Johnny and Laura Benson had been married for about an hour when they stopped to take wedding photos at Colorado’s Horsetooth Reservoir on the way from their Fort Collins ceremony to their reception. The series of events took a sharp left turn, however, when — as the couple walked down a trail — the groom suddenly felt a pain in his leg that he later described as “being kicked in the shin.” It was then that he saw the rattlesnake rattling away next to him.
Thankfully a ranger was nearby, and soon the paramedics were called and the newlyweds were on their way to the emergency room as their guests waited anxiously at the reception, where hopefully the caterers had really stocked up on cocktail weenies and bacon-wrapped scallops.
Throughout Johnny and Laura’s entire ordeal, their wedding photographer Maddie May never stopped snapping photos, capturing everything pre-bite, to a photo of the snake itself, to the couple’s journey to the emergency room, all the way up until they finally made their grand entrance at the reception. Maddie detailed the wedding adventure in a Facebook post posted shortly after Monday evening’s nuptials.
Not knowing if the rattler had injected venom, the initial prognosis was pretty dire. At a minimum they said he could be in the hospital for several hours to assess the bite. At worst, if he needed anti-venom, and could be in the hospital for several days. Laura, his new wife of less than two hours, got in the ambulance with him and I followed in my car to the hospital. Shortly after we got there, it was determined that no venom had been injected and Johnny still had no swelling or no symptoms. The people at in the ER at Poudre Valley Hospitall, then became the heroes as they made it the world’s shortest ER visit in history, and Johnny & Laura were back in my car, driving to their reception in less than 20 minutes. We arrived back at the reception, just one hour late. I’ve never seen such a emotional “grand entrance” as all 184 guests cheered when Johnny & Laura walked in, and showered them in a sea of passionate hugs. I admire Laura & Johnny so much for staying calm, and holding each other’s hand through the first great test of their brand-new marriage. The whole reception was filled with laughs, smiles, & jokes about it being a typical ‘Johnny Benson’ wedding experience.
I don’t know the couple, but if this is a “typical Johnny Benson” experience… does this mean he regularly gets bitten by rattlesnakes? You’d think eventually a guy might think to wear shin guards or something.
You can see all of Maddie Mae’s incredible photos below:
(Via Denver Post)