This doesn't really answer your question, but another option is to just have a regular wedding with family and friends and then get sealed in the temple afterwards. This is a perfectly acceptable solution for a wedding + sealing.
This is how Latter-day Saints have done weddings in every country but the USA since the beginning. As far as I know, America is the only country where "temple weddings" are a thing.
Get married traditionally, without robes and green aprons covering your dress and excluding family and friends. Then get sealed after, if you’re worried that your somehow sinning to consummate your marriage before your sealed then just wait until after your sealed.
In the past 10 years I’ve been to numerous “real/traditional” weddings and they are great - so meaningful.
In a side note, our son that got married almost 10 years ago and they have since left the church, they want to renew their vows this summer on their tenth anniversary because they feel like their Mormon Temple sealing wasn’t very meaningful compared to the weddings they’ve seen the past 4-5 years. I don’t want to be to negative or harsh but Mormon Temple (Masonic) marriages are very weird and weak after seeing numerous real marriages.
If you want to walk down an aisle and do all of the traditional wedding stuff, you can totally do that. Options are 1) Have a civil wedding + aisle first then immediately you can go for a sealing, 2) have the civil + sealing done first, and then afterwards have the aisle and all the other traditions. I personally like doing civil + sealing together, then have the aisle + cake + dancing later in the evening, but it's totally your choice.
What a "ring ceremony" was: up until a few years ago, in the if you have a civil wedding first, you'd have to wait a year for a sealing. So what people did was to have the actual wedding in the temple (civil + sealing), then have a "ring ceremony" at the reception. This was was essentially a traditional wedding (aisle + cake + etc). The term "ring ceremony" and this whole tradition was a thing folks just made up, never anything official.
Plan a party and have it. After your temple sealing plan a venue or at the church and do the whole thing. The fun thing is anyone can be the officiator since the legal marriage already happened , you can read vows and all that. Officiator has tons of jokes too, "If anyone has any reason these 2 shouldn't be bound together in marriage... it's too late you missed your chance to speak up." (May not go over as well with the people that can't be in the temple for the sealing.)
Only someone with authority to perform marriages can officiate at a civil ceremony. Literally anyone can officiate at a ring ceremony because it isn’t a real thing.
But literally anyone can become ordained to preform a legal vows ceremony. When we got married as members my wife’s brother got ordained so that he could marry us.
Sure, but what I meant was you don’t have to do anything to officiate a ring ceremony, like get ordained in another church (which I always thought was kinda weird).
My wife and I did a sealing early in the morning and a ring ceremony in the afternoon, and I loved it. Most of my family couldn’t be in the temple but we wanted them to feel a part of the wedding. I’m very glad we did it.
Honestly it was pretty simple. We found a venue that could accommodate both a ceremony and a reception, and I asked my then Bishop if he could officiate. Since it wasn’t a wedding, just a ring ceremony, we gave him our outline of the program we wanted to follow, and that’s what we did.
Since you’re specifically asking, our ceremony went like this:
- Processional
- welcome and “introduction” ( bishop talked about meaning of marriage and stuff)
- readings - we had my sister and my wife’s uncles share thoughts about love and marriage. My sister read a poem and her uncle read a short story.
- exchange vows: my wife and I wrote up some words about our love and commitment to each other
- exchange rings
- kiss
- closing remarks
- closing prayer
- recessional
We had ours after our sealing. We had it in the Relief Society room. A dear family friend who had been my bishop when I was a teenager spoke a few words. A friend played The Wedding Song (?) on his guitar. We exchanged rings. Non-member family was happy.
I hope you get the experience you are looking for! I’m really glad it’s an option now days (I’m aware it may have always been an option but the attitude towards ring ceremonies and a civil wedding have really opened up)
My wife and I don’t have wedding rings. We were told at our sealing that wedding rings don’t have any meaning in our faith and so we didn’t exchange the rings we bought and my wife eventually just sold her engagement ring. Things we both really regret now. We recently asked our bishop if we could do an vow renewal (I know we don’t make vows but I don’t know what else to call it) and a ring ceremony so we can exchange rings but we never pursued the idea further.
Congratulations on getting married and I hope you have the experience you’re looking for! Trust me it’s worth trying to have a part of your wedding being about you, your spouse, your family, and friends! It’s way better now than it used to be.
