For Sophie Coughlan, 29, what should have been a dreamy bachelorette trip in Paris quickly spiraled into a health crisis—just two weeks before her wedding day in Italy.
The U.K. bride-to-be had flown to the French capital with four of her closest friends to celebrate her final days of single life. The group spent May 24 dining out, laughing, and soaking up the Parisian charm. They shared escargot, rib-eye steak, duck breast, and truffle mash at a local restaurant—classic French indulgence. But just days later, Coughlan was bedridden, running a high fever, and hallucinating.
“The night was the worst,” Sophie told. “I went to bed early but was up every single hour, was sweating, hallucinating, and had the worst cramps ever.”
What started as cramps on Monday rapidly escalated by Tuesday night. She was feverish, dehydrated, and passing blood and mucus. Her then-fiancé rushed her to emergency care, where she spent seven hours on an IV drip. No stool sample was taken at the time, but Sophie knew something was seriously wrong.
When she checked in with her friends later, both her sister and best friend said they were also experiencing the same intense symptoms. That’s when it clicked: it had to be food poisoning.
Over the next 11 days, Sophie barely moved from bed. With her destination wedding just around the corner, she turned to private health care for expedited testing—spending over $290. The results arrived a day before their flight to Italy: campylobacter, a bacterial infection often caused by undercooked meat or contaminated food.
According to the CDC, campylobacter infections typically cause diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, and while most recover without antibiotics, the illness can be severe—and sometimes lead to long-term complications.
Despite the toll, Sophie pushed through. She made it to Italy. But the effects of her illness lingered.
“MY WEDDING DRESS DIDN’T FIT,” she said. “When I went to collect my dress (1 day before we flew) we noticed on the waist it wasn’t as sinched or as fitted as it was in the previous fitting. I had lost about 9 pounds in the 9 days up to this point.”
As if that weren’t enough, she couldn’t even enjoy the Italian cuisine she’d been dreaming about for months.
Still, through it all, Sophie held onto what mattered most.
“I’m not going to look back on the superficial things like not ‘looking my best’ or my dress being ill-fitting and instead focus on the feelings and the vibes, and they were truly unmatched.”
She later contacted the Paris restaurant but said her complaints were ignored.
When Sophie shared her story on TikTok (@sofflouise), it hit a nerve—amassing over 4 million views and more than 309,000 likes. Many followers shared their sympathy, with some recalling their own horror stories.
“Food poisoning is literally hell on earth. Feel sorry for you girl,” wrote one commenter.
“I was hospitalized several times and now have permanent damage and chronic conditions that resulted from it. I’ve never been the same since,” added another.
Unfortunately, not all the comments were kind. Some made light of the weight loss, joking that the ordeal sounded like a “bridal bootcamp.” Others pushed back against that mindset.
“All the people saying ‘sounds like I win’… Jesus Christ,” one woman wrote.
But even amid the trauma, a few commenters found humor in the chaos.
“No how are you people so funny in the comments you have me crying here, girls are just so funny I can’t,” one person laughed.
Sophie’s story is a reminder of how fast things can unravel—and how even the most picture-perfect plans can be turned upside down. But it’s also proof that love, resilience, and a good attitude can still pull you through.
