A dream wedding set against the picturesque backdrop of Maine took a shocking turn when a guest allegedly attacked the photographer near the dance floor.
Donald Halsing, a 26-year-old from Marlborough, Massachusetts, underwent emergency surgery and spent five days in the hospital after sustaining liver injuries.
The accused, Andrew T. Manderson, also 26 and from Scarborough, Maine, faces charges of elevated aggravated assault and aggravated assault.
Halsing, who was capturing the event to save for his own upcoming nuptials, recounted that the ceremony on May 23 was flawless until Manderson suddenly lunged at him.
“It was a beautiful day in a stunning location for a wedding,” Halsing shared with the Boston Globe.
“We were thrilled to be there, spending the day with the couple and capturing their special moments,” he added.
Halsing said he had traveled to the barn venue at Kingsley Pines Camp in Raymond, beside the banks of Panther Pond in southern Maine, with his fiancée, Ashley Wall.
The photographer was standing beside the cake-cutting table snapping pictures of people dancing when a guest approached him and started a conversation.
Photographer Donald Halsing, 26, of Marlborough, Massachusetts, was working at a wedding in Maine when he was allegedly stabbed by a guest. Above, with his fiancée, Ashley Wall
The wedding was held in the barn venue at Kingsley Pines Camp in Raymond
‘It’s not uncommon for people, when we’re working, to ask us about our business. He asked about wedding prices and what we charge,’ Halsing told the Globe.
‘And it was very hard to hear him because I was standing right in front of one of the speakers for the DJ.’
‘So I pulled out my phone to show him our Instagram page. I at least got the name of our Instagram in the search bar when he reached around to his back pocket.’
Halsing said he assumed Manderson was retrieving his phone, but instead, he allegedly pulled out a pocket knife and stabbed him in the abdomen without saying a word.
‘I looked down, and I saw a hole in my stomach. And I said, “That’s not very good,”‘ Halsing recalled.
‘I looked up and out of my peripheral vision, I saw him walking out of the barn.’
Halsing desperately mounted the stage beside the DJ and began yelling for help.
Wedding guests rushed to his rescue, and luckily, several were medically trained.
The bride’s cousin, Andrew T Manderson, 26, of Scarborough, Maine, has been charged with elevated aggravated assault and aggravated assault. Manderson is pictured above
Halsing and Wall, who had just moved in together, had traveled together to the event
Halsing had emergency surgery and spent five days in hospital after the attack on May 23
‘The bride is a nurse and one of the members of her bridal party, Ryan, is an ER nurse, and he immediately got me sat down in a chair, got the wound packed up with napkins, and then the tablecloth got wrapped around me to hold pressure,’ Halsing said.
‘A few of the guests were trained medical professionals as well. Without them, I very easily could have died.’
The best man, an off-duty police officer, quizzed Halsing about his attacker, while several wedding guests chased after Manderson, who fled to the lake.
Halsing said he later learned that Manderson was the father of the bride. He still has no idea what prompted the attack.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office said deputies arrived at the scene just after 9pm, and took Manderson into custody within 20 minutes.
A fundraiser launched to help cover Halsing’s medical costs described the bloody assault as an ‘unexpected and unprovoked attack.’
The otherwise picture-perfect wedding was held at Kingsley Pines Camp in the town of Raymond, beside the banks of Panther Pond in southern Maine
‘Those who know Donald know he would never hurt a fly,’ the page reads.
‘Donald was rushed to the hospital and brought into emergency surgery. He suffered from two lacerations, including one to his liver.
‘He is expected to have a long road to recovery. He is looking forward to putting this nightmare behind him.’
The fundraising page states that Halsing had just moved into his first home with his fiancée and was supposed to be celebrating her bridal shower while he was in hospital instead.