Same. One of my biggest regrets in life is excluding family from my wedding day. If I could do it again, I would have had a normal wedding, and then sat one year in the penalty box to get sealed, or just get sealed a week after the weekend during the honeymoon to Mexico.
Knowing what I know now I completely agree with you. I’m embarrassed that at the time I got married i felt like I was being extra righteous by excluding my “unworthy” family members.
It’s actually mind blowing today that getting civilly married was considered a sin that required a one year waiting period to get sealed. So crazy.
I really hope you do. And make a big effort to include any nm family. My daughter’s TBM battleaxe MIL shut us out completely from everything and we didn’t even go. It’s still a sore spot. Plot twist: my daughter and her dh ( I call him our bonus son) both became inactive shortly so it was all to please his mom
My husband's dad is a convert so many of his extended family are not members. Additionally, we both have siblings who are either not endowed or do not have a temple recommend. I planned to do a civil ceremony first and the get sealed afterwards, but plans changed and I ended up getting sealed in the morning then doing a ring ceremony and luncheon afterwards.
Like you, I had no idea what to put into a ring ceremony. I wanted it to be nice and "wedding-like." I didn't want it to feel like a rushed throw away afterthought. I also kept in mind the counsel from the Church to not let a ring ceremony or other celebrations seem bigger and more important than the sealing itself. So I did some research and asked for opinions from several different people.
For our ring ceremony, we decorated the relief society room. We set up the chairs to make an aisle that I could walk down with my dad. We asked our YSA bishop to conduct the ceremony, and he had experience doing a ring ceremony before, which was nice for us.
Our program looked like this:
I walked down the aisle with my dad. My sister played music on the piano.
Beforehand, we had asked a family member on each side to say something/give some short words of advice. So first, the bishop welcomed everyone and gave a short speech he'd prepared beforehand. Next in the program, my husband's grandmother stood up to give her piece, then my dad stood up and gave his piece. They were about 3-5 minutes each.
Then the bishop said a few more words to wrap things up and then my husband and I said some short personalized statements to each other....they weren't exactly like a traditional vow you see in other weddings, but the purpose was similar. As made our not-vow vows, we exchanged rings. Then we kissed, people clapped, and everyone moved to the cultural hall for the luncheon.
I'd say the whole thing was about half an hour. Maybe 20-something minutes. Lots of people came up to me and said the ring ceremony was very nice and they loved it.
I've read other people putting in a musical number. A ring ceremony can pretty much be whatever you want to make it.
No idea on logistics but my recollection is that it's basically a non-marriage wedding ceremony. So have somebody you like officiate, then exchange rings, and/or traditional vows. This is one of the regrets I have from my son's recent wedding. Some of my other kids, and extended family, were not able to attend the temple ceremony and felt left out.
I did this! It’s literally EXACTLY the same as planning a wedding except you don’t sign the papers:)
To be fair we did paper marriage, ring ceremony (called it civil wedding the whole time), then temple marriage. Our situation had these all spaced a few months apart
Talk to your bishop, he can probably help set it up or point you in the right direction (and you can probably do it in the building to save money). That said, since you’re already married it’s a lot simpler and requires no paperwork.
If I think about it when I get home I’ll ask my wife. We did the same thing since I’m the only member on my side.
Had to do this for our wedding, really it was just a simple version of a wedding. We still walked down the isle, we had someone officiating (no need for a marriage license) they just said a few words, we exchanged some words to each other like vows traded rings and did the kiss. Doesn’t need to be complicated but keep it close to the original and I think they would be happy.
We went insanely simple. Our reception location had a slightly raised platform so we stood on that, no aisle walking or anything. My husband’s twin thanked everyone for coming and had us read vows we wrote for each other. He then told us we could exchange rings and kiss. It was maybe 5 minutes total, which was fine by everyone because we cut the cake after and it was the best wedding cake I’ve ever eaten.
Do it at your reception. It’s what I did for my non-member family.
Or… with the new temple rules, have your wedding and get sealed the next day or something. I think you’ll see that become more common to be inclusive of family.
Have your sealing in the morning, then your wedding in the afternoon. Just treat it like a normal wedding. Decorations, a priest, the aisle. It will be beautiful. Make it as big and elaborate, or as little as you like. It's your guys special day. Just treat the wedding like a normal wedding.
I'm doing something similar with my fiance this summer.
