As most people are aware, June has long been thought of as the month of weddings.  

In the South, surveys have found that April through June dominate as the months of weddings. Outside the South, September and October have been the most common months for couples to get married. Ironically, perhaps, Dec. has been the most common month for engagements to be announced.  

As the following examples illustrate, many couples have chosen both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to get married, most opting for Christmas Eve.  

Next week we will identify couples who had their big day on a day in Dec., either before or after Christmas. 

These couples did indeed have themselves a “merry little Christmas,” to use a portion of the song originally used in the 1944 film, “Meet Me in St. Louis” in 1944. Frank Sinatra revived it in 1957, and since that time, it has become one of the most popular tunes of the holiday season, especially among couples who are seriously considering getting married. 

• Dec. 24, 1893—John N. Trimble and Tennessee Lynch were united in holy matrimony today. The Rev. J. L. Roberson officiated at the marriage ceremony. John was able to enjoy married life only for a decade. He passed away 10 years after he and his bride established a home together. 
• Dec. 24, 1893—Leonard Allen Curtis and Martha Louisa Kilpatrick pledged their vows of love on this Christmas Eve. Leonard was 26 when he and Martha married; she was 20. They had 42 years of happy married life before Leonard passed away in 1935. Martha was a widow for a period half that long – 21 years. 
• Dec. 24, 1907—Noah Johnson wooed and won Mary Ann Harding to be his bride on this Christmas Eve, when they stood before a minister of the gospel and pledged themselves to love each other until death. 
• Dec. 24, 1908—Frederick W. Childs and Flossie Stewart chose this special day to be united in holy matrimony. For always this day would be sacred for two special reasons—the birth of Jesus and their marriage. They enjoyed 47 years of close companionship before Fred passed away in 1955. 

• Dec. 24, 1914—Hattie Schlosser and Jefferson Bennett were married on this Christmas Eve Day, their vows being read by the Rev. Marvin Heflin. Hattie was 18 on her wedding day; Jeff was 29. The Rev. Marvin Heflin was the father of Alabama’s late distinguished Senator Howell Heflin. 
• Dec. 25, 1921—Lola Cooke and Troy Crutchfield were married today in the presence of family and a few friends. Both Lola and Troy entered married life at the same age, 18. 
• Dec. 24, 1925—In the mid-20s, the “night before Christmas” was a popular time to get married. Here are four couples who pledged their eternal love to each other on this Christmas Eve: Bellezore Balls and William Wright, Charles Smith and Ruth Ann Kimble, Glennie McCaig and Roy Penn, David Harden and Lettie Hawkins and James Sibley and Izola Jett. 
• Dec. 25, 1926—Katie May Hickman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George A. Hickman, and Aubrey Hill were married in Katie’s hometown in Morgan County, Albany (formerly New Decatur, now simply a part of Decatur). The lucky man who won her hand in marriage was employed by Fuller Brothers in Cullman. Fuller Brothers was the first Ford car dealership in the county. Katie and Aubrey came close to reaching their golden wedding anniversary. Aubrey passed away in February of the year they would have celebrated it. Katy was 20 and Aubrey was 23 when they pledged “till death do us part.” 
• Dec. 24, 1927—Eva Brown, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jessee Brown, were married on this Christmas Eve. 
• Dec. 24, 1936—William Hartselle, son of Willie and Jesse Lanier Hartselle, married Dorothy Andrew, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M. A. Andrew of Decatur, in a Christmas Eve ceremony. 
• Dec. 24, 1937—Johnnie Lucile Weinman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Weinman, married William Dennis Lindsey, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Lindsey, in a Christmas Eve ceremony conducted at the Hartselle Methodist parsonage.