Ah June…

Since my birthday is in June I thought first I would expound on the wonders of who I am… but I figured I would have too little time. But hey, we can still work together to declare my birthday a national holiday. HAHAHA

Then I thought of talking about Father’s Day or Flag Day. But why stop there? June is host to some other unique, if not bizarre days. Donut Day, Hug Your Cat Day, National Bubba Day, and Eat Your Vegetable Day among them.

There is even an Old Maid Day in June. Perhaps they sit around and play cards. Although, I suspect the real reason for the day is a chance to sit around and lament their singleness.

June is the month of Weddings is it not? The month of l’amour.

Women dream of June weddings? It’s the most popular wedding month. Why? Is it because the world is warming, and flowers are blooming? Because of long and lovely days suitable for outdoor weddings? Is it the significance of starting a life together on a sunny note?

For whatever reason, June is well known for weddings. Poems and songs and books have been written about it.

Even the great historical account in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers backs this assumption.

Oh, they say when you marry in June,

You’re a bride all your life.

And the bridegroom who marries in June

Gets a sweetheart for a wife.

Winter weddings can be gay

Like a Christmas holiday.

But the June bride hears the song

Of the spring that lasts all summer long.

By the light of the silvery moon

Home you ride, side by side

With the echo of Mendelssohn’s tune

In your hearts as you ride

For they say when you marry in June,

You will always be a bride.

 That either compels you to marry in June or dance in your underwear…

Historians tell us that the early Romans celebrated their weddings in June for the goddess Juno (from which June derives it’s name) as she would bring prosperity and happiness to the union.

June weddings were also done out of strange logic. If a woman became pregnant in June, she would bear a child in spring the next year, in warm weather and that would give the child a fighting chance in life.

In the 1400’s and 1500’s people married in June after they had their yearly bath.  (ewww a yearly bath.)

Anyway, Perspiring (pun intended) minds may ask why a yearly bath makes a difference? After long winter’s stuck indoors, living in stink, I suppose. (I hope they used washcloths through out the year) the springs and waters would warm and they would go to Bath to bathe, (couldn’t resist) or wherever they went. Now that they could get within the ten-foot pole parameter of each other without gagging, love blossomed. It was deemed the perfect time to marry.

The sweet smell from the yearly bath didn’t last long, so women started to carry flower bouquets to cover the stench. The bigger the bouquet the smellier the woman I guess. Remember that tidbit when attending weddings. Is that why men only wear corsages, because they think they don’t stink?

I decided to further my research and asked around to find out what dates others chose to marry on and why.

I was surprised that out of the millions who answered. (Okay forty or so) Few were married in June. They never even considered it. Those that did marry in June, did so out of convenience or a need to. Or they just did it, no big dreams of June Weddings compelled them. Most were happy to marry in other months. Many liked May. I wonder if they realize that some in history wouldn’t marry in May because that was the death month? Marry in May and rue the day… so the saying goes.

Back to my research… Several didn’t want to deal with the hustle and bustle of a June wedding and trying to find open venues for their service. For a couple couples, it was June all the way.

Yes, I suppose, many still believe that June is the month to marry. Why else would there be so many articles about it? Still, there are those that say, while June may be the busiest month for weddings, those that marry in June may also hold the highest number of divorces.

Some famous June weddings that give an example of marital bliss (for now)…

Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn

Tina Fey and Jeff Richard

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban

Alicia Silverstone and Christopher Jarecki

And now for the other side of the June marriage coin, the marital diss…

Heather Mills and Paul McCartney

J Lo and Marc Anthony

Mariah Carey and Tommy Mottola

Rush Limbaugh and Kathryn Rogers to name a few.

Is June really the month to marry? The month of wedding dreams come true?

I wanted to marry in June, but not because I’d dreamed about it all my life. Who would do that? I thought it would be nice to have it around my birthday. In June. If you forgot read the first paragraph again…

I wanted an outdoor wedding, but alas, my beloved was deployed with the Navy. So I settled on an outdoor December wedding. (yes, yes I did) My beloved’s cruise was extended (those in the wedding party cheered). So we were married in March.

We’ve been married 32 years now.

I guess it doesn’t matter what month of the year you pick to marry in. If you dream of getting married in June because it’s the month of Weddings. Then have a June wedding.

What has all this research settled? My conclusion is this, what keeps marriages together is not the month, or the year, or even the day… it’s commitment, dedication, sacrifice and love. And the greatest of these… is Love.

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Gifted with a vivid imagination at a young age, Tina started writing in elementary school. (it was that or get in trouble for lying). She has chosen several creative outlets; writing poetry, songs, or stories.

Beyond writing, Tina enjoys building, gardening, singing, speaking and some biking. She and her husband hope to get out more into God’s country and do some camping. She continues to work on other stories, and hopes more will find a  publishing home soon.

Read more about Tina at www.tinapinson.com.