After enduring unimaginable heartbreak, Katie Gaudreau finally tied the knot with her high school sweetheart, Devin Joyce, in an intimate ceremony this past Friday in Philadelphia.
The wedding took place at a local church, followed by a reception attended by around 200 friends and family at a nearby hotel. Despite the joyous occasion, two very important people were deeply missed: Katie’s brothers, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who tragically died in a car accident just months before the originally planned August 2024 wedding.
Katie opened up to People about the bittersweet emotions she carried on her special day. She said she embraced “both the sorrow of their absence and the beauty of their presence,” emphasizing that “their love didn’t leave.”
Navigating Grief Amid Celebration
Katie revealed that anxiety around the tragic crash lingered throughout the wedding planning process. She chose the hotel reception venue in part to ease worries about guests’ safety when leaving the event.
Johnny and Matthew were fatally struck by a truck while riding their bikes on a New Jersey highway the night before Katie’s planned wedding date. The driver, Sean Higgins, who reportedly admitted to consuming several beers that evening, pled not guilty to criminal charges earlier this year.
A Day of Love, Loss, and Resilience
While the day was undoubtedly marked by profound loss, Katie and Devin’s wedding was still filled with moments of joy, love, and the strength to move forward.
Family, friends, and the community came together to support Katie in celebrating a new chapter, honoring the memories of Johnny and Matthew along the way.
Remembering Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau
The Gaudreau brothers were well-known in the hockey world, and their loss sent ripples through the sports community and beyond. Their legacy lives on through the love and resilience of those closest to them.
Katie’s wedding stands as a poignant reminder of the power of love and family, even in the face of deep sorrow.
