Today, the winter months of January, February and March hold
the record as the least popular months to get married. Instead, most couples
favor spring weddings, late summer weddings or getting married in early fall. However,
at one time, Christmas Day was one of the most popular days to get married and
it wasn’t because the couple wanted a holiday themed wedding. It was something
much more practical.
 |
| Brides most often wore their best dress |
Why Christmas Day weddings were popular in the 1800s
Getting married on Christmas Day was a popular tradition among
the working class in the 18th and 19th centuries in inner-city areas. In the
1800s, most working-class people were expected to work six days a week and if
they missed a day, they didn’t get paid for it. For the most part, people
couldn’t afford a day off without pay, and that included their wedding day.
For
these reasons, most weddings were held on Sundays back then and were small,
simple affairs. The guest list, if there was one, was very short. The bride and
groom wore their best outfits and following the short ceremony the handful of
people attending celebrated by dancing and “making merry” either at their home or
a local pub.
Many people were often stuck working on Christmas day (think
of Bob Cratchit hoping his boss Ebenezer Scrooge would give him the day off in
the Christmas Carol), but for the lucky couples who had the day off with pay, Christmas
Day offered something special. First of all, the church was adorned with festive
holiday decorations. Some churches even offered Christmas Day specials of free
marriages on December 25. In fact, it wasn’t unusual to have group weddings
because so many people took advantage of the offer.
It wasn’t until working conditions improved in the 20th
century that the tradition of Christmas weddings fell by the wayside.
 |
| Wedding celebrated by dancing and “making merry” |
Downside of getting married on a holiday
While getting married on a holiday may seem like a good idea
because you have time off work, in today's culture that means your anniversary always falls
on that holiday and if you want to plan an anniversary getaway, you’ll always
make reservations for accommodations and
travel when holiday prices are higher . And you’ll even have to fight the crowds when trying to make
reservations for your favorite restaurant. Just something to think about.
Photo credits: Wikipedia
