Helping Others Understand Temple Marriage

Recently we attended the wedding reception of a couple who had received permission from their bishop to invite guests who did not have temple recommends to a special meeting in the chapel before the reception. Because many guests knew little or nothing about temple marriage, the couple wanted to share with them the doctrine of eternal marriage and their joy at having been married for time and eternity.

First everyone was invited to sing “I Love to See the Temple” (Children’s Songbook, 95) and “Families Can Be Together Forever” (Children’s Songbook, 188). Then a priesthood leader gave a short, clear explanation of the Latter-day Saint view on celestial marriage. Both the bride and bridegroom spoke briefly, expressing their joy at having just been married for eternity in the temple. The bride also spoke lovingly of her grandparents, who were deceased, and the tremendous impact for good they had been in her life. Because she wanted to remember them on this joyous occasion, she explained that she had placed a flower representing the months of their birth in her bridal bouquet as well as a blossom for the months of her own and her husband’s birth.

In this instance, these simple activities helped friends and relatives who were not members of the Church appreciate the strong and eternal family ties that temple marriages create.—Athelia S. Tanner, Brampton, Ontario, Canada