Non-mormons are not allowed in a Mormon temple that has been dedicated. Same thing happened to people in my extended family, and it was sad to see how upset the bride's parents were that they couldn't attend. They had a second ceremony and reception for the couple a week after the Mormon ceremony so the rest of her family could participate.

I think it is such a ridiculous thing. My Mother and Sister are very upset because they cannot attend. This is my Mom's first Grandchild to get married and she cannot go. And this is my Sister's daughter and she cannot go. I know she can have a second ceremony afterwards, but it is not the same thing. A marriage is such an important time in a person's life and it affects not only the two people getting married but their extended families as well. It is upsetting that a religion would seek to exclude others from this occassion simply because we are not of the same faith. This is not what Jesus taught or practiced and I don't understand how such a religion that is so exclusionary can call itself a Christian religion.

Is the Mormon Temple open to the public? If so, they cannot prevent you from attending. If it is a private facility, then why would the family member have the wedding there if they really cared about having family there? I understand the wedding is primarily for the bride and groom, but the fact that you invite people is for them to witness the happy occassion. I think that if they are going to have it in a location that you cannot access, that they should at least tape it and share that with the family in a special setting gathered together.

I did not realise that. It seems very strange to me that a Christian religion would not let fellow Christians into a church or temple. I am Roman Catholic and all are welcome in our church and i have been welcomed in Islamic mosques and Buddhist temples. Sorry no offense to any Mormon people, you do not make your Church rules but it does not seem very Christian to me. just a personal opinion

What you have to understand is that a temple wedding is not the same as any other wedding ceremony...what you would witness in the temple would not be the picture you have in your heads of a wedding, and probably would not be very meaningful to you. But to the couple and to God, it is one of the most meaningful and sacred covenants you can make. The temple is a holy place, and although I know that it is very hard for the family that cannot be involved in the sealing ceremony, you should try to understand that your relative is not doing this to hurt you, but rather because they have a very strong believe in the sacredness of this ceremony. I am a convert, and have talked about this a lot with my own family. Although they were disappointed at first they have come to understand more of why I would like to go to the temple when I am married, and respect my beliefs about it. I think it would be a great idea to talk to your niece about how your family can be involved in another way. For example many times couple have ring ceremonies after coming out of the temple, where they exchange vows and rings in a way that is often much more like the wedding ceremony you would normally think of. Hope this helps.

One of the things that many people fail to grasp is that, from the days of the Tabernacle God commanded Moses to create and throughout the Bible, there was a significant difference between a Temple and a church (synagogue). God has always limited who was allowed to enter His Temples. (The Tabernacle was a portable temple.) He limited access to those that were of His covenant people. Note that the Jews attempted to stone Paul just because he was accused of taking Gentiles in the the Temple (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/acts/21/26-31#25). So, it is not that we want to keep people away from the ceremony. It is that God as set the Temples aside as special places where sacred ordinances are to be performed and where only those that have taken upon them certain covenant may enter. We would love for everyone to be able to enter the Temples. However, in oder to do so, they would have to enter the covenants that God has prescribed as a prerequisite for entry.

Mormon or not, something major has been lost in our wedding culture. So much has been focused on the cake, the flowers, the dresses, the locations, the guests, the food, the music, the napkins, the place settