The Fall, Not the Spring, Is the Busiest Wedding Season (By Far!)

PHILADELPHIA - July 10, 2015 - PRLog -- As one of the top ten Philadelphia area wedding photographers, Faith West has repeatedly encountered one major scheduling misconception among her clients. Many new brides make the (very common) mistake of believing that spring is the busiest wedding season. They often wait too long to hire a photographer for their September or October weddings and, sadly, cannot get their choice of photographer for the date.

In fact, the popularity of fall weddings has been growing for the past 20 years, all over the United States. We know this to be national trend because, according to West, "More wedding license applications are filed in August than in any other month." So, if fall is actually the most popular wedding season, why does this misconception about June weddings still exist?

In ancient Rome, the goddess Juno was the goddess of marriage and fertility, and also the protectress of the community. Romans believed that marrying in June, the goddess’ month, would bring good fortune to the couple. June weddings were also very popular in Medieval and Victorian times for one very practical, not-so-romantic reason: the flowers, available exclusively in the summer months, actually masked body odor.

Additionally, getting married in June allowed for practical childbearing. Children conceived from these summer unions would be born the following spring, increasing their chances of survival after the harsh winter months. These spring births would also occur after the fall harvest, which was the busiest time of the year for most people.

This spring wedding tradition carried into the 1950s and 1960s, when many of our grandparents were getting married fresh out of high school and college. Of course, planning a wedding was quite simple in those days. It was merely a matter of booking a hall, buying a dress, getting some flowers, and sending out invitations throughout the local community. Wedding planning is much more complicated in this modern world of Pinterest and attention to ornate details that express the couples’ unique style.

June weddings, a pragmatic-turned-romantic tradition, have now given way to the more popular fall weddings. Many couples want to get married as the leaves are changing (this happens, in the Philadelphia city limits, during the first two weeks of November).  Additionally, 65% of all couples get engaged during the holidays. With today’s complicated, personalized weddings, couples can expect to go through at least a nine or ten month planning process.

The prevalence of this new fall wedding pattern shows that times really are changing. In this age of social media and heavy attention to detail, planning a wedding is truly a process. Remember to start arranging and hiring as soon as possible. Don’t delay! Visit http://www.faithwest.com for more information.