1987
FYI: For Your Information
February 1987


“FYI: For Your Information,” New Era, Feb. 1987, 48

Special Issue:
Courtship and Marriage

FYI:
For Your Information

How can I tell the signals and the signs

By which one heart another divines?

—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A Word about Receptions

It is a common practice in some areas of the world to hold a reception or celebration for the bride and groom where they may receive the congratulations of their friends. However, receptions are often expensive and complicated. President Spencer W. Kimball offered this advice on receptions:

“I know you plan a reception following the marriage. It offers a delightful opportunity for relatives and friends to bring gifts and wish you well, but I hope you will again avoid temptation to go to extremes in following the world in showy pageantry. There is danger that the ostentatious display may detract from and overshadow the simple wedding. With your good judgment and clear thinking, I know you can graciously entertain your guests in a wholesome, friendly, and dignified reception without the excesses so often in evidence” (New Era, June 1975, p. 6).

Wedding Photos

Cameras are not permitted inside the temple. After the sealing, pictures of the bride and groom in their wedding clothes can be taken on the temple grounds. Therefore, your photographer is not required to have a temple recommend. Also, other friends or relatives who do not have recommends can join the couple on the temple grounds during the picture taking.

A Word about Rings

Wedding rings are not part of the temple ceremony. The sanctity and impressiveness of the marriage ceremony should not be overshadowed by any other procedure. The placing of the wedding rings is appropriate immediately after the couple leave the altar.

Guests at the Wedding Ceremony

Because the temple sealing rooms vary in size, the couple should inform the temple (when making an appointment for the ceremony) how many guests are expected to attend the sealing. Only those who have received their own endowments and have current temple recommends may attend the sealing. Even the largest temples are not able to accommodate more than about 50 people.

If you are receiving your endowment on your wedding day, you may want some guests to attend your endowment session with you. Other guests may have time only to attend your sealing. In either case, you must inform your guests concerning when they should arrive at the temple. Double-check these times with the temple.

Some temples require guests to dress in temple clothing even if they attend only the sealing. Others, because of the arrangement of their rooms, can permit guests with temple recommends to attend a sealing dressed in street clothing. In this case, those who attend should be dressed as they would be for sacrament meeting.

Two endowed male members of the Church who have current temple recommends will serve as witnesses to the sealing. You may select your own witnesses, who will sign your marriage papers at the temple, or the temple can provide the witnesses.

Bridal Dress and Groom’s Attire

People who enter the temple to be endowed, married, or to participate in the other ordinances change from their everyday clothes into clean white temple clothing. You may rent it at the temple or take your own with you. (Men’s reception attire is not appropriate for the temple ceremony.)

Wedding gowns may be delivered to most temples before the sealing. The gowns will be taken to a bride’s dressing room and held for you.

Throwing Rice and Honking Horns

Your wedding is a happy time, worthy of celebration. But some worldly traditions are not appropriate on or near temple grounds. There should be no rice thrown on or around temple grounds. It is also in poor taste to deface or decorate automobiles that are parked near the temple. Honking horns and dragging objects behind automobiles also would not be appropriate following a temple marriage.

Laws of the Land

If civil law recognizes a temple marriage, you will need a marriage license valid in the civil jurisdiction in which the temple is located. Some areas require you to have blood tests to obtain a marriage license. Also, depending upon your age, you may need to have your parents with you to give written consent in order to obtain a marriage license.

In the United States and Canada, you must take to the temple a legal license that permits you to marry. This license can be obtained in the state or province in which the temple is located. In some locations you may have a waiting period before a license can be used. Please check on civil requirements with the temple in which you will be married well in advance of your planned wedding day.

Temple marriages in some countries are recognized by the law of the land. Laws in many countries, however, require persons desiring to be sealed in these temples to be married civilly first. In such cases, the couple should go to the temple for the sealing as soon as possible after the civil ceremony.

A Holiday Note

Nearly all temples are closed for a two-week period in the summer, for some national holidays, and for several weeks around Christmas. Over the Christmas holidays, temples are usually open one day to accommodate marriages and sealings and living endowment sessions. Before you complete your wedding plans, it would be wise to check the temple schedules to make sure the temple in which you wish to be married is open. Your bishop should have a copy of all the temple schedules.

Temple Schedules

In planning your temple marriage and sealing, you will want to contact the temple in advance to make an appointment for the ceremony and to make other arrangements for attending the temple. You should plan to be at the temple a minimum of one to two hours before a living endowment session or your appointment for marriage and sealing. The following is a partial list of temple mailing addresses. (Please note that this is subject to change and will be outdated as new temples are completed. Check with your bishop for a current listing.)

Temple

Address

Alberta Canada

P.O. Box 25
Babb, Montana 59411

Arizona

P.O. Box 2217
Mesa, Arizona 85204

Atlanta

6450 Barfield Road
Atlanta, Georgia 30328

Boise

1211 South Cole Road
Boise, Idaho 83709

Chicago

4151 West Lake Ave.
Glenview, Illinois 60025

Dallas

6363 Willow Lane
Dallas, Texas 75230

Denver

2001 East Phillips Circle
Littleton, Colorado 80122

Hawaii

P.O. Box BB, 55-600 Naniloa Loop
Laie, Hawaii 96762

Idaho Falls

1000 Memorial Drive
Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402

Johannesburg

7 Jubilee Road, Parktown
Johannesburg, South Africa

Jordan River

10200 South 1300 West
South Jordan, Utah 84065

Logan

175 North Third East
Logan, Utah 84231

London

New Chapel
Nr. Lingfield
Surrey England

Los Angeles

10777 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90025

Manila

13 Temple Drive
Green Meadows, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Manti

Temple Hill
Manti, Utah 84642

New Zealand

Temple View
Hamilton, New Zealand

Oakland

4770 Lincoln Avenue
Oakland, California 94602

Ogden

350 22nd Street
Ogden, Utah 84401

Provo

2200 North Temple Dr.
Provo, Utah 84604

Salt Lake

50 West North Temple
Salt Lake City, Utah 84150

Seattle

2808 148th Avenue Southeast
Bellevue, Washington 98007

St. George

250 East 400 South
St. George, Utah 84770

Sydney

P.O. Box 350
Carlingford, N. S. Wales
Australia 2118

Washington

9900 Stoneybrook Dr.
Kensington, Maryland 20895

Illustrated by Brent Christison