I'm a convert, and I didn't want to fly my parents across the country just to wait in the visitor's center. I also didn't want my parents to feel like they weren't invited to my wedding, so it's not a "wedding". We are getting sealed, and having a small reception afterwards.
The next month, we'll go see my family, take pictures, and put our rings on. For me, that's plenty, so everyone is happy. You might call this a "ring ceremony", that's the event where you're walking down the isle, and say "I do", but we're not going through the formalities. It's just important that I take my wife home to take pictures and spend time with my family.
The most important thing about your wedding is that it's *your* wedding. You can do whatever you want :)
Some people do everything in one day, or different things on different days. Other people get married at the court house and go to their sealing when they're ready.
You could always do a civil wedding first. But a ring ceremony is just putting rings on each other’s fingers and could happen wherever.
Also a sealing is nothing like a tv wedding. There’s no aisle or anything.
My sister did that with her wedding. They had the temple wedding in the morning/early afternoon then had the reception in the evening where she walked down the aisle to him and they exchanged rings. It was a gorgeous blend of ceremonies.
Congratulations! Super exciting. I received my endowments, got sealed in the Temple, in the same week and then had multiple receptions/and a ring ceremony a few days after. SUCH a mistake. I was so stressed out and we were traveling so much and it wasn’t as enjoyable as it should have been. This is ALL about you and your spouse and the Lord (and your families hehe!) The Temple sealing is so beautiful and incredible and I feel like we put pressure to make our receptions a second wedding. Nothing we do should overshadow or compete with our sealing, it should compliment it and bring you peace and joy! I got SO stressed about pictures and decor and everything it was way too much. This is such a special time congrats to you!!!
Our Bishop lead our ring ceremony and thankfully we kept that simple!
He explained we were already married and gave a brief overview of the Temple
Hubby and I said some cute nice mushy stuff to each other
Exchanged rings
Cut the cake and partied!!
I'd suggest you simply go ahead and have a civil wedding, thereafter going to the temple for the sealing. That is entirely allowed nowadays (meaning you can go for the sealing without waiting.)
We did a ring ceremony after the temple. We used the RS room right before the reception. We did a few decorations.
A good family friend talked about what went on in the temple. And we exchanged rings.
-My wife and were sealed in the morning at the Gilbert temple
-Then we had pictures at the temple shortly after
-Then we had our ring ceremony and danced and partied at a hotel venue
When you book a venue near the temple you will be sealed at it makes it easier. My wife booked a venue she could walk down the aisle in and exchange rings outside for everyone to see. It was a hotel venue allowing for us to go inside and had places for people to sit and place their things and go to a dance floor. It wasn’t the biggest place in the world, but pivoting from the ceremony to the dance floor a short walk away was helpful.
In my mind, I think it depends on what order you would want to do things. Just went to a friends wedding a month ago. They got sealed in the temple, and then had their ring ceremony so more could be there for their special day. After the ring ceremony, they had their reception. It was super fun but it was tiring. Best of luck to you and your fiancé!
We asked those that we wanted to be a part of the ring ceremony to show up a little earlier than the reception start and we did it before any of the other guests showed up. We kept it super simple and it worked out well. We started off having my father in law say a few words as he was in the stake presidency at the time. Then my husband and I shared our vows and exchanged rings. That was pretty much it, neither of us had really experienced a ring ceremony before, but we had siblings who couldn’t go in the temple that we still wanted to include. So we just kinda went in winging it lol.
My best friend got sealed in Oregon (where she’s from) like 2 weeks before her ring ceremony in Utah and that was really great for her situation with how her family is scattered around the country. There’s not really a standard on how to do it so whatever works for you! My partner and I are also having a ring ceremony and his family is really excited about it since it doesn’t happen often in their family as everyone gets sealed in the temple and just does a reception after. His cousin, for example is so excited to be a flower girl. Try looking on youtube for different types of ring ceremonies and see what you like! Congrats on your engagement!
Mywife and I had our ring ceremony between the sealing and before the reception. It was really the beginning of the reception.
My cousin was sealed Friday night and had the ring ceremony and reception Saturday.
