Groom bitten by rattlesnake during photo shoot returns for reception

Johnny and Laura Benson spent months preparing for their wedding in Fort Collins, Colorado.

As many couples know, things don’t always go according to plan.

After the Bensons officially tied the knot at a Catholic church in town on Monday, and before their reception, the outdoorsy couple headed to Horsetooth Reservoir for a wedding photo shoot. Then, between shots capturing their smiles and kisses, a rattlesnake bit the groom on his ankle.

“I felt this bump against my leg and, and I wasn’t sure I got bit or not. But I felt it. I looked down, and there it was, rattling,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘You gotta be kidding me. Did this really just happen?’ “

They were on a trail that Johnny runs often, usually with a rock in hand “for this very occasion. But not during wedding pictures.”

At first, Johnny brushed it off, but Laura urged him to take a look at his ankle. Sure enough, the bite marks were there. “Still, the only thing I could think of is we’re going to miss our big expensive party,” he said.

Adventure wedding photographer Maddie Mae was there, capturing the moments leading up to the bite and the aftermath. “At that moment we saw a park ranger driving by, so we waved him down furiously,” Mae recalled.

While the story eventually had a happy ending, “things got real, real fast,” Johnny said.

Rattlesnake bites can be quite serious. They are venomous, and symptoms can include paralysis, bleeding and breathing difficulty. People bitten by rattlesnakes should seek medical attention quickly, usually at a hospital. And as anti-venom is expensive and expires, many ambulances don’t carry it.

Paramedics arrived and discussed calling a helicopter that carries anti-venom. Johnny wasn’t showing serious symptoms, so they took him to the emergency room, where medical workers confirmed the bite had been dry. No venom had been injected into Johnny’s ankle.

Throughout it all, Laura was by Johnny’s side, making calls, alerting guests waiting for the couple at the reception and, eventually, leaving the hospital with her new husband.

“She didn’t freak out at all. She was very cool and collected and she kept her wits about her,” Johnny said. “I knew she was like that — she’s good in a crisis. She’s a teacher, and a raft guide.”

They were only an hour late to the reception. “It was extremely emotional,” Johnny said. “When we came up, everyone was jumping up and down, and cheering and crying. My new father-in-law came up and grabbed me. It was wonderful.”

At one point, a guest went out to buy fake, rubber snakes, Mae said. People danced with them, and the garter-belt toss, originally not part of the reception plans, featured a fake snake. “Everyone was joking, calling him ‘Johnny Rattlesnake’ and saying it’s a typical Johnny Benson wedding.”

Apparently, “these sort of things happen a lot” to Johnny, he said.

As a specialist in adventure wedding photography, Mae has hiked a mile into the Costa Rican jungle, waded through ice water that reached her chest and climbed to the top of a mountain — all in the pursuit of snapping photos of smiling couples.

But she said Monday’s wedding shoot, which took place just 50 feet from a parking lot, “has been the craziest adventure wedding yet.”

“We’ll tell our kids someday, can you believe that actually happened? What are the chances?” Johnny said. “Maybe it’s good luck to get bit by a snake between your wedding and reception.”

Remember, wildlife is everywhere — even on your wedding day.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.