Around here, there are two things you can count on in March: basketball fanaticism, and crazy weather.

We’ve had record-busting temperatures here since last Wednesday, where we’ve broken into the upper 70’s each day. Previous records have been 71-73 degrees. Then there have been years where the temperature never stayed above freezing for the whole day. 1997 and 2004 were cold in mid-March, with lows in the teens and twenties.

Average temperatures in the Dayton area in mid-March hover around a high in the upper 40s, and lows in the upper 20s.  In the space of a week, we can go from snowstorms to sunbathing weather. Planning ahead? LOL. At any time, any kind of weather can happen!

So why on earth would anyone plan a wedding in March? I can answer that question because eighteen years ago today, I married my own romance hero. 😀

March: a great day for a white wedding!

We got engaged the prior May, on the day between our birthdays (mine is May 15th, his is the 17th). But we already knew it was happening before that, and I actually had bought my wedding dress about a month earlier. I don’t normally recommend this route, but this particular dress was the perfect dress, and it was half-off in a closeout sale – no trivial savings! And it was long-sleeve. So a summer wedding was out. Sure, we could have gone downtown and gotten married any time (this would have been fine with my husband), but after being a bridesmaid seven times, I wanted the big t0-do like my friends had – which means planning in advance. And if you’re going for one of the more popular months, reception halls, churches, and service providers often book more than a year out. Besides, I never like being part of the crowd, and had no interest in the quintessential June wedding that might conflict with someone else’s, or where our guests were likely to already have wedding fatigue.

January was out – plan something like that around here, and you’re asking for a blizzard. February’s iffy too. So March it was. We chose the 19th because the reception hall we wanted and the church both had the day available. We knew we were taking a risk – anything from snowstorm to sunbathing weather! But the luck o’ the Irish held an extra two days for us: we got the latter. And thank goodness for that, because we were able to get the maximum enjoyment from our very special wedding  “limo” – a 1970 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, that my husband and his best man had spent the past year restoring for our special day. And yes, we still have it!

Want the rest of the story? Go download How I Met My Husband: The Real-life Love Stories of 25 Romance Authors and check out my entry, “Looking for Mr. Goodwrench.” It’s free on Smashwords, and will soon be available on other outlets. I designed the cover. 🙂

How’s March been treating you? I’d love to hear from you! Got any March news or history to share? Has the weather in your area been unseasonably warm this March? Or are you holed up watching basketball and haven’t noticed? 🙂

Weather facts from Weather Underground
Wedding photo ©1994 by Ron Perry