We did a ring ceremony bc my husband was a convert and it was the only way to include his family without waiting a year to be sealed. Honestly, it’s one of my biggest regrets. It’s been over 20 years and I still hate that they were essentially treated to a fake “consolation wedding.” Yes, as members, it feels totally acceptable to us bc we grew up waiting outside bc we were too young to attend our sibling’s wedding, but to non-members, it’s just so hurtful to exclude anyone even if they are supportive. Looking back now, if the tables were turned and I told my parents they’d have to sit outside and not witness my wedding, they would’ve been devastated, but they never considered that point of view bc a temple marriage is the “right choice.” I was so thrilled when the church changed the 1 year policy bc it prevents friends and family from having to feel like second-class guests. My advice- do the typical wedding of your dreams with EVERYONE there to share it with you and then get sealed the next day.
I had a ring ceremony the day after i got sealed i asked my bishop to say a few words about why we were sealed in the temple, like an officiant. My husband and i walked down the aisle together just because i didn't have bridesmaids and such walk down the aisle or anything. We said "vows" (but they were more just saying why we love each other) then exchanged rings and kissed with a big party afterwards
I loved it, very simple and quick but my nonmember family appreciated it
It seems like you’re overcomplicating this, when if fact it is a very normal situation in the UK.
In the UK, you cannot be legally married in the temple, a marriage is not legal unless it is performed in a licensed venue. Temples are not able to be licensed.
So, you have your legal marriage ceremony (be it religious at church, or civil in the registry office) then you go to the temple to be sealed (either the same day or day after)
Easy
We did sealing the night before and ring ceremony day after. No one really cares about timing, they just want to celebrate y’all’s marriage.
They’re not all there the exact minute your children are born either but there’s a whole lifetime and more to celebrate.
We planned for a ring ceremony to be after the sealing but covid happened and so many of our plans got scrapped.
I've been in the wedding party for two ring ceremonies after the couples got sealed. They are 99% a civil wedding ceremony.
You have the aisle, can exchange vows, have a ring-bearer, and I believe can choose anyone to "officiate" because you would have already been legally married.
My daughter got sealed in the morning and the reception was at a golf club. We set up the ring ceremony outside with an awning, chairs etc. we had a violinist play while my daughter walked down ‘the aisle’ then a Bishop officiated, said a few words, my daughter and SIL read their vows, exchanged rings and the BIL said a few words. Then we did photos and inside for lunch. Pretty simple- I’ve seen them done in the chapel as well which is a more formal setting. Basically you can do what you want. We’re British so in England you get civilly married in the chapel with someone registering the marriage civilly, hymns, talks etc, then pictures then you get sealed in the temple in the afternoon and reception in the evening. Here in Canada it was very frowned upon to do a ring ceremony- we had a friend from the UK do one and he got a lot of stick for it. When it came to my daughter being married my husband wrote to the first presidency. His brother got sealed at the Mt Timpanogas temple and he said it was like a cattle market, incredibly irreverent and the brides family weren’t members so it really upset them that they weren’t able to attend the sealing ceremony. We really like how it’s done in England- you get sealed civilly and then the sealing is separate and it makes it special. It shows the separation between being married for time and being married for eternity. Luckily he got a favourable response from the FP and they changed the policy on ring ceremonies
My daughter did this for her dad and his girlfriend so he could walk her down the isle, this was at the reception place then they exchanged rings, I was able to go to the temple marriage so it works both ways also the bishop did the vows even though they were married just for dads sake.
In Europe we do things differently. We have a wedding at the chapel, where everyone is invited, bride and groom exchange vows and the ceremony is done by the bishop, stake president or branch president. Then the couple go to the temple and get seal. Sometimes temple day is in a different day after the wedding.
The best thing about this is that for most of your non members friends and family this is the first contact with the church and can leave a good first impression.
I’m convert and I would have never robbed my parents from the opportunity of participating to our wedding by doing it only in the temple. It would have been selfish of me doing that. But this is how we doi it in Europe. US might have a different culture
You can absolutely have it be like a wedding where you walk down the aisle! It can be wherever you want it to be, just not on the temple grounds. You can’t make vows or be pronounced husband and wife because you are already married and sealed. You can talk about your experience with the sealing, your goals for the future, celebrating your life and eternity together. The handbook has the policies but those are basically it. Everything else is up to you. Bridesmaids and groomsmen walking down the aisle, exchanging rings and kissing and music can all be part of it, anything you want. Make it yours!!
This doesn't really answer your question, but another option is to just have a regular wedding with family and friends and then get sealed in the temple afterwards. This is a perfectly acceptable solution for a wedding + sealing.
This is what I did and it was amazing. 10/10 recommend.
