“How long is the temple marriage ceremony?”

Answer/Brother Robert L. Backman

The actual temple marriage ceremony lasts less than five minutes, but the beautiful relationship that begins at that altar in God’s holy house will extend beyond the grave and throughout eternity, dependent only on the faithfulness of the marriage partners.

Being the crowning ordinance of the gospel of Jesus Christ, this sealing ceremony opens the door to exaltation and eternal lives in the celestial kingdom. Without exchanging those glorious covenants and promises with God and our beloved; we close the door on achieving those celestial goals. The Lord has warned us in no uncertain terms that temple marriage is absolutely essential to our inheriting eternal lives. In the great revelation he gave to Joseph Smith on eternal marriage, the Lord declared:

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory.” (D&C 132:21.)

In the Salt Lake Temple where I serve as a sealer, the couple to be married may approach marriage in one of two ways. They may go to the temple to receive their endowments and then make an appointment for the marriage ceremony on a subsequent date, or they may proceed directly from the endowment session to the marriage. In any event each couple is given a half-hour reservation of a sealing room where this sacred ordinance will be performed.

The couple is asked to be at the temple an hour before the appointed time so temple officials can check the marriage license and related papers and prepare the necessary documents for the recording of the marriage. The bride then proceeds to the lovely bride’s room where she can change into her wedding gown and temple robes. At the same time the bridegroom dresses in his temple clothes. In both cases temple workers are on hand to give very special care and attention to the couple on such an important occasion.

Everything in the temple enhances the sacred importance of the wedding day so that the experience in the house of the Lord is a never-to-be-forgotten event in the lives of both bride and groom.

The sealing room is large enough to seat family and close friends but small enough to provide an intimate atmosphere for all who are present. There could be no more sacred setting for a marriage.

Prior to performing the marriage ceremony the sealer will talk to the couple, giving them solid advice and counsel about their marriage and their new life together. He may point out to them the new dimensions of their lives and give them some guidelines by which they can build a successful relationship in unity and love. He may stress the vital importance of the covenants of an eternal marriage and the responsibility of the couple to live worthy of fulfillment of the celestial blessings that are the promise of a temple marriage. Every sealer draws on his own experience to make these few minutes a very personal prelude to the sealing ordinance. These are very tender moments for the bride, groom, and everyone present.

There are few sights so touching and inspiring as a handsome couple kneeling across from each other at the altar. Often I have asked the groom if he has ever seen anyone more beautiful than his radiant bride. One young man responded, “No artist could paint such a lovely picture.” His eloquent reply expresses the feelings of all his fellow grooms on that special occasion.

As the couple gaze into each other’s eyes with complete trust and confidence, knowing that they are clean and worthy of exchanging eternal promises with each other and with the Lord, they often shed unrestrained tears of joy during the course of the ceremony. As often as I have repeated the words of that beautiful ceremony, I always sense a real thrill in realizing that I am a conduit between God and the couple in sealing them for eternity. It is the greatest privilege of my life!

Because of the sacred nature of the ceremony, I am unable to share the wording of the marriage. Suffice it to say that the ceremony contains the most glorious promises to which man can aspire. I would encourage you to read the Doctrine and Covenants, section 132 [D&C 132], to gain understanding of the vital importance of eternal marriage.

I pray with all my heart and soul that you great young people will prepare for a temple marriage. It requires firm faith, personal integrity, prayerful thought, maturity, unselfishness, moral courage—all the great virtues that lead to happiness and fulfillment. It requires being a Latter-day Saint in every respect. Nothing is worth the risk of being denied the privilege of a celestial marriage.

From my own experience I can promise you that your preparation for those precious five minutes—and for eternity—is worth it. So live that you may count on such a beautiful beginning to an eternal marriage, confident that your Father in heaven loves you as his children and has prepared the way for you to return to his presence as joint heirs to exaltation and eternal lives.