Since our photographers are based in Atlanta, we’ve had our fair share of Southern weddings. Like so many other places, the South has created it’s own cultural identity, complete with traditions and rituals to follow when celebrating milestones. Southern weddings especially come with their own unique customs that give them a sense of Southern charm, and our Atlanta wedding photographers have seen it all. We’ve explored some of these traditions a little further and this week we wanted to lay out the history and reasoning behind the most popular traditions at Southern weddings.

Photo by the Atlanta Wedding Photographers at AtlantaArtisticWeddings

Usually in the South, there are a few pre-wedding events that take place before the actual wedding ceremony. One of these is the “Bridal Luncheon”, which usually takes place the week of the wedding. This party is hosted by the bride for her bridesmaids as a way to thank them before the big day. This is similar to a bachelorette party, but may be more formal, like a garden party or a lunch at a nice restaurant. Another party most southerners have is a “Pounding Party”. This is where the couples relatives gather at their new home and stock their kitchen with “a pound” of all the essentials. For instance one relative will bring sugar, one will bring eggs, etc. This acts as a sort of housewarming party and is meant to get the couple started off on the right foot.

Photo by the Atlanta Wedding Photographers at AtlantaArtisticWeddings

There are other smaller rituals and traditions that occur in the south aside from the parties, some of them rooted in superstition. For instance ”burying the bourbon” is a common tradition meant to ensure good weather on your wedding day. This is a superstition that says, if you want to prevent rain on your wedding day you must bury a full bottle of bourbon upside down at your wedding venue 30 days before your ceremony on a day that has the type of weather you want on your big day. Another custom in the south is for the bride to do “bridal portraits” or glamour shots of herself in her bridal attire, before the big day. The bride can then display her portrait at the reception if she wishes.

Photo by the Atlanta Wedding Photographers at AtlantaArtisticWeddings

The actual wedding is also packed with ritual and meaning, some of which you may have heard of before. First off, there is the foot washing ceremony, where the couple washes each others feet. This is more common in Christian ceremony and is meant to set the couple up as equals. There is also a ritual where the wedding rings are passed around and held by each guest and everyone whispers good luck and blessings into their hands while holding the rings. The couple also take part in a unity candle ceremony, where the bride and groom each take a candle and light a third candle with both flames, signifying two becoming one. There have been many variations on this tradition, with some couples electing to tie two ropes together in a knot or pour two colors of sand into one glass. Finally, there is the ritual of “jumping the broom”. This is most common in the Southern African American community, and signifies the act of settling down into domestic life and family duties.

Photo by the Atlanta Wedding Photographers at AtlantaArtisticWeddings

Once the ceremony is over, some couples may have a “second line” parade escort them to the reception. This is a New Orleans tradition meant to get the whole community involved in the celebration. A band, usually a jazz band, leads a parade throughout the streets of the town on the way to the reception playing music. The couple, the bridal party, and the guests follow, usually dancing and carrying parasols.  Once at the reception, the decor is the biggest indicator of the Southern charm. There’s usually a lot of lace and pearls and many of the decorations are monogrammed with the couples names. The menu usually consists of Southern comfort food, like chicken and potatoes, as well. here is a fun New Orleans tradition for during the reception, called the “cake ribbon pull”. This is a fortune-telling game of sorts, where there are charms buried in the cake that are attached to ribbons or strings of pearls sticking out from the bottom layer of the cake. Members of the bridal party pull the strings out of the cake and whatever charm is attached to their string is a prediction for the future. And of course the icing on the cake is a lovely thank you card from the couple, thanking guests for attending the wedding and showing off their southern hospitality.

Thanks for checking out this wedding photographers blog!  I hope you enjoyed the read. Make sure you keep coming back to see what the Atlanta wedding photographers at Atlanta Artistic Weddings are up to! If you’d like to contact me go to the contact page and drop me a line at https://www.atlantaartisticweddings.com/contact-atlanta-wedding-photographer. I would love to hear from you!

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