The Mormon temple includes the pinnacle of all of the ordinances that are performed in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). One of these ordinances is temple marriage. Temple marriage is an ordinance, or a ceremony, that is performed by qualified officiators in the Mormon temple. It is similar to a wedding ceremony that is performed in a church, a synagogue, or even a Japanese shrine, with some notable exceptions. In the above ceremonies, the couple exchanges vows with one another, in the presence of witnesses and an officiator. In the Mormon temple, the couple also exchanges vows in the presence of an officiator, also known as a sealer, and two witnesses. However, Mormons also believe that God is party to these vows. These vows are known as covenants because of their sacred nature, and because they are a symbol of a relationship of commitment between God and the marriage partners. When performed by a sealer who possesses the authority, acting for and behalf of God, the marriage is perpetuated beyond the grave. This has reference to the sealing power that was given to Peter in the New Testament (Matt. 16: 19).My wife and I have only been married for seven months, but we have experienced the blessings that come from being married in the Mormon temple. One of the blessings is the opportunity to be in a relationship that can last forever. As a student studying economics, one of the things that I learned in my microeconomics class is that when two individuals are involved in agreements that span an infinite time horizon, there is an incentive for them to keep working together. If the agreement only spans a finite length of time, it will break down. My wife and I are also involved in an “agreement” that spans eternity. We are both committed to making one another happy and fulfilling our part of the “agreement” because of our belief that our marriage can last forever. We recognize that we are only experiencing the beginning of married life, and we recognize that we will have to face many challenges in the years ahead; however, we are confident that we will be able have a successful and enjoyable marriage.

My wife and I have also been blessed with miracles in our marriage. Our pleas for help have been answered in the form of unexpected monetary gifts, unsolicited job offers, as well as impressions that have led us to do something that was needed, but not solicited, for one another. We attribute these miracles to the covenant relationship that we have with God. As our benevolent Heavenly Father, we believe that God is involved with the details of our lives. His omniscience and omnipotence enable Him to bless us with extraordinary events that we are not able to experience otherwise. It’s like having God as a contributing partner in our marital relationship.

A few days ago, I woke up to the beautiful silhouette of my wife lying beside me. I was filled with so much gratitude for her and for the blessing that we can spend eternity together. Eternity sounds like a long time, but when you’re spending it with someone who you love completely, you’ll be grateful that you can spend eternity with him or her.

Personal Response by Karim

I’ve always enjoyed romantic movies. Both in film and in real life, there are those married in big cathedrals decorated with gorgeous flowers; others exchanging vows at sunset by the beach. But regardless of the glamour or setting, there is something these versions of a wedding all lack: a union for eternity. Civil marriages claim that the couple will be together until death. A Mormon temple marriage guarantees that if you honor each other and the promises you made in the temple, you will be together forever- even past death–to enjoy a fulness of life and joy, and an increasing posterity.

This is such a comforting thought to me. My husband is my best friend and someone with whom I want to be forever. He made a similar commitment to me in a House of the Lord, kneeling before me, with an officiator holding the priesthood of God necessary to “seal” the union, depending upon our faithfulness. There is a serenity and security that comes from that sealing that cannot come from a lesser union.

Chris and I just celebrated our anniversary on May 11^th. We were sealed in the New York Manhattan Temple just one year ago. Even though not all my family could enter the Mormon temple because they were not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon Church), they all knew how special this was for me, and waited for me outside with open arms.

Related Links:

LDS Weddings

Mormon Temples

Temples and Family History