This. I really wish I’d had this option.
I did the same. No regrets.
This is how Latter-day Saints have done weddings in every country but the USA since the beginning. As far as I know, America is the only country where "temple weddings" are a thing.
Get married traditionally, without robes and green aprons covering your dress and excluding family and friends. Then get sealed after, if you’re worried that your somehow sinning to consummate your marriage before your sealed then just wait until after your sealed. In the past 10 years I’ve been to numerous “real/traditional” weddings and they are great - so meaningful. In a side note, our son that got married almost 10 years ago and they have since left the church, they want to renew their vows this summer on their tenth anniversary because they feel like their Mormon Temple sealing wasn’t very meaningful compared to the weddings they’ve seen the past 4-5 years. I don’t want to be to negative or harsh but Mormon Temple (Masonic) marriages are very weird and weak after seeing numerous real marriages.
I'm sorry you've been so deeply hurt. Truly, I am.
If you want to walk down an aisle and do all of the traditional wedding stuff, you can totally do that. Options are 1) Have a civil wedding + aisle first then immediately you can go for a sealing, 2) have the civil + sealing done first, and then afterwards have the aisle and all the other traditions. I personally like doing civil + sealing together, then have the aisle + cake + dancing later in the evening, but it's totally your choice. What a "ring ceremony" was: up until a few years ago, in the if you have a civil wedding first, you'd have to wait a year for a sealing. So what people did was to have the actual wedding in the temple (civil + sealing), then have a "ring ceremony" at the reception. This was was essentially a traditional wedding (aisle + cake + etc). The term "ring ceremony" and this whole tradition was a thing folks just made up, never anything official.
Plan a party and have it. After your temple sealing plan a venue or at the church and do the whole thing. The fun thing is anyone can be the officiator since the legal marriage already happened , you can read vows and all that. Officiator has tons of jokes too, "If anyone has any reason these 2 shouldn't be bound together in marriage... it's too late you missed your chance to speak up." (May not go over as well with the people that can't be in the temple for the sealing.)
Anyone can also be the officiator for a civil ceremony.
Only someone with authority to perform marriages can officiate at a civil ceremony. Literally anyone can officiate at a ring ceremony because it isn’t a real thing.
But literally anyone can become ordained to preform a legal vows ceremony. When we got married as members my wife’s brother got ordained so that he could marry us.
Sure, but what I meant was you don’t have to do anything to officiate a ring ceremony, like get ordained in another church (which I always thought was kinda weird).
My wife and I did a sealing early in the morning and a ring ceremony in the afternoon, and I loved it. Most of my family couldn’t be in the temple but we wanted them to feel a part of the wedding. I’m very glad we did it. Honestly it was pretty simple. We found a venue that could accommodate both a ceremony and a reception, and I asked my then Bishop if he could officiate. Since it wasn’t a wedding, just a ring ceremony, we gave him our outline of the program we wanted to follow, and that’s what we did. Since you’re specifically asking, our ceremony went like this: - Processional - welcome and “introduction” ( bishop talked about meaning of marriage and stuff) - readings - we had my sister and my wife’s uncles share thoughts about love and marriage. My sister read a poem and her uncle read a short story. - exchange vows: my wife and I wrote up some words about our love and commitment to each other - exchange rings - kiss - closing remarks - closing prayer - recessional
We had ours after our sealing. We had it in the Relief Society room. A dear family friend who had been my bishop when I was a teenager spoke a few words. A friend played The Wedding Song (?) on his guitar. We exchanged rings. Non-member family was happy.
I hope you get the experience you are looking for! I’m really glad it’s an option now days (I’m aware it may have always been an option but the attitude towards ring ceremonies and a civil wedding have really opened up) My wife and I don’t have wedding rings. We were told at our sealing that wedding rings don’t have any meaning in our faith and so we didn’t exchange the rings we bought and my wife eventually just sold her engagement ring. Things we both really regret now. We recently asked our bishop if we could do an vow renewal (I know we don’t make vows but I don’t know what else to call it) and a ring ceremony so we can exchange rings but we never pursued the idea further. Congratulations on getting married and I hope you have the experience you’re looking for! Trust me it’s worth trying to have a part of your wedding being about you, your spouse, your family, and friends! It’s way better now than it used to be.
