Wedding Traditions #1- June Weddings

Whip out the lifestyle section of your Sunday paper and 5 bucks says it's filled with wedding announcements. We just sort of accept the idea that every year when June rolls around, it's going to be filled with weddings. (Unless you are in my family that is- see the earlier "Wedding Bells" post about my brother's May wedding)Historians, wedding planners and brides-to-be in general will tell you that traditionally June is THE month for weddings. OK, so my question is...why?

The month of June is named in honor of Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. Juno protected wives so it makes sense that women would want to get marries in Juno's month. Suck up to the goddess a little to ensure you have her keeping a close eye on your marriage.

There are also more practical reasons that ancient brides chose June for their wedding celebrations. #1, you were coming out of Lent, the penitential season. You could actually have big festivities. #2, the month of May was when people tended to have their annual baths and clothes washing. As bad as it sounds to say it, if you got married in June, your guests (and you and your groom for that matter) probably smelled better and were wearing clean clothes. #3, if you conceived your first child within a few weeks of a June wedding date, that baby would be born in spring the next year. That meant you wouldn't be suffering through the late summer heat with a big belly and swollen ankles, you wouldn't be going through labor in the winter snowstorms and most likely you would be recovered enough from childbirth to participate in the spring planting season. Practicality was big to ancient folks.

Now, in the modern world, such practicalities don't necessarily hold water anymore but June is still a big time for weddings. Again why? To be truthful, we have our modern practicalities. Brides love outdoor weddings. June is warm but not as rainy as May or as stiflingly hot as July and August so a better chance for good wedding weather. Also, children are out of school and most people have their vacation time scheduled for the summer. That way more people are able to travel for weddings. And big honeymoon destinations tend to offer wedding/honeymoon specials in June.

Interestingly enough, although June is the traditional month for weddings, when I was digging up the info to tell you "why," I stumbled on something that surprised me. 21st century brides aren't into the idea of being June brides like those who came before them. For the past 10 years, July and August have been the months that the most weddings have been held in the United States. June comes in at a close 3rd. Makes you wonder if in a few centuries down the road, somebody will be blogging about why August is the traditional wedding month.