June is a most popular month for marriages. More weddings are performed in June than any other time of the year. This has been so since early Roman times.

The Romans preferred June weddings because that was the month dedicated to the observance of Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage.

One story that I have read in several places was that in the 15^th and 16^th century, people often bathed only once a year. The month of May was designated "Bath Month" and in June people were still "relatively fresh," a good time to marry.

The widespread idea about medieval people bathing only once a year "just ain't true." Even in medieval times, people washed themselves on a regular basis. The Gauls invented soap, well before the birth of Christ, and its use was widespread throughout Europe. Public bathhouses existed wherever the Romans established colonies and were very popular during medieval times.
There was, however, a practical reason for marrying in June. June could result in a conception early enough so that a woman would not be too burdened down by pregnancy to help out during harvest. A June wedding also meant that the baby would be born soon enough so that the recovered bride would be in shape for the next harvest season.

I married my wife in June, and I have to admit that when we got married it had nothing to do with harvesting any crops. I still remember all the events that lead to my getting married.

I need to emphasize that I married for "love." My wedding was not a shotgun wedding and the time and place were by mutual agreement. At least I always have thought that the agreement was mutual.

The world that we lived in was the world of 1966 and it was a bit different than our world now. We did not have I-Pods, computers, cell phones or high definition satellite television.igh h I did not have a Visa card, nor were there ATM's; most transactions were done with cash. People were worried about Communism and the cold war; Vietnam was well underway and young men all had to register for the draft. Star Trek, Dark Shadows, Batman, and Mission Impossible dominated the small flickering screen. During that era, I had little time for television. I had a career with the Soil Conservation Service and a girl to impress.

I had met Claudia at a Soil Conservation Service picnic in late August. Her mother, who also worked for the S.C.S, introduced her to me. I was told that she taught school in Seaside Oregon. I remember the first time that I saw her; she was beautiful, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. Her green eyes immediately captivated me, and they matched her sweater. I had no idea at the time, that her eyes were really blue and that she was wearing green contacts. From that moment on, I devoted all of my energies and all of my limited financial resources into pursuing her.

It was now late November; a week earlier I had told her that I was in love, in love with her. I didn't make any promises, and she certainly didn't commit herself either. I never asked her if she loved me, but I let her know my feelings.

I remember one of my Psychology professors once telling me: "You can tell a woman that you love her again and again and that's okay. Just don't' ever whisper or mutter the word marriage; that is, unless you really mean it. A woman will never ignore those words and she will, to her dying day, never forget them.

It was the day before Thanksgiving and Claudia and I were parked outside her apartment in Seaside Oregon.

I have told this story jokingly to others. Claudia and I were sitting in my car and she said: "Seaside is such a boring town. There isn't a thing for a person to do here."

I tried to make a joke: "We could always get married."

I laughed.

She didn't.

Of course that's just a story; it really didn't happen like that at all. What really happened that evening, was that I put my arm around Claudia and whispered, "I love you Claudia and I want you to marry me."

Silence. Claudia said nothing.

I repeated myself.

Claudia remained quiet.

I said somewhat louder "Claudia I want to marry you. Will you marry me?"

Claudia giggled.

I grinned. "You seem to be having a decision problem. I want you to know that I plan to marry you."

She giggled again

"I'm going to marry you whether you want me to or not. Now will you marry me?"

Claudia giggled and in a very subdued voice said: "Okay, I guess so. When do you think that we should get married?"

It's difficult to explain the joy that I felt when she said that. 

Claudia seemed to think that the best time for us to marry would be June. School was over at the end of May and she would be paid for three months of summer.

Who could beat a deal like that, not only did my future wife have beauty and charm, she also had money.

My wife and I enjoyed a June wedding. The teachers from her school and the people from her church threw her a grand Celebration. We had two ministers, an opera singer, a movie star, Miss Oregon, Miss Utah, and a number of celebrities. All of this didn't mean much to me, all I could think about was the beautiful girl that I married and how fortunate I was to have caught her.

June is a great time to get married. Come to think of it so is January,
February, March… Marriage is a great institution, if you haven't tried it you should; I know that it worked well for me. How about you?