Mormon Weddings: Who's Invited And Who's Not?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormon Church, is one of the largest and most influential religious organizations in the world, with over 14 million members. The Mormon wedding ceremony, or sealing, is a sacred tradition for the couple and their families. However, only members of the Church with current temple recommends can attend the wedding ceremony. This can be difficult for couples with non-Mormon friends and family, as they will be unable to attend the ceremony and will have to wait outside the temple during the wedding. This has led to some controversy and requests for the Church to reconsider its policy.

Non-Mormons are banned from temple weddings

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church, has strict rules about who can attend weddings inside a temple. Only members of the church with current temple recommends are allowed to enter. To get a temple recommend, members must be interviewed by local church leaders and deemed worthy of entering the sacred space. This includes demonstrating that they are abiding by key church teachings, such as tithing 10% of their income to the church and abstaining from tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs.

This presents a complicated issue for couples with non-Mormon friends and family, as they will not be able to attend the wedding ceremony. In the past, the church had a policy that dictated that members in the U.S. needed to wait a full year between a civil wedding and a temple sealing, making it impossible to have two formal ceremonies on the same day. As a result, many U.S. couples in the church decided to forego a civil wedding ceremony altogether, which caused tension and grief for some families with mixed religious affiliations.

However, in 2019, the church announced a change that would open the door for couples to hold civil ceremonies right before temple services, meaning non-Mormons can watch couples exchange vows, walk down the aisle, and participate in other wedding customs. While this change allows non-Mormon friends and family to attend the couple's civil ceremony earlier in the day, they still have to wait outside the temple during the religious ceremony.

The decision to get married in a temple can be difficult for couples with non-Mormon loved ones, as it means those individuals will not be able to attend the wedding. Some couples choose to host a civil ceremony and a temple wedding on the same day so that all of their guests can attend at least one of the ceremonies. Ultimately, the decision to get married in a temple is a personal one and can be influenced by the couple's religious beliefs and the importance they place on having their wedding in a sacred space.

Mormons can marry non-Mormons, but not in temples

Mormons are allowed to marry non-Mormons, but the ceremony cannot take place in a temple. This is because, in the Mormon faith, marriage is considered part of God's mission for people on Earth. Marriages performed in temples are believed to continue after death and will last eternally.

The Mormon Church strongly prefers that members marry other members of the faith in a temple ceremony. This is because a temple marriage is seen as an ultimate promise made between the couple and God to follow his teachings. A non-Mormon cannot make this promise since they don't practice the faith.

However, a marriage between a Mormon and a non-Mormon is still respected and recognised as valid, as long as the Mormon person is not pulled away from their faith. It is considered ideal if the non-Mormon lives by similar moral and ethical standards to the Mormon faith.

In some countries, including the US, Canada, and South Africa, the private religious temple ceremony meets the requirements for a legally binding marriage. In these cases, couples must choose between a temple ceremony or a civil ceremony that non-Mormon friends and family can attend. In other countries, such as the UK, a civil ceremony that anyone can attend is required before the temple ceremony.

In the past, it was common for Mormons to wed in civil ceremonies before travelling to the nearest temple, as travel was difficult and time-consuming. Today, some Mormons are pushing for a change in policy to allow civil ceremonies to be held before temple weddings without a one-year waiting period, as they believe this policy hurts their relationships with non-Mormon friends and family.

Mormons must be interviewed by church leaders to get a temple recommend

To enter a temple, Mormons must be interviewed by church leaders to get a temple recommend. This is a card, similar to a driver's license, that must be shown to enter. The temple is considered a sacred place, and to enter, Mormons must be deemed "worthy" by church leaders.

To be deemed worthy, Mormons must meet specific criteria, including being an adult member of record for at least a year, tithing 10% of their income to the church, abstaining from tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs, and passing a worthiness interview with a local lay priesthood leader. The worthiness interview delves into the Mormon's orthodoxy and sexual behavior.

The temple recommend interview allows members to demonstrate their testimony and commitment to obeying God's commandments and prophets. The interview questions are made public so that members can prepare, and interviews are conducted by authorized priesthood leaders. The recommend is valid for two years, after which members must be interviewed again.

The temple recommend process is an important part of the Mormon faith, as temples are considered sacred spaces where members can participate in rites such as marriages and proxy baptisms.

Couples may hold civil ceremonies before temple services

In May 2019, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a new policy that allows couples to be sealed in a temple immediately after a civil marriage. This policy sets a single global standard for the Church, which previously required couples to wait a year after a civil marriage before being sealed in a temple.

The Church still encourages couples to be married and sealed within its temples, but the policy change offers another option to include family members who may not be able to attend a temple sealing. The Church asks that civil marriage ceremonies be simple and dignified, and they can be performed in Church chapels. The temple sealing should remain the central focus of the marriage and provide the spiritual basis on which the couple begins their life together.

The change means that couples can look forward to a temple marriage as soon as their circumstances permit. In some countries, couples are required by law to marry civilly first. In these cases, leaders should encourage couples to be both married and sealed in the temple. However, when a temple marriage would cause parents or immediate family members to feel excluded, a civil ceremony followed by a temple sealing is authorized.

The sealing of a husband and wife in the temple is considered to be of eternal significance and a crowning experience on the covenant path. It is a sacred ordinance established by Joseph Smith in the early days of the church. According to Smith, whatever is bound or sealed in a special ceremony on Earth will be bound or sealed in heaven. The point of the sealing today is to establish a covenant for a marriage that survives death. It is considered crucial to salvation, and Mormons perform proxy sealings for dead ancestors because no one can enter the most exalted realms of heaven without it.

Temple wedding clothing is bright white and symbolic of purity

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, sacred clothing is worn to express devotion and draw closer to God. The white temple dress is an essential part of worship inside the Lord's house, worn during various ordinances. Its significance goes far beyond the face value. The white colour of the temple dress is a symbol of purity, unity, and equality before God.

The temple dress is also meant to be modest, with long sleeves and a full skirt or dress length. This is in line with the church's guidelines for clothing that help members feel the spirit and receive the promised blessings of the temple ordinances. The dress is also meant to be comfortable, well-tailored, and made from soft and high-quality fabrics that will last for years to come.

The white temple dress is not just a symbol of purity but also of the bride's commitment to her future spouse. It signifies her willingness to be faithful, loyal, and true in her marriage. The colour white also represents a new beginning, a fresh chapter in the bride's life as she embarks on her journey as a wife.

The temple dress is a powerful symbol of love, purity, spirituality, and the sacredness of marriage. It is a reminder to the couple that their union is not only a union of two individuals but also a joining of their souls and a sacred bond blessed by a higher power.

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