Wedding gift of the century.
In today’s world of extravagant weddings, bachelorette parties, and even more over-the-top wedding gifts and honeymoons, there is something that I appreciate about a personal sentimental gift. Money can’t buy everything, and there is truly nothing better than receiving a gift that you knew took time to make or learn and is very tailored to your interests.
Take a heartfelt gift and combine it with country music, and you have a gift that will get us talking here at Whiskey Riff.
A bride recently went viral for her surprise gift honoring her groom at their Austin, Texas, wedding. The bride, who has got some serious fiddle skills, learned a song that she knew her man would love. It’s unclear if the man is an LSU grad, but if you haven’t pieced it together yet, she performed the Garth Brooks hit, “Callin’ Baton Rouge.”
“Callin’ Baton Rouge” is a tradition in the LSU football stadium, where the Golden Band from Tigerland performs the song before each game starts. The stadium also sings the song at the start of the fourth quarter as the LSU Tigers hope to bring home a win. It’s a deeply rooted tradition at LSU, and any of the school alums love the song well beyond their years after graduating from the university. I think of it as how Oklahoma State University alumni carry the same love for Garth Brooks’ “Friends In Low Places,” which played at the start of the fourth quarter during their football games.
“Callin’ Baton Rouge” was made famous by Garth Brooks with his 1993 recording, but the tune, penned by Dennis Linde, was initially recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys in 1978 and many other artists over time. Garth’s version is one of his most famous songs and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1994.
Okay, done with that brief history lesson. Let’s go back to this epic performance.
While some brides might learn how to sing the song and put on a show with the band, this bride let Garth handle the lyrics and instead learned how to rip the fiddle portion of the song. And when I say she learned to rip the fiddle, I’m not kidding. She can play.
The groom lets his bride shine on stage until the final portion of the song when he eventually jumps on stage to enjoy the final moments with his bride, grinning from ear to ear and looking so grateful for the surprise. This is a gift that the groom and their wedding guests will remember for a lifetime. This bride gets my Bride of the Year award even though we still have quite a bit of 2025 left.
Check it out.
@paigerochellee so good 🥹🖤 #callinbatonrouge #garthbrooks ♬ original sound – paige alexander
The internet was in love with this performance. Check out some of the comments left on the post.
“Wait, how do we get Garth to see this?”
“Omg I love this.”
“Congratulations and GEAUX TIGERS!”
“This is my favorite song, and now I’m crying. What a star she is!”
“He looks so happy! Go girl.”
“Yes, ma’am! We love to see a girl SLAAYYY.”
“Wait, I’m emotional, this is so good.”
“What a great way to celebrate! Congrats to the lucky couple!!!”
“Okay, so how do I get her for my wedding even though I’m single? Geaux tigers!”
Before you go, check out Garth Brooks’ legendary performance of the tune in Tiger Stadium from 2022.
