Why Do Some Southerners Bury A Bottle Of Bourbon Before Their Wedding?

Weddings are a time to celebrate the present, look to the future, and honor the past. It's not surprising that there are a ton of regional and family traditions that couples might decide to uphold, and for those tying the knot in a number of Southern states, they might have some bourbon shopping to do. Why? It's a long-standing tradition that the happy couple bury a bottle precisely one month before the big day.

This particular entry in the list of Southern wedding traditions has a bit of superstition that goes along with it. While some couples might be content to just cross their fingers and hope for good weather on their wedding day, Southerners go a bit farther and bury a bottle of bourbon in hopes of making that good weather happen.

Oddly, it seems to run in complete opposition to another Southern belief that if it rains on your wedding day, your union is going to be blessed with good fortune. And that belief kind of makes sense: It's rain that guarantees a good harvest and all the prosperity that goes along with a successful farming season, a cornerstone of life in the South. Burying the bottle of bourbon to keep that rain at bay might seem like it's taunting fate just a little bit, but that hasn't kept it from being a beloved Southern tradition that's observed even today.

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There Are Some Specific Rules That Must Be Followed To Make This Work

There are a number of alcohol- and drinking-related wedding traditions from across the globe, but in the American South, it's bourbon that takes center stage. Burying a bottle of bourbon before a wedding is such a big deal that some venues have dedicated bourbon gardens, where couples can go to place their supposedly weather-changing bottles. While couples can choose their own particular type of bourbon, there are some rules that need to be followed if they expect this tradition to truly bring the good weather, starting with the fact that it has to be bourbon. For anyone who prefers whiskey or scotch, that's just not going to work.

The bottle has to be buried exactly one month before the start of the wedding ceremony, and saying "exactly" isn't hyperbole. The bottle has to be buried one month prior to the minute, and it also has to be buried upside down and unopened.

As for the location, tradition says that it should be buried as close to the site of the wedding as possible, although it seems as though that one can bend a little bit. Some couples opt for burying it on the grounds of the venue, or where the reception is going to be. The bottle is later dug up after the wedding ceremony is over, and for those who choose to observe the tradition, it can become an important part of the wedding day festivities.

No One Knows Where The Tradition Came From

Many sources have tried and failed to find the origins of this particular wedding tradition, and it's unclear just where the idea came from. There are a few theories, including one that suggests it's a recent addition to wedding day lore that was started by bourbon distillers or distributors. That theory also suggests it first got started in Kentucky, which makes sense: Kentucky is, after all, Bourbon Country.

Another suggests that it dates back to an ancient Scottish practice of burying whisky as an offering to the gods of the weather. Although it's unclear exactly what that bit of folklore that's referencing, a connection between alcohol, distilling, and the supernatural is not entirely unheard of. Ancient Irish legends tell of distillers who offered whiskey to the spirits in exchange for their blessings and protections, and whiskey also featured prominently in rituals honoring the spirits of the earth, the changing of the seasons, and the cyclic nature of life.

The South's popular wedding tradition continues after the wedding. When the newlyweds dig up their bottle of bourbon after the ceremony, there's a couple things that they could decide to do. Some save the bottle for special occasions such as anniversaries, while others opt to crack it open at their reception and share with their guests. If that's the case, some might even bury more than one bottle to make sure there's enough for everyone in attendance to partake in this fair-weather tradition.

Read the original article on The Daily Meal.