The Best Timeline for LDS Temple Weddings

Jul 28

Planning an LDS (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) Temple wedding, is a little different than weddings outside of the Utah bubble. Some Latter Day Saint Brides choose to get married in a temple of their choice, but not always.

A new trend I’ve started to notice as it pertains to LDS weddings are ring ceremonies. Ring ceremonies are basically a Latter Day Saint version of a traditional ceremony. When you get married in a temple, only worthy members of the church are allowed to attend. Because of this, some members choose to have a more traditional ceremony after their temple sealing. This way they can invite friends and family who are not members of the church to be a bigger part of their wedding. This used to be less common, as it requires more planning than the typical temple, luncheon and reception schedule.

In March of 2020 - when Covid hit - a lot of LDS couples had to get married the traditional way, as temples we not open. This led to a lot of couples getting married in the backyards with 10 people in attendance. But I think it sparked an interested in the church community. People started liking traditional ceremonies even more, and it has become more ‘commonplace’ to have a ceremony in the LDS culture.

Because ring ceremonies haven’t been as common, a lot of couples don’t know how to plan one, or how to fit one into their wedding day. But luckily I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to wedding planning. Especially when it comes to wedding day schedules.

Here is an outline of what an ideal wedding day looks like without a ring ceremony in the Latter Day Saint culture.

2pm - Guests arrive for Sealing

2:30pm - Sealing Starts

3pm - Guests Arrive outside for temple exit and photos

3:30pm - Temple Exit & hugs :)

3:45pm - Family Photos

4:15-4:30pm - Couple Photos

*Notice the 30 minute buffer before the dinner. This is necessary in case you are behind schedule (which happens!).

4:30/5pm - Dinner (best if it is held AT the reception venue). 4:30 will be for guests who leave temple, and 5pm is when couple arrives.

6:30-8:30pm - Reception (in my opinion 2 hours is plenty for an LDS wedding)

Now, here is the difference when there IS a ring ceremony:

12pm - Guests arrive who are attending the sealing