Planning Your Temple Wedding: What Engaged Couples Ask Us Most
Congratulations. You're marrying the person you want forever — and now you're staring down a list of logistics nobody quite explained to you.
Here's what couples ask us most, answered plainly.
> One note: Temple policies are set by the Church and occasionally change, and individual temples set their own specifics. Treat this as a starting point and confirm details with your temple and your bishop.
How do we set a sealing date?
Call the temple directly. They'll walk you through available dates and times and tell you what they need from you.
Book earlier than feels necessary, popular temples and Saturday mornings fill fast, especially in summer. Check operating hours and scheduled closures before you commit to anything else, because your sealing time anchors the rest of the day. We recommend setting your temple appointment as the date all other things revolve around.
Contact information and hours for every temple are at ChurchofJesusChrist.org
When should we schedule recommend interviews?
Sooner than you think. You'll meet with your bishop and then a member of your stake presidency, and coordinating two calendars around theirs takes time. Do not make the stake clerk stay up the night before getting everything set up for you.
Both of you need to be endowed and hold a current temple recommend, plus a recommend for living ordinances. Give yourselves a comfortable buffer — a month or more — so nobody's squeezing an interview in the week before.
If either of you isn't endowed yet, talk to your bishop early to ensure everything is ready beforehand.
Where do we get a marriage license?
From your county or local government office, before the sealing. Requirements vary a lot by state and country. Your local temple and stake president will also be able to help you figure this out.
When you call, ask:
- What documents and fees are required
- How long the license takes to issue
- How long it stays valid
- How soon after the ceremony it must be filed
That "how long is it valid" question catches people. Some licenses expire in 30 days, so don't pull it three months out.
What do we wear?
You'll wear temple clothing for the sealing itself. Guests come in Sunday best.
Brides who want to wear their own dress inside will need it to be white, modest, and appropriate for the temple. Specifics — sleeves, necklines, trains, embellishment — are handled by individual temples, and guidance has become more flexible than it once was. Call your temple and ask about your specific dress. That one phone call saves a lot of anxiety, and they're used to the question.
Many brides wear a temple dress for the ceremony and change into their wedding gown afterward for photos and the reception. Grooms typically do the same. As a couple plan on arriving early and for the sealing to last a little longer than anticipated.
Who can attend the sealing?
Endowed members with a current temple recommend. Family and close friends are wonderful to include.
Sealing rooms vary in size, so give the temple your expected headcount when you book. They'll tell you the room capacity and when guests need to arrive. The biggest temples usually hold around 72 but generally speaking, you'll be able to squeeze a few extra people into that number.
What about family who can't come inside?
This is the hardest part of a temple wedding, and it deserves to be well thought out.
Guests who can't enter can wait in the temple waiting area or on the grounds, and they'll be there for photos immediately after. We recommend asking a friend or sibling who won't be in the temple to coordinate that group or help them still be part of the sealing even if they're not inside the temple.
Some couples hold a ring ceremony at the reception: a short, non-covenant gathering where they exchange rings and say a few words in front of everyone. It isn't a second wedding and it doesn't replace anything, but it gives people who couldn't be inside a moment that includes them.
Since 2019, couples may also be married civilly first and sealed the same day or shortly after, with no waiting period. That's a real option now, and plenty of couples choose it specifically so a parent or sibling can watch them marry. There's no shame in it — talk it through together and with your bishop.
Can we exchange rings in the temple?
Yes, generally speaking couples may exchange rings in the sealing room after the ceremony. It isn't part of the ordinance itself, and it shouldn't happen elsewhere on temple grounds. Each temple will explain how they handle it.
Do we say vows?
The sealing includes the covenants you make. Writing separate vows to exchange afterward isn't usually appropriate for the temple ceremony
Who witnesses the sealing?
Two endowed members with current temple recommends. As of 2019, this is no longer limited to Melchizedek Priesthood holders — any endowed member in good standing may witness.
Fathers often serve, but choose whoever means something to you. If you'd rather not decide, the temple can provide witnesses.
What if guests speak another language?
Contact the temple ahead of time. Many can accommodate translation or provide materials in other languages, but they need notice.
How long does the sealing take?
The ceremony itself runs roughly 20–30 minutes. Plan on being at the temple considerably longer — the temple will tell you how early to arrive to change and prepare.
Build generous margin into your day-of timeline. Sealings rarely run late, but photos always take longer than anyone expects.
What if there's no temple near us?
Travel is worth it, and many couples plan around it — a small group making the trip together can be its own kind of beautiful.
If distance or circumstance makes it impossible right now, remember the waiting period is gone. You can marry civilly and be sealed as soon as you're ready and worthy. Talk to your bishop about your situation.
A few practical notes
Photos. None inside the temple. Grounds are usually fine, and most temples have designated spots. Some restrict certain areas or busy times — ask when you book.
Traditions. Rice, confetti, horns, car decorating, sparklers: not on temple grounds. Save all of it for the reception venue, flowers or Leis are allowed at the temple however.
Receptions. Keep the day centered. A reception can be simple and still be lovely, and the sealing is the part you'll remember in twenty years.
Don't be nervous
If you've never been through a sealing, you won't be lost. Temple workers guide you through every step, and endowed family or friends will be right there with you.
Come rested, come early, and let the Lord take care of the rest.
