What does it mean to get married in the temple and why would people do that?

 

Think of the following two scenarios – One you have a traditional wedding, the band plays the wedding march, the groom sees you for the first time and his face lights up with that look of pure adoration, your father walks you down the isle after your adorable flower girls carpet the path with rose petals, and you can invite anyone you want to witness your commitment to each other.   This is what every girl has dreamed of since the age of two, right?

The second scenario – you get married in the temple. You can only invite adults who have already been through the temple and have a current temple recommend, and there are no exceptions to this rule. If your father, mother, brother, sister have not been through the temple or don’t have a recommend they cannot be there to witness your marriage. You can invite about 50 people to the ceremony or sealing, you and your groom walk into the sealing room together, no photographers, no music, no flower petals sprinkling your walk. Why would anyone choose to do this? There is one reason that we choose a temple marriage over a civil one, it comes down to one phrase – “for as long as you both shall live.”

In a civil ceremony you are married until death do you part. There is no marriage after this life, in a temple sealing we believe that your marriage continues into the eternities. You will be married, today, tomorrow and forever. Why is this so important?

When you are married in the temple you are sealed to each other and any children you have become sealed to you as well. If your parents were sealed in the temple you are also sealed to them and to your siblings. We believe that these relationships continue after this life.

I have a good friend who became pregnant unexpectedly with her third child. She had always wanted another baby, but her husband did not. He felt that since their second child had some short-term health issues after he was born that the risk was too great, and that another child could have health issues as well. He didn’t want to put his wife or himself through something like that again. Well the pregnancy progressed and things started to go wrong. It seems her husband was right to worry. The baby wasn’t progressing and wasn’t growing. It was determined that their daughter was not getting any nutrients from her mother and needed to be delivered to have any chance of survival. She only lived a few days. I can’t imagine a pain so great as losing a child.

Some people might think we are crazy to give up a traditional wedding, but we don’t think it’s a sacrifice at all. We want those relationships we have on earth to continue. We believe that not only does my friends little girl live on, but that her parents will be able to raise her, she will grow, she will marry, she will be able to have children. All the things that she wasn’t able to do in this life, she will be able to experience in the next life; nothing will be taken from her. Of course this brings a sense of peace. As much as my family members drive me crazy from time to time or most of the time, I have teenage daughters after all, I love them. I love them with my whole heart and soul. I can’t imagine living in any world without them with me. I can’t imagine a God that would want us to build these relationships, have this love for each other and then take that away. I don’t believe it!