Weddings are one of those special moments where you can only hope, pray, and prepare for things to go well. Invariably, there’s always at least one thing that goes awry; such is the nature of life. Sometimes a dress gets torn, sometimes someone gets sick, the priest messes up a line, a potentially venomous snake shows up… Oh, well maybe the last one didn’t happen to you or someone you know, but it did happen a couple of days ago at a wedding ceremony in Arizona.
Few creatures on this planet can cause as much fear and dread as a snake. Maybe it’s the fangs, could be the slithering movement, or it could just be the threat of a poisonous bite. Regardless, a lot of people don’t do well with the lengthy reptiles. Erika Rodriguez apparently is not one of those people. Earlier this month, the Bridesmaid made a daring move at her sister’s wedding when a fairly large snake made its way onto the steps of the outdoor venue.
Going for its tail, Rodriguez picked up the invading animal and quickly discovered, to her surprise, that the snake was nearly as long as she was tall. Despite this, she continued to maneuver the creature away from the guests and into a place that would be considerably safer for everyone involved. Not that any of the people were in danger really, the snake was later identified as a gopher snake. While fairly large, the snake is not venomous but is known to imitate the behavior of rattlesnakes as a defense mechanism.
As for how the bridesmaid mustered up the courage to confront the reptile, she credits the late, great, Steve Irwin. She says she learned the proper way to handle a snake from watching him, referring to the television icon as her “role model.” That being said, you probably wouldn’t want to replicate what she did.
It’s generally recommended not to handle snakes, and give them a wide berth. Especially in an area like Arizona, where venomous snakes are more common, you really don’t want to risk a bite.
For Erika Rodriguez though, everything turned out alright and presumably the rest of the wedding went fine. Normally you’d want to wish the couple many happy returns, but they probably don’t need the return of more gopher snakes… unless Erika wants to go viral again.
