By the late 1830s the temperance movement had a strong following in the United Kingdom, with around 23 temperance groups in Clackmannanshire alone.

These Temperance Societies advocated the evils of John Barleycrorn and stated that by staying away from alcohol, life would be better for both individuals and families.

They concentrated on spirits, but some wine and malt liqueurs were permitted and could be consumed in moderation.

One event which was, and is, prevalent for drinking whisky in Scotland was a wedding, yet merriment could be had without spirits.

In Menstrie, it was reported in a local newspaper of the day that a ‘dry’ wedding had taken place.

For several days previous to the wedding, the locals wondered how a wedding could be enjoyed without drinking and they believed that if the bridegroom did not have any, he would have to withdraw from society, such was the strong association with it.

Yet the wedding went ahead without a hitch, and the merriment continued until the wee small hours of the morning without a single glass of the "water of life" being drunk.

The food was the same as any other special occasion, but the only drinks on offer were tea and water.

Singing and dancing went on until two o’clock, and once rested, they decided to take a walk up Menstrie Glen to the top of Dumyat where they ate strawberries and cream, and sang ‘Begone strong drink’ which reverberated through the glen.

They made their way to Smuggler’s Cave where they had another singsong, singing temperance hymns. In the old days the cave would have been filled with drunken voices as the smugglers hid their wares, but these people were simply enjoying life without the need for alcohol.

Throughout the wedding day and the day after, there was no need for any police involvement either, as peace and law and order were observed by all. This was put down wholly to the abstinence of drink.

Some of those who attended the party later said that although they were ‘to be present at twenty weddings they would never desire to see one drop of intoxicating liquor there, being completely satisfied that all the virtue ascribed to it is a mere delusion’.

They were able to enjoy both the wedding and the trip up the glen, but moreover, they would be able to remember seeing ‘the rich beauties of nature,’ and had ‘hearts to relish pure, rational enjoyments,’ without the fog of alcohol or the inevitable hangovers the next day.

Dry weddings are still fairly rare in Scotland.