Swarovski Heart Necklace
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 2.2 million weddings take place in the United States each year, and while the majority of them take occur during the prime wedding season between May and September, February 14 tops the list for most marriages on a single date. It seems that even with divorce rates hovering around 50%, Americans are still very much in love with love.
Though often dismissed as a holiday invented to sell greeting cards, Valentine's Day has a long history of being a time to celebrate romantic love. Way back in 469 AD, February 14th was declared the feast day of the martyred St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers. Never mind that the Pope may well have done so to replace the Roman fertility festival Lupercalia which began on the 15th of each February. By the 14th Century, the holiday had taken hold as the day of the year dedicated to romance and our current Valentine's customs were fairly well established by the time of the Victorian era.
Not only is Valentine's Day the most popular day to get married, it is the second most popular date for proposals in the U.S., falling second only to Christmas. February 14th is the last day in what is considered engagement season among bridal industry insiders, a time period spanning Thanksgiving through St. Valentine's Day. While many of those who become engaged over the winter holidays will plan weddings for the summer which follows, some die-hard romantics choose to wait until Valentine's day rolls around the next year.
Those couples opting for a Valentine's Day wedding may well find themselves paying a price for their romantic inclinations:
Whether prospective brides and grooms know the historical origins of St. Valentine's Day or not, the fact remains that Americans are taken with the idea of being married on the most romantic day of the year. One thing is for certain: as long as there are people who choose their wedding date based on symbolism, St. Valentine's Day will reign supreme.
