"While taking photos just about 50-feet from the parking lot up by Horsetooth Reservoir, in Fort Collins, CO a young rattlesnake jumped out onto the path and bit Johnny on the ankle while we were taking couple photos before the reception," she said.
Benson told the Denver Post that the pain overtook him quickly as he walked the trail with Mae and his soon-to-be bride.
"All of a sudden it was like someone kicked me in the shin. Then I looked over and saw the snake sitting there, and it was rattling," he said.
Immediately following the bite the group tried to flag down a passing Larimer County Park Ranger, who briefly mistook their panic for jubilance.
"He rolls down the window and we yelled, 'He just got bit by a rattlesnake!'" Mae wrote. "The ranger, obviously not hearing what we said, yelled back, 'CONGRATULATIONS!' at the couple in wedding clothes."
Benson was then rushed to Poudre Valley Hospital where staff informed that the snake delivered a "dry bite" that did not inject any venom into his wound.
"Once we got to the emergency room, it was super, super, fast," Laura Benson said.
Benson was allowed to leave the hospital after receiving a tetanus shot, as the couple and Mae managed to finally make their way to the reception.
"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," Mae wrote.
