A nine-year-old boy captured millions of hearts across the internet when he delivered a short yet touching speech during his big sister’s wedding in 2021.
Gus Bower couldn’t help but pour his heart out while speaking at the wedding reception of his sister, Catie, and her husband, Troy Hudson.
The boy’s tribute to the couple went viral after the wedding videographer shared a clip of Gus’ emotional speech online. In the video, the youngster can be seen standing before the crowd on stage while holding a microphone to address the newlyweds.
“I’m so happy that you guys got married today. And I know I might seem a little sad up here, but these are tears of joy,” Gus said as he began to cry.
“Catie, I love you so much and I’m so happy you gave me a brother-in-law,” he continued.
After the speech, Catie stood up to give her brother a long and tight embrace. Troy couldn’t help but shed a few tears upon hearing Gus’ touching words.
“It wasn’t something that we were necessarily prepared, emotionally, to hear,” said the groom.
“He’s just like, ‘I’m doing what I want to do. Here we go.’ And he’s passionate,” Catie recalled of Gus’ special moment.
Gus said he wasn’t planning on giving a speech, but he was caught in the moment and couldn’t stop himself from expressing his raw emotions.
He said there was just something about a wedding ceremony.
“It’s just kinda like magic. And most of my worries about them just kinda went away,” Gus said.
Catie and Gus, who are half-siblings, have a nearly 20-year age gap, but the brother and sister share a very close relationship.
In Catie’s Instagram account, you will see that she has shared tons of photos of Gus over the years.
On her brother’s third birthday in 2015, Catie described him as the “sweetest, smartest, and cutest” kid she knew.
“Happy third birthday to the sweetest, smartest, and cutest kid I know! You are the best little brother ever,” she captioned the photo.
In another picture of Gus, she wrote, “If this isn’t the cutest thing you have ever seen then you’re lying.”
Catie and Troy had known each other for decades, having met when they were still kids—before Gus even came into existence.
The pair were friends for years before starting a relationship in February 2014, while they were both studying at the University of Denver.
In June 2019, Troy proposed to Catie after they went under contract on their first home.
Upon learning of their engagement, Gus was wary of his sister getting married—as any protective brother should be.
“I was worried that she wouldn’t spend as much time with me as she used to,” he told CBS News. “So it was really stressful in that way because I didn’t want to lose her.”
However, Gus got plenty of time to bond with Troy over the years, and he discovered that he was a good guy after all. He knew he would also be a great husband to Catie.
Gus says that his story should serve as a reminder to never let the word “extended” overshadow the word “family.”
“Don’t let that separate you because you deep down love them and they deep down love you,” he said.
Gus’ emotional intelligence is rarely seen in kids his age. It’s incredible how he expressed himself so eloquently—and with a sincerity that will touch any soul.
Make sure you’ve got plenty of tissues before watching the video of Gus’ heartwarming speech below.
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