at everyone. I definitely don't want it to feel like a funeral. He really doesn't pay attention to detail so he wouldn't notice the ribbon but after the ceremony I will show it to him so Whatever emotions come out we can share that moment alone. That also might be a nice picture for the photographer to capture. I doubt if he will be that sensitive to it because when we got serious he told me he wanted me to meet his mom (at this point I didnt know she had past) and he took me to her grave sight and at that moment he opened up and gave me all the details. Thank you guys for helping me figure it out. I think the empty chairs with flowers alone will be enough.

Sounds like a really sweet idea but just be careful. Do you know how emotional your FH gets about his mom and brother? Just don't want to make him upset on a day he's supposed to be the happiest!

He's not an emotional person at all. I know he will take it well. My main concern was his family on his mom side. I don't know them well so I am not sure how they will take to it for that reason I will only do the flowers and not the pictures. They probably wont notice it being that it will be tons of flowers and candles every else It should blend in besides stand out.

I think it is a great idea. My husband's father died before we met and we had a picture of him and memorial candle beside his picture, but please tell your FH. I was going to surprise my husband, but ended up telling him. I am so glad I did. He still gets emotional about his dad, so I would tell him that you plan on honoring his mother and brother at the wedding

This post got me teary eyed. FH nor I have any deceased parents but we do grandparents. My grandfather was like a father to me and I lost him 3 years ago this weekend. We will be doing White Roses to honor those grandparents that past. Tiffany, I'm sure whatever you decide will be very special for your FH and he will appreciate it no matter what!

Yes I will definite inform him a head of time in some kind of way.

My mom did the chair at the ceremony as a way of remembering her mom (my Mema, who had died from cancer about a year before her wedding). I plan on doing a seat on the pew where my dad and stepmom are sitting for my brother who was killed in Afghanistan back in 2010. I want him to be a part of my wedding because we were fairly close growing up, and I miss him dearly.

I am also incorporating my grandpa's Navy belt buckle and my Mema's pearls into my bouquet as a way to remember them. Does you FFIL have a ring or something small from your FH's mom and brother that you could incorporate into his boutonniere? That might also add a nice touch.

We thought about doing the empty chair for DH's mom, but we're going to ask his dad how he would feel about sitting next to an empty chair. I don't want to remind him at our wedding that his wife is gone, you know?

I'm doing bouquet charms for all of our family that has passed away.