Summer is a time to relax, take a vacation and enjoy the warm air after a long winter and a rainy spring. But for many brides, summer is the perfect time to get married. June, currently the most popular month for weddings, has long been touted as the traditional wedding month since ancient times and July and August follow quickly behind as the other most popular times to get married. But why is summer the traditional season for a wedding?
There are multiple theories as to why summer became the preferred wedding season, and as with many traditions, the reasoning no longer applies today, but it is interesting to take a look back at the origins and explore how it has evolved.
The tradition of June weddings is an old one, dating back to ancient times, when the Romans would celebrate the festival of Juno (the Roman name of Hera, Zeus’ wife) as she was the goddess of marriage and childbirth. They would celebrate on the first of June to rid themselves of the bad luck from the month of May, which was when they honored the dead. Another and more practical reason they would marry in June was because there was a better chance that the wife would become pregnant in the summer, so she would still be able to help with the fall harvest.
One of the most well-known theories for the popularity of summer weddings involves the fact that people would take their yearly bath in May or June, leaving them relatively clean for their wedding. That’s not entirely true. Different cultures had different standards; the Romans used bathhouses weekly, the Vikings were obsessed with being clean and taking baths, and the English saw bathing as a royal luxury. It was believed in some medieval cultures that bathing should be avoided in the summer time, but the idea that everyone had a rotten stench following them at all times is a little farfetched. (Although they probably didn’t smell like a bed of roses either!)
The modern day reasons for having a summer wedding are a little different, but still practical. Flowers are more widely available and offered at lower prices than other times of the year. It’s also helpful for those involved in the wedding that work or go to school, as they will have this time off. The weather also makes it the ideal time for outdoor or destination weddings.
The old saying, “When you marry in June, you’re a bride all your life,” seems to ring true for many couples, as traditional summer weddings continue to stay in demand.