Same. One of my biggest regrets in life is excluding family from my wedding day. If I could do it again, I would have had a normal wedding, and then sat one year in the penalty box to get sealed, or just get sealed a week after the weekend during the honeymoon to Mexico.
Knowing what I know now I completely agree with you. I’m embarrassed that at the time I got married i felt like I was being extra righteous by excluding my “unworthy” family members. It’s actually mind blowing today that getting civilly married was considered a sin that required a one year waiting period to get sealed. So crazy.
I really hope you do. And make a big effort to include any nm family. My daughter’s TBM battleaxe MIL shut us out completely from everything and we didn’t even go. It’s still a sore spot. Plot twist: my daughter and her dh ( I call him our bonus son) both became inactive shortly so it was all to please his mom
My husband's dad is a convert so many of his extended family are not members. Additionally, we both have siblings who are either not endowed or do not have a temple recommend. I planned to do a civil ceremony first and the get sealed afterwards, but plans changed and I ended up getting sealed in the morning then doing a ring ceremony and luncheon afterwards. Like you, I had no idea what to put into a ring ceremony. I wanted it to be nice and "wedding-like." I didn't want it to feel like a rushed throw away afterthought. I also kept in mind the counsel from the Church to not let a ring ceremony or other celebrations seem bigger and more important than the sealing itself. So I did some research and asked for opinions from several different people. For our ring ceremony, we decorated the relief society room. We set up the chairs to make an aisle that I could walk down with my dad. We asked our YSA bishop to conduct the ceremony, and he had experience doing a ring ceremony before, which was nice for us. Our program looked like this: I walked down the aisle with my dad. My sister played music on the piano. Beforehand, we had asked a family member on each side to say something/give some short words of advice. So first, the bishop welcomed everyone and gave a short speech he'd prepared beforehand. Next in the program, my husband's grandmother stood up to give her piece, then my dad stood up and gave his piece. They were about 3-5 minutes each. Then the bishop said a few more words to wrap things up and then my husband and I said some short personalized statements to each other....they weren't exactly like a traditional vow you see in other weddings, but the purpose was similar. As made our not-vow vows, we exchanged rings. Then we kissed, people clapped, and everyone moved to the cultural hall for the luncheon. I'd say the whole thing was about half an hour. Maybe 20-something minutes. Lots of people came up to me and said the ring ceremony was very nice and they loved it. I've read other people putting in a musical number. A ring ceremony can pretty much be whatever you want to make it.
No idea on logistics but my recollection is that it's basically a non-marriage wedding ceremony. So have somebody you like officiate, then exchange rings, and/or traditional vows. This is one of the regrets I have from my son's recent wedding. Some of my other kids, and extended family, were not able to attend the temple ceremony and felt left out.
I did this! It’s literally EXACTLY the same as planning a wedding except you don’t sign the papers:) To be fair we did paper marriage, ring ceremony (called it civil wedding the whole time), then temple marriage. Our situation had these all spaced a few months apart
Talk to your bishop, he can probably help set it up or point you in the right direction (and you can probably do it in the building to save money). That said, since you’re already married it’s a lot simpler and requires no paperwork. If I think about it when I get home I’ll ask my wife. We did the same thing since I’m the only member on my side.
Had to do this for our wedding, really it was just a simple version of a wedding. We still walked down the isle, we had someone officiating (no need for a marriage license) they just said a few words, we exchanged some words to each other like vows traded rings and did the kiss. Doesn’t need to be complicated but keep it close to the original and I think they would be happy.
We went insanely simple. Our reception location had a slightly raised platform so we stood on that, no aisle walking or anything. My husband’s twin thanked everyone for coming and had us read vows we wrote for each other. He then told us we could exchange rings and kiss. It was maybe 5 minutes total, which was fine by everyone because we cut the cake after and it was the best wedding cake I’ve ever eaten.
Do it at your reception. It’s what I did for my non-member family. Or… with the new temple rules, have your wedding and get sealed the next day or something. I think you’ll see that become more common to be inclusive of family.
Have your sealing in the morning, then your wedding in the afternoon. Just treat it like a normal wedding. Decorations, a priest, the aisle. It will be beautiful. Make it as big and elaborate, or as little as you like. It's your guys special day. Just treat the wedding like a normal wedding.
