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Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Former President Barack Obama officiated a wedding in Washington, D.C., for two of his former staffers. Dana Remus, who served as general counsel for the Obama Foundation, and Brett Holmgren, who worked for Obama at the White House and served on the National Security Council Staff, were married at the District Winery on Jan. 21 in front of 120 guests.
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"We had decided to invite him because he was such an important part of our lives, we asked him if he could attend the wedding," Holmgren said. "We also asked him if he could officiate, and he was intrigued with the idea."
Guests were sworn to secrecy about Obama's participation in the ceremony and many of them were very surprised, Mary Holmgren, the groom's mother, told the Washingtonian.
"He complimented them both on their work, on the type of people they were, threw in a tiny bit of humor," Mary Holmgren said. "He spoke about how their work has been a service to the people and how the two of them complement each other. Very, very sincere remarks, it came from his heart."
The former president secured a temporary officiant's license from the District of Columbia and signed the marriage certificate for the couple.
Former first lady Michelle Obama was not at the wedding. The former president stayed to take photos with the family and left before the reception to not distract attention from the newlyweds.
"He stayed around a little bit for pictures with the family, but he did not want to detract from their day," Mary Holmgren said. "It was a very very exciting moment. Everybody who was there was just flabbergasted and amazed at just what a nice person he is."
Obama also served as a groomsman for two other Washington staffers last year.
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