Why was June called the marriage month?

Historically, June tends to be the most popular month for weddings. The reason has less to do with nice weather and more to with an ancient Roman goddess named -- you guessed it -- Juno.

This article from Associated Content explains that Juno was the Roman goddess of marriage. For this reason, many Romans chose to honor her by tying the knot in June. Like a lot of traditions, this one stuck.

Still, honoring Juno isn't the only reason why June is such a popular wedding month. According to Associated Content, couples often married in June so they could time the conception of their first child. This way, the wife wouldn't be too far along in her pregnancy to perform the manual labor required during harvest time. Romantic, eh?

The site SuperWeddings.com offers a different theory. Apparently, during the 1400s and 1500s, people took their "annual bath" during May. So, "the over-all population was smelling relatively fresh in June, making it a good time to hold a special event like a wedding!"

Whatever the reason, it's worth noting that June might not be the most popular month for weddings anymore. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that August may have surpassed it.