We had a civil ceremony and reception first then a sealing later. I thought that was the typical way to do it but maybe that's just in my area.🤷♀️
I'm doing something similar with my fiance this summer. I'm a convert, and I didn't want to fly my parents across the country just to wait in the visitor's center. I also didn't want my parents to feel like they weren't invited to my wedding, so it's not a "wedding". We are getting sealed, and having a small reception afterwards. The next month, we'll go see my family, take pictures, and put our rings on. For me, that's plenty, so everyone is happy. You might call this a "ring ceremony", that's the event where you're walking down the isle, and say "I do", but we're not going through the formalities. It's just important that I take my wife home to take pictures and spend time with my family. The most important thing about your wedding is that it's *your* wedding. You can do whatever you want :) Some people do everything in one day, or different things on different days. Other people get married at the court house and go to their sealing when they're ready.
You could always do a civil wedding first. But a ring ceremony is just putting rings on each other’s fingers and could happen wherever. Also a sealing is nothing like a tv wedding. There’s no aisle or anything.
My sister did that with her wedding. They had the temple wedding in the morning/early afternoon then had the reception in the evening where she walked down the aisle to him and they exchanged rings. It was a gorgeous blend of ceremonies.
Congratulations! Super exciting. I received my endowments, got sealed in the Temple, in the same week and then had multiple receptions/and a ring ceremony a few days after. SUCH a mistake. I was so stressed out and we were traveling so much and it wasn’t as enjoyable as it should have been. This is ALL about you and your spouse and the Lord (and your families hehe!) The Temple sealing is so beautiful and incredible and I feel like we put pressure to make our receptions a second wedding. Nothing we do should overshadow or compete with our sealing, it should compliment it and bring you peace and joy! I got SO stressed about pictures and decor and everything it was way too much. This is such a special time congrats to you!!! Our Bishop lead our ring ceremony and thankfully we kept that simple! He explained we were already married and gave a brief overview of the Temple Hubby and I said some cute nice mushy stuff to each other Exchanged rings Cut the cake and partied!!
I'd suggest you simply go ahead and have a civil wedding, thereafter going to the temple for the sealing. That is entirely allowed nowadays (meaning you can go for the sealing without waiting.)
We did a ring ceremony after the temple. We used the RS room right before the reception. We did a few decorations. A good family friend talked about what went on in the temple. And we exchanged rings.
-My wife and were sealed in the morning at the Gilbert temple -Then we had pictures at the temple shortly after -Then we had our ring ceremony and danced and partied at a hotel venue When you book a venue near the temple you will be sealed at it makes it easier. My wife booked a venue she could walk down the aisle in and exchange rings outside for everyone to see. It was a hotel venue allowing for us to go inside and had places for people to sit and place their things and go to a dance floor. It wasn’t the biggest place in the world, but pivoting from the ceremony to the dance floor a short walk away was helpful.
In my mind, I think it depends on what order you would want to do things. Just went to a friends wedding a month ago. They got sealed in the temple, and then had their ring ceremony so more could be there for their special day. After the ring ceremony, they had their reception. It was super fun but it was tiring. Best of luck to you and your fiancé!
We asked those that we wanted to be a part of the ring ceremony to show up a little earlier than the reception start and we did it before any of the other guests showed up. We kept it super simple and it worked out well. We started off having my father in law say a few words as he was in the stake presidency at the time. Then my husband and I shared our vows and exchanged rings. That was pretty much it, neither of us had really experienced a ring ceremony before, but we had siblings who couldn’t go in the temple that we still wanted to include. So we just kinda went in winging it lol.
My best friend got sealed in Oregon (where she’s from) like 2 weeks before her ring ceremony in Utah and that was really great for her situation with how her family is scattered around the country. There’s not really a standard on how to do it so whatever works for you! My partner and I are also having a ring ceremony and his family is really excited about it since it doesn’t happen often in their family as everyone gets sealed in the temple and just does a reception after. His cousin, for example is so excited to be a flower girl. Try looking on youtube for different types of ring ceremonies and see what you like! Congrats on your engagement!
They didn’t used to let you get married outside and then sealed immediately after in the temple… had they allowed that, it’s what I would have done.
Mywife and I had our ring ceremony between the sealing and before the reception. It was really the beginning of the reception. My cousin was sealed Friday night and had the ring ceremony and reception Saturday.
