(NEXSTAR) – Usually it’s the groom who gets down on one knee.
A bride in Pennsylvania suffered an unfortunate accident at her own wedding reception earlier this month, dislocating her knee during one of the first dances with her groom.
Julie Benn and new hubby Paul Richter stepped out on the dance floor after their July 3 nuptials, in what initially looked like a joyous celebration of their love. But at one point during their first slow dance, Richter dipped Benn and went in for a kiss — and that’s when she dislocated her knee and began wincing in pain.
“Partway through our first dance, I went down with a dislocated knee and that was that,” Benn wrote on Facebook. “We spent the rest of the night in the ER where I was pumped full of special medicines with my new husband holding my hand the whole time.”
Most onlookers didn’t immediately realize what had happened, judging by footage of the incident shared to TikTok by Richter’s sister Liz. In the clip, Benn could be seen clinging to her husband right after her knee gave out, hopping around on the other leg until the bridesmaids could help her to a seat.
Wedding photographer Rebecca Barger, of Rebecca Barger Photography, added that Benn was soon surrounded by “medical professionals who were wedding guests” and later carried out of the tent on a stretcher.
Despite the pain, Benn and Richter insisted that guests stay and celebrate in their absence. And after spending most of the evening in the ER — still wearing her wedding dress, as evidenced by Liz’s viral video — the happy couple returned to the reception, where guests were eagerly awaiting their return.
“Thank you to our hearts and souls who did exactly what we would have wanted and CRUSHED IT at our reception without us,” Benn said. “We treasure you.”