Iūnius

Juno was the queen of the Roman gods, wife of Jupiter, and the goddess of marriage, childbirth, and the state. Her Greek equivalent was Hera, known for spectacular jealousy and creative punishments. The month Iūnius was sacred to her, and the Romans considered it the most favorable time for weddings. Getting married in June meant Juno's blessing. Getting married in May meant offending the dead — the festival of Lemuria, honoring restless ghosts, fell in May.

There is a competing theory. Ovid, again writing in Fasti, proposed that June comes from iuniores, meaning 'younger ones' or 'juniors,' as a pair with May's maiores ('elders'). This elder-youth pairing would make June the month of young people. The theory has Roman precedent but less evidence than the Juno connection.

The tradition of June weddings survived the fall of Rome, the rise of Christianity, and the Protestant Reformation. It persisted in England and traveled to America. By the Victorian era, June weddings were standard practice for practical reasons too — the weather was good, flowers were available, and the annual bath (yes, annual) typically happened in May, making June brides relatively fresh.

In modern America, June remains one of the top months for weddings, though September and October have gained ground. The Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, was handed down on June 26, 2015. Juno's month gained a new meaning that day.