why i didn't write wedding vows

You might be surprised to know that when I got married, I didn't walk down an aisle. I never wrote or spoke vows to wed myself to my husband. I didn't wear my dress until AFTER I was married. And the actual marriage ceremony was short, and intimate.



I was sealed in an LDS temple. The Salt Lake City Temple to be specific.



A sealing is defined as an ordinance performed in a temple eternally uniting a husband and wife, or parents and their children.

WeddingLDS.com explained the ceremony as such...

"After some words of personal counsel from the temple sealer, the couple kneels across the altar from each other. The words of the ceremony are brief, so couples want to listen hard for the promises they are making and for the blessings promised them. Both bride and groom have the opportunity to say “yes” (not “I do”) when asked if they accept the terms of a temple sealing. After the sealing is over, the bride and groom may exchange rings and a kiss, although this is not part of the temple sealing ceremony."

In the temple I chose to wear my temple dress. Much like ones you will find HERE. Why? Because I didn't want the fluffy, beautiful, flashy dress to distract from the sacredness of the sealing. Although temples DO allow brides to wear their own dresses if they meet the standards of temple modesty, my personal decision was to wait until after the sealing.

We knelt across in altar in a room specifically for sealings, listened to a sealer give us advice and explain the sacredness of our marriage, and then we both said yes to forever. A love without end. How? The sealing ordinance allows family relationships to extend beyond death. I will be with my wonderful husband forever.




After the sealing I went into a beautiful bride's room with my mother, where she helped me into my dress and I fixed my hair and put my veil in. Then I was escorted by a temple worker to my new groom. After a hug, a quick kiss, and a few exchanged words, we exited the temple together, with all our friends and family waiting outside and cheering for us.

I don't regret that my father didn't get to walk me down an aisle and give me away. He got to witness the most important event in my life, and quite possibly throughout all eternity. I don't regret not wearing my dress because the dress I WAS wearing signified something much more important to me.  And I don't regret that I didn't get to write wedding vows, because the words of the sealing ordinance couldn't be any more amazing.

 My wedding day was perfect. And because of the power of a temple sealing, my husband and I get to be together forever.

P.S. If you have any questions about my wedding, LDS temples, or anything about my religion, please feel free to leave your questions in the comments, or email me at brooklynburton@hotmail.com !


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17 comments:

Rachel Amelia said...

Thank you for writing this post! It was beautifully written. I have set a date with my fiance for April to be married in the Temple. My non-LDS best friend has asked so my questions specifically about the ceremony/ walking down an aisle. I will share some of this with her if you don't mind!

Ashley Ziegler said...

I love this! I'm totally doing this and I'll link back :)

Katie @ Tales of a Twenty-Something Hipster said...

This was beautiful! I have never heard of something like this before, I thought it was all just the walk down the isle and all. Being wed in this way it means so much more that you're sealing you love with God in the church. Your marriage wasn't focused on what you looked like, what the decorations were, and who was there. It was between you and your husband. Just beautiful. Thank you for sharing this!

Anonymous said...

Very interesting! I never knew that about you! Your pictures are so pretty :)

Manca* said...

Wow, I like it so much!!

Amberly said...

This post is perfect!!! So informative and so personal!! :)

Amanda @ Mandaloves Blog said...

That sounds so much better than a big flashy wedding. It's the way a wedding should be. <3 <3

Rachel said...

That's a very different wedding tradition! I've found that, worldwide, wedding traditions vary widely by religion and culture, and many different cultures don't include walking down an aisle at all.

Charity said...

Love this. I have always been curious about LDS ceremonies. Sounds like a beautiful occasion.

Unknown said...

Very neat! I have not heard of this tradition before. I do like how you kept your ceremony modest to maintain the holiness of the event.

Sarah said...

Ok, I have a question. I hear a lot of Mormons talk about “eternal marriages” and “eternal families” as if it’s something very unique to their religion, and I’ve always had difficulty understanding this. To the best of my knowledge, all denominations of Christianity believe in heaven. I was raised Catholic, and I was always taught that one day I will go to heaven and be reunited with my loved ones who have passed away. Although we never used the term “eternal family” or “eternal marriage”, it was always just assumed that when you meet your mother in heaven, she’ll still be your mother. And your sister will still be your sister, and your husband will still be your husband, etc. Although Catholics don’t practice sealing ceremonies, they still believe that families can be together in heaven.

So my question is, how is the Mormon concept of eternal families and marriages so different than other denominations of Christianity? Don’t all Christians believe in eternal families?

Kat said...

I find this so fascinating! Your wedding pictures are gorgeous as well!

Cody Doll said...

That is simply amazing. I would love to know more about LDS though.

gayle said...

Very informative post, Brooklyn! I read the comment from Sarah, and I have similar questions. I don't know if you responded to her or not (it could have been via email), but can you go into a little more detail for me, too? I am curious about this as well.

xoxo,
gayle | grace for gayle
I'm a #Previvor!

Karen Fletcher said...

Hi everyone! My name is Karen Hess, and I am also engaged to be married in an LDS temple this May! I will have an identical ceremony.
Here is a website sponsored specifically by the church that answers questions about Temples!

http://mormon.org/faq/topic/temples?gclid=CNq6zvCRvbwCFYeEfgodYRUAag&CID=33671010&s_kwcid=AL!3737!3!23873318775!b!!g!!+mormon%20+temple&ef_id=UvZ0sQAABbJyIc20:20140208181721:s

Temples are so wonderful--I have never felt so much joy, peace, happiness and a closeness to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as I do at the temple! They're a great blessing!

I would love to answer any questions you also might have! My email address is karenemilyhess@gmail.com.

Unknown said...

I am wondering for skilled wedding planner those help and search best location for vows. Please suggest and give some good recommendations.

girl C said...

Since the sealing ceremony equates to eternal connection, extending even beyond death, is there any room in Mormon beliefs for remarriage after the death of a spouse?