"This is the point."
Katie Gaudreau made sure to honor her two late brothers at her wedding.
The 26-year-old sister of NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and AHL player Matthew Gaudreau married her high school sweetheart Devin Joyce in Philadelphia on Friday, July 11, the couple announced in an Instagram post.
The wedding comes nearly one year after the Gaudreau brothers died in a bicycling accident on Aug. 29, the day before Katie Gaudreau’s original wedding date — which was canceled and rescheduled, ESPN reported at the time.
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Matthew and Johnny Gaudreau were set to be groomsmen in the wedding.
In an interview with People, published July 12, Katie Gaudreau and Joyce opened up about the special, yet emotional day that was filled with grief and love.
"[We knew] this wedding would be completely different from what we planned last year — we're missing two of the most important people who should be here with us,” Joyce told the outlet.
"The idea of looking out into the church and later at our wedding photos and seeing two empty spaces didn’t sit right,” Katie Gaudreau said.
While they weren’t there physically, the newlyweds went the distance to ensure they were there in spirit.
“The truth is, John and Matty left us with so much love that there was no doubt how to fill those spaces," Katie Gaudreau told People. "Some visible to everyone and some only Devin and I would understand.”
For example, the bride’s bouquet featured 21 roses and 13 spray rose blooms in honor of the two hockey players’ numbers — Johnny Gaudreau wore 13, while Matthew Gaudreau wore 21.
Not only that, but Katie Gaudreau’s veil featured custom messages in her brothers’ handwriting.
"It’s their words, their hands, a piece of them woven into mine to walk me down the aisle and keep me safe, one on each side," Katie told People of the veil.
According to the outlet, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were replaced by their two best friends as groomsmen.
The brothers’ numbers were also featured on the socks of Joyce, his groomsmen and the newlyweds’ fathers — who wore custom suits with photos of the two brothers in the jacket lining.
The Gaudreau brothers’ wives were members of the bridal party
Meredith Gaudreau, the wife of Johnny Gaudreau, and Madeline, the wife of Matthew Gaudreau, were both a part of the bridal party.
For her part, Meredith Gaudreau walked her newborn son, Carter, and Madeline Gaudreau’s newborn son, Tripp, down the aisle. Both babies were born after the Aug. 29 tragedy, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Plus, Meredith and Johnny Gaudreau’s 2-year-old daughter, Noa, was one of the flower girls, per The Columbus Dispatch.
"These details may be small, but they carry so much meaning," Katie Gaudreau told People.
"Each one reminds us that John and Matty are not just remembered — they are present in the most heartfelt, joyful and beautiful ways,” she added.
Katie Gaudreau even made sure she got to share the dance floor with her two brothers.
As the band was playing “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, a video of the Gaudreau brothers dancing and laughing played on a big screen behind them.
In her interview with People, Katie Gaudreau reflected on what her two brothers would say to her today.
"They would tell me that they are here with me — maybe not in the way I wish they could be, but they're celebrating alongside all of us. I know it to be true,” she said.
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"Most of all, they'd want me to know that their love didn't end, that it lives on in every celebration, milestone and moment of happiness in my life," she added.
