Would You Like to Be a June Bride

June is a popular month for weddings. Ever wondered why June came to be the "wedding month"? If you're planning to tie the knot, what month would you choose? Would you be a June Bride too?

June Bride History

The month of June was named after the the goddess, Juno. In Roman Mythology, Juno is a powerful and beautiful goddess- "the goddess of marriage", "the queen of sex", "the queen of the gods" and the wife of Jupiter. In Greek mythology, her counterpart is goddess Hera, the wife of Zeus.

In ancient Rome, women celebrate the "Matronalia"- an annual festival in honor of Juno. In lieu of these beliefs, many people in Rome choose to get married in June, with the blessing of Juno, "the patron of marriage".

In modern times, June became popular because many couples tied the knot immediately after June graduation. These days however, couples choose their wedding month based on different factors- the availability of the venue, the weather, financial readiness, and convenience. Some bride and grooms choose a meaningful month for them.

Surveys conducted in 2005 and 2006 in the US by the Association for Wedding Professionals International (AFWPI)- an international research organization that specializes on weddings reveal that August, September and July are the months where the most weddings took place while January, April and February were the least favorite months for a wedding. Surprisingly, June ranks only 5th in both the 2005 and 2006 annual surveys. Here is the complete list:

2005 2006
1. August - 370,000 August - 388,000
2. September - 364,000 September - 375,000
3. July - 369,000 July - 369,000
4. October - 358,000 October - 367,000
5. June - 351,000 June - 359,000
6. March - 350,000 March - 357,000
7. May - 347,000 May - 356,000
8. December - 347,000 December - 355,000
9. November - 339,000 November - 352,000
10. January - 332,000 January - 340,000
11. April - 332,000 April - 330,000
12. February - 310,000 February - 320,000

We got married on a March - not for any sentimental reasons. I would have liked to get married on a February month but we we didn't have much time left for preparations and we didn't want to wait until the next year.

What month did you tie the knot? Why did you chose that month for your wedding? If you were getting married, what month would you choose?

Related Post: Choosing the Right Day for Your Wedding

Choosing the Right Day for Your Wedding

Setting the right wedding date can never be overlooked. In our case, I was hoping to get married on the month of February but we ended up getting married on March. If I could go back, we would have planned our wedding much sooner than we did. Well, we had a happy wedding so it was great.

Still, for couples who are planning for their BIG day, there are four things that you'll want to consider before choosing your wedding date. Here are some tips that you may find handy:

Make sure that the people you love would make it. My brother wasn't able to attend our wedding because he was on board their ship at that time. So was my best friend who was in Canada. My cousin missed it because the 30th was her flight to Dubai.

Some of the people closest to me missed our wedding because we hadn't planned it sooner. This is especially true if some of your relatives and friends live out-of-the-country or out-of-state. If you're going to set your wedding date, will everyone who you want to be there be able to make it?

Make sure that your venue is available. Whether you want a hotel wedding or a garden wedding, make sure that the place you'll hire would be available. If you've made the final decision, make reservations as early as you can.

Consider the weather. Is it going to be a rainy season? If you want an outdoor or a garden wedding, the weather can be a big problem. But if you're okay with an indoor setting, a little rain shouldn't be a problem. Winter seasons can make the occassion more inconvenient than it's supposed to be. I guess, this is why June weddings and summer weddings are so popular.

Consider your budget. Getting married on holiday seasons can threaten a limited budget. For example, we got married on a March, which was a graduation month here in the Philippines so the flowers we needed were more expensive than usual. Even if we're in Baguio, we had to cut back on the flowers because prices were actually doubled compared to off-peak months.