Katie Gaudreau, sister of Johnny and Matthew, weds high school sweetheart Devin Joyce
More than 10 months after her brothers were killed on the eve of her wedding, Katie Gaudreau married her high school sweetheart.
Gaudreau and her now-husband, Devin Joyce, wed July 11 in the Philadelphia area.
The couple had planned to get married on Aug. 30, 2024 , but they postponed their ceremony after Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were killed in a crash in Oldmans Township, New Jersey.
Both brothers were going to be groomsmen.
How did Katie Gaudreau honor Johnny and Matthew at her wedding?
In an interview with People magazine, Gaudreau described a number of touches she added to the July ceremony.
Gaudreau gave her mother, Jane, a locket with photos of the brothers in it, which Jane wrapped around her mother-of-the-bride flowers, Gaudreau told the magazine. The locket is similar to one Jane had given Gaudreau with her late grandmother's photograph in it.
Gaudreau's father, Guy Gaudreau, and Joyce both wore custom suit jackets with photographs of the brothers on the interior lining. Joyce and the groomsmen also wore socks with 13 and 21 on them, the jersey numbers Johnny and Matthew had worn. Among the groomsmen were Johnny and Matthew's best friends, who stood in for the brothers.
Gaudreau's sisters-in-law, Johnny's wife Meredith and Matthew's wife Madeline, were members of Gaudreau's bridal party. Meredith and Johnny's daughter, 2-year-old Noa, was one of the flower girls; and Meredith carried their son, Carter, and Madeline and Matthew's son, Tripp, both of whom were born after their dads' deaths, down the aisle.
Meredith and Johnny Gaudreau's third child, 1-year-old Johnny Jr., was in attendance as well.
Gaudreau wore a custom-made veil that included "Love you - Matty" and "Love ya - John" in the brother's own handwriting, Gaudreau told the magazine.
"A piece of them woven into mine to walk me down the aisle and keep me safe, one on each side," she said.
The bride's bouquet featured 21 standard roses and 13 spray rose blooms in another nod to her brothers. Her "something blue" was a handkerchief with her brothers' initials and two doves on it, according to the magazine.
Gaudreau told People that after her brothers' deaths, she knew in her heart she would not be able to go through with a reception at the original venue. She and Joyce ultimately chose to move their reception to a space in Philadelphia with a hotel attached to it.
"I wanted a space where we could all be together the night before — somewhere we could sleep over, wake up together, and just be, without having to leave or be separated," Gaudreau told the magazine .
"I was having a lot of anxiety about everyone leaving the venue after the reception and something happening, so I wanted a space where we would all be together."
At the reception, when the band played The Killers' "Mr. Brightside," which Gaudreau described as "her song," a video of her brothers singing and dancing played on a screen so they could be a part of the moment.
"And I know, deep in my heart, that they would have wanted us to feel love — not just their love — but all of it, the kind that surrounds us, uplifts us and reminds us that we are not alone in any of this," Gaudreau told the magazine.
"So today, I hold both the sorrow of their absence and the beauty of their presence. Their love didn't leave."
What's next for the driver who hit Johnny, Matthew Gaudreau?
The driver who struck Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau on the evening of Aug. 29, Sean Higgins, remains in a New Jersey jail awaiting trial.
Higgins, 44, is charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide and several other offenses in connection with the crash.
New Jersey police and Salem County prosecutors said Higgins was driving a Jeep on a county road in Oldmans Township when he struck the brothers, who were riding bicycles along the shoulder. Higgins drove about a quarter-mile away before stopping. Court records report that Higgins admitted to drinking beers before and while he was driving. His blood-alcohol level was registered as .087, above the legal limit, according to court records.
Witnesses told police Higgins had been driving aggressively, speeding up to the car in front of him and dropping back before speeding up again. Police said Higgins passed one of the two vehicles in front of him on the left, but when the other vehicle moved to the left — to make room for the brothers — Higgins sped around that vehicle to the right, hitting them.
According to court records, Higgins said he had not seen the brothers before the crash. Both Gaudreaus died at the scene from their injuries.
Attorneys for Higgins have filed several motions seeking to have pieces of evidence , including statements Higgins made to police, excluded from any future trial.
A status conference in the case is scheduled for Aug. 21.
Reporter Bethany Bruner can be reached at bbruner@gannett.com or on Bluesky at @bethanybruner.dispatch.com.
This story was updated to add a video.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Katie Gaudreau weds high school sweetheart