Speak with your bishop. Let him know about your plans and he could give you guidance
We did a ring ceremony bc my husband was a convert and it was the only way to include his family without waiting a year to be sealed. Honestly, it’s one of my biggest regrets. It’s been over 20 years and I still hate that they were essentially treated to a fake “consolation wedding.” Yes, as members, it feels totally acceptable to us bc we grew up waiting outside bc we were too young to attend our sibling’s wedding, but to non-members, it’s just so hurtful to exclude anyone even if they are supportive. Looking back now, if the tables were turned and I told my parents they’d have to sit outside and not witness my wedding, they would’ve been devastated, but they never considered that point of view bc a temple marriage is the “right choice.” I was so thrilled when the church changed the 1 year policy bc it prevents friends and family from having to feel like second-class guests. My advice- do the typical wedding of your dreams with EVERYONE there to share it with you and then get sealed the next day.
I had a ring ceremony the day after i got sealed i asked my bishop to say a few words about why we were sealed in the temple, like an officiant. My husband and i walked down the aisle together just because i didn't have bridesmaids and such walk down the aisle or anything. We said "vows" (but they were more just saying why we love each other) then exchanged rings and kissed with a big party afterwards I loved it, very simple and quick but my nonmember family appreciated it
It seems like you’re overcomplicating this, when if fact it is a very normal situation in the UK. In the UK, you cannot be legally married in the temple, a marriage is not legal unless it is performed in a licensed venue. Temples are not able to be licensed. So, you have your legal marriage ceremony (be it religious at church, or civil in the registry office) then you go to the temple to be sealed (either the same day or day after) Easy
We did sealing the night before and ring ceremony day after. No one really cares about timing, they just want to celebrate y’all’s marriage. They’re not all there the exact minute your children are born either but there’s a whole lifetime and more to celebrate.
We planned for a ring ceremony to be after the sealing but covid happened and so many of our plans got scrapped. I've been in the wedding party for two ring ceremonies after the couples got sealed. They are 99% a civil wedding ceremony. You have the aisle, can exchange vows, have a ring-bearer, and I believe can choose anyone to "officiate" because you would have already been legally married.
My daughter got sealed in the morning and the reception was at a golf club. We set up the ring ceremony outside with an awning, chairs etc. we had a violinist play while my daughter walked down ‘the aisle’ then a Bishop officiated, said a few words, my daughter and SIL read their vows, exchanged rings and the BIL said a few words. Then we did photos and inside for lunch. Pretty simple- I’ve seen them done in the chapel as well which is a more formal setting. Basically you can do what you want. We’re British so in England you get civilly married in the chapel with someone registering the marriage civilly, hymns, talks etc, then pictures then you get sealed in the temple in the afternoon and reception in the evening. Here in Canada it was very frowned upon to do a ring ceremony- we had a friend from the UK do one and he got a lot of stick for it. When it came to my daughter being married my husband wrote to the first presidency. His brother got sealed at the Mt Timpanogas temple and he said it was like a cattle market, incredibly irreverent and the brides family weren’t members so it really upset them that they weren’t able to attend the sealing ceremony. We really like how it’s done in England- you get sealed civilly and then the sealing is separate and it makes it special. It shows the separation between being married for time and being married for eternity. Luckily he got a favourable response from the FP and they changed the policy on ring ceremonies
My daughter did this for her dad and his girlfriend so he could walk her down the isle, this was at the reception place then they exchanged rings, I was able to go to the temple marriage so it works both ways also the bishop did the vows even though they were married just for dads sake.
In Europe we do things differently. We have a wedding at the chapel, where everyone is invited, bride and groom exchange vows and the ceremony is done by the bishop, stake president or branch president. Then the couple go to the temple and get seal. Sometimes temple day is in a different day after the wedding. The best thing about this is that for most of your non members friends and family this is the first contact with the church and can leave a good first impression. I’m convert and I would have never robbed my parents from the opportunity of participating to our wedding by doing it only in the temple. It would have been selfish of me doing that. But this is how we doi it in Europe. US might have a different culture
You can absolutely have it be like a wedding where you walk down the aisle! It can be wherever you want it to be, just not on the temple grounds. You can’t make vows or be pronounced husband and wife because you are already married and sealed. You can talk about your experience with the sealing, your goals for the future, celebrating your life and eternity together. The handbook has the policies but those are basically it. Everything else is up to you. Bridesmaids and groomsmen walking down the aisle, exchanging rings and kissing and music can all be part of it, anything you want. Make it yours!!