As we all know, the month of June is popularly known as the wedding month. On my curiosity, I've researched on why June is so popular as the wedding month. Couples have some unique reasons on exchanging wedding vows during the month.
Juno, the Roman Goddess of Marriage
June was named after Juno, the Roman Goddess of Marriage. Couples chose to honour this goddess by marrying in June. It was also believed that Juno will bring them happiness and prosperity if they wed in her month.
Annual Bath
In medieval times, people bathed only once a year. Bathing was not considered a necessity. The annual bathing was done during the last part of May or early part of June. Immediately after, many couples chose to wed while they were still clean and presentable.
Harvest Time
If couples wed in June, a summer pregnancy was possible for the women. This meant they can still help in the harvest period before fall time since they wouldn’t be too far along in their pregnancy.
Fine Weather
June brings in warmer weather for an outdoor wedding. Everyone is also on vacation so it would be more convenient for guests to partake of the celebration.
Bridal Flowers
A wide array of flowers is available in June. Flowers give off enough scent for the occasion and are sold cheaper in June.
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Now, that we all know the reason behind why June is considered as the wedding month, it's time to know the things that needs to prepare. Below are the general list to consider on weddings (in Filipino way)
The color or motif.
Ladies are particular with color combinations. They will see to it that the ribbons and flowers will perfectly match with the dresses of the bride's maids and the flower girls. The corsage of the principal sponsors and the bouquets of the maids and bride are in perfect combination with the motif. Friends who have contacts with flower shop owners or with flower gardens help facilitate for a good price.
The give aways or souvenirs.
Most Filipino brides made their own wedding souvenirs to be given away to their guests. They are very creative in making their souvenirs unique and attractive. What they will do is buy the accessories whole sale and assemble it themselves. They will spend their precious time putting it all together to make it very attractive and captivating to their guests. They will be satisfied when their guests would say, " wow I like it". To them, it is worth the hard work.
The wedding invitations.
Preparing the invitation is a stressful job for the bride and groom. They will usually start with the listings of all possible guests. Family , relatives and close friends will be on top priority. Neighbors and distant friends will be at the last. Stressful it maybe, because if their budget is good only for 50 people and their expected guests on the list are100, it is a problem. It's in the Filipino mentality that friends and relatives will feel bad if they will not receive an invitation whether they can attend or not, they are expecting an invitation. Usually, the couple will stretch their budget for the extras just not to disappoint friends or relatives.
The program.
The wedding coordinator will help in planning the program. The couple could make any suggestion for the style of the ceremony, the sequence of the program and the music to be played. The coordinator will be the in charged of the rehearsal of participants and their placements of where they will stay during the ceremony.
The entourage attire.
This thing varies. Some will buy the whole entourage attire if the groom can afford to finance it. Others will request their participants to buy their own attire. Most often, the couple will rent the whole entourage attire from a rental store. They would prefer to rent because it is cheaper than buying, and they all come in the same shade. color and style. Anyway, they will just use it in few hours.
The participants.
In choosing of participants most couple want to have the well known and influential people in their community be on their list of principal sponsors. They usually have 10-15 pairs of principal sponsors, 4 pairs of secondary sponsors ( the bride's maids and the groom's men) 4 flower girls, 3 little boys as covenant bearer, ring bearer and Bible bearer. Sometimes there's little groom and little bride. They will have ushers and usherettes maximum of 4, there is a guest book attendant and gift attendant. singers and camera man, artists and decorators. The bride will be given priority to choose the secondary sponsors from her family or relatives. Relatives and friends want to be a part of this special occasion. You can just imagine. for the participants only, there will be a big crowd already not counting the other guests.
The reception.
The reception is the most crucial part of the wedding. Most couple prefer to hold their reception in a hotel or restaurant where they could have control of the number of guests. But sometimes, unexpected guests come and it is the Filipino custom to let them join even if they are not on the list. The couple must be prepared for the extras. Filipinos are very hospitable that even if they don't know the people who are coming to their party, they welcome them. The common scenario is this. The host will invite a friend, and the invited friend will invite another friend and that friend invite another one, so instead of one guest, they will have 3 or 4 guests that even the host don't know who are those people coming to their party but no body will be left out because the host will entertain and serve them even to the last of what they have in their kitchen. The worst thing is when the reception will be held in an open area where everybody is free to join. Too much closeness and familiarity is common to Filipinos the reason why neighbors and friends feel free to join the party of any.
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To all engaged couples, best wishes!! :)
