This is one tradition I had never heard of before now. Apparently, there's a Southern wedding tradition for the bride or groom — or both together! — to bury bourbon before their wedding. Burying bourbon before wedding events is something the couple may do a month before their big day in order to ward off the one thing Mother Nature may offer that could throw off an outdoor wedding — rain.
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Burying Bourbon Before Wedding: How Does it Work?
This Southern folklore myth is of unknown origin, although it's safe to say it started somewhere south of the Mason Dixon line.
When wedding planning in places like Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, a city like Charleston, South Carolina, etc., it's more likely for couples to ask their wedding venue a month out from their wedding date if they can bury a bottle of bourbon at the wedding site.
According to Heart of North Carolina Weddings, a month before their wedding day, couples should bury a full bottle of bourbon upside down for good luck in getting good weather on their special day. "Yes, the bourbon bottle has to be full and it has to be upside down!" the outlet notes. Then when the big day comes, the couple digs it up and enjoys it!
Legend has it, if the couple does this a month before getting married, they'll be ensured to have sunshine at their ceremony site instead of rainy weather.
Some Southerners do it — with permission from their wedding ceremony venue, of course — and then share the bottle on their wedding day with bridesmaids and other members of the wedding party. That sounds like a pretty great way to celebrate the special occasion to us!
If you're planning to get married in the south, burying bourbon before wedding ceremonies seems like a fun tradition to incorporate. And whether you get rain or shine on your wedding day, at least there will be bourbon to enjoy.
