Doctors found that about half their wedding guests had come down with staph infections.
A New York couple whose storybook wedding descended into madness as guests became violently ill have described a scene resembling "the apocalypse" and "a horror movie."
Jesse Abbott and his bride, Melissa Conarton, wanted a delicious but laid back menu at their reception, including pulled pork, chicken, baked beans, salads, rice and mac and cheese.
It all felt like a picture-perfect day at a rustic lodge in upstate New York. The wedding meal was served at 3 p.m. but by 6:45 p.m., things took a drastic turn.
“We had triage, people with nice clothes, losing all bodily functions," Abbott told Inside Edition.
"Someone said, 'Something is wrong with one of your guests,'" Conarton added. "I ran outside, she was getting sick in a bag. She was basically in and out of consciousness."
The guests became so violently ill that the bathrooms were filled and the venue placed a tarp outside the reception hall for those who needed to vomit.
It wasn't long before ambulances were called to transport the afflicted guests to the hospital.
"I’ve never been so sick in my life,” one wedding guest told Inside Edition.
"While my son was throwing up, my daughter started throwing up too," another guest added.
The illness was found to be a type of food poisoning called staphylococcus aureus, better known as a staph infection. It can be spread by people who don't wash their hands properly.
Abbott blamed the widespread sickness on the macaroni and cheese served at the reception.
Now, the bride and groom are suing Holy Smoke BBQ and Catering. She wants the company to pay the medical bills of her guests.
"I think to myself, you've incurred debt from my wedding because you have copays and bills,” she said.
The caterer denies its food caused the food poisoning and the caterer's lawyer gave a statement to Inside Edition saying, "It is very unfortunate what happened at their wedding three years ago. We have fully cooperated with the health department and we were not found guilty of any wrongdoings."
The catering company is countersuing the couple, saying they were never paid in full for their services.
The caterer says a cheese plate brought to the reception by the bride and groom may have caused the food poisoning, a claim the couple denies.
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