Groom rushed to ER after choking on food but made it back in time for first dance in a hospital gown
The West Seneca newlyweds say it’s a wedding day they’ll never forget.
A wedding day is a memorable event for the wedding couple and the respective families alike, but for Emily MacKinnon and Nicholas Birke from West Seneca, it became memorable in a way no one could have planned. The couple had just finished their ceremony at the Botanical Gardens in South Buffalo on August 23 and were settling into their reception when the night took a sudden turn. "At dinner is when I took my second bite of food, and I looked at my dear husband, and I said, 'This is great, isn’t it?' And I looked at him, and he is red and purple, choking," MacKinnon told WIVB. "So, I started slapping him on the back."
Birke had a piece of roasted potato stuck in his throat. "Just a little roasted potato that was probably 'that big' that I cut into fours, so it wasn’t even the whole potato," he said. "I made it through two bites of chicken, and the first bite of potato, and that’s when I was, like, 'Oh, this isn’t normal.'" MacKinnon's bridesmaid, who is a nurse, along with the best man and other members of the wedding party, rushed to help while trying to keep the situation calm for their guests.
Birke was taken to the hospital, placed on a ventilator, and underwent a procedure to remove the blockage. Even in the ER, his mind was on the reception. "All I wanted to do, all I kept telling the doctors was, 'I need to do my first dance,'" he said. "God-willing, I was able to do it and got out of the hospital pretty quickly." A few hours later, he returned to the venue to finish the night — this time wearing his hospital gown. "That was all her," Birke said, pointing to MacKinnon. "That was her idea. I was like, 'Oh, let me change.' She’s like, 'Nope, come back in the hospital gown, it’s going to make it so much better.'"
To the cheers of the remaining 60 guests, Birke walked back into the reception smiling, arms raised, grateful to be back — and alive. "Our DJ, we were able to party for two hours after the ceremony when the reception was supposed to end," Birke said. "We were able to stay late, and the venue was so great. They were like, No, after all you’ve been through, you stay here until four in the morning if you want to." The hospital gown that turned into a symbol of relief and laughter is now part of their story.
Experts say that kind of calm and connection during stressful moments is part of what helps couples stay strong. A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that couples who respond to conflict or stress with humor and emotional steadiness report greater long-term satisfaction in marriage. The research, which analyzed over 150 newlyweds, showed that staying calm and positive during unexpected situations strengthened their bond — something Emily and Nicholas proved before their first dance even began.
"Oh, it’s gonna get hung up," Birke said. "It’s going to get hung up like a jersey for a sports team, and we’re going to put a photo of us walking back in because I think that would be absolutely hilarious." The couple says they’re thankful for everyone who helped and for the perspective the night gave them. "We spent a lot on our wedding, but at the end of the day, we didn’t care," Emily said. "We didn’t care about the venue, the flowers, the napkin color, as long as he was OK."
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