Wedding Season: Why June Belongs to Lovers

Stroll through a Swiss village in June and you are almost guaranteed to hear them: the church bells of a wedding party. No other month produces so many marriages. But why June of all months? The answer reaches back some two thousand years — to a Roman goddess.

The month of Juno

June takes its name from Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage, women and childbirth. In ancient Rome, a wedding in «her» month was considered especially auspicious — heavenly blessing practically came included. Practical reasons helped too: after winter the weather was mild, the first harvests were in sight, and a child conceived in June arrived in spring, in good time before the next harvest season. Romance and calculation went hand in hand.

Did you know? The reason the wedding ring sits on the fourth finger goes back to an ancient misconception: Romans and Egyptians believed in the «vena amoris», a vein running from precisely that finger straight to the heart. Anatomically it is simply wrong — yet the lovely idea has endured to this day.

Of blue garters and sawn-through logs

Weddings are otherwise full of curious customs. The English rhyme «something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue» still accompanies brides today — the blue standing for fidelity and purity. The often-forgotten final line, «and a silver sixpence in her shoe», even promises prosperity.

Typical around here: In many Swiss and German regions, the newlyweds must saw through a log together right after the ceremony. It is meant to prove they can master obstacles as a team — and reliably produces the funniest wedding photos of the day.

The evening before, some places get decidedly noisy: at the so-called Polterabend, friends and neighbours smash old porcelain on the doorstep — for shards, folklore says, bring the couple luck. And the pair must clear up the heap together. So teamwork is rehearsed well before the wedding itself.

So what do you give the happy couple?

The good old toaster has had its day — these days it may be more personal. Engraved glasses or champagne flutes bearing the date of the big day, for instance, accompany a couple on every anniversary anew. If you would rather brighten the celebration itself, reach for atmospheric party decorations: balloon garlands and elegant table accents transform any hall in seconds.

For unforgettable memories, an instant camera on the guest table does the trick — every guest snaps a picture, and by the end of the night the couple has a wonderfully chaotic album. And for the freshly shared home? A clever kitchen gadget is more useful than it sounds — after all, surprising amounts of cooking happen together in the early years of marriage (and laughing, when something burns).

In the end, the same goes for gifts as for marriage: it is not about the price, but the thought behind it. Do browse our range — you might just find the very detail that brings a smile to the couple's faces. And who knows: perhaps the next bells will ring for you.