This wedding crasher was a snake in the grass

A Colorado wedding photographer thought she had seen it all, until Johnny and Laura Benson’s big day. But I felt it.

The couple headed out to a lovely location where Johnny usually goes for a run to snap some wedding pictures when a rattle snake bit the groom’s ankle.

“Everyone was joking, calling him “Johnny Rattlesnake” and saying it’s a typical Johnny Benson wedding”. They were all smiles for the camera-until a rattlesnake jumped onto the walking path, biting Johnny on the ankle. The couple then made a decision to return to the site of their wedding to tie the knot just an hour late.

Adventure wedding photographer Maddie Mae was there, capturing the moments leading up to the bite and the aftermath.

Benson told the Denver Post that the pain overtook him quickly as he walked the trail with Mae and his soon-to-be bride. The good news is that there was no venom and they got the groom back on his feet as fast as possible. I looked down, and there it was, rattling, ” he recalled.

The couple spent just 20 minutes at the hospital, and then they were back in Mae’s auto, heading to the reception. “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”.

Naturally, the couple was late to the reception – but only by an hour or so. People danced with them, and the garter-belt toss, originally not part of the reception plans, featured a fake snake. Now imagine that the entire incident is captured in a series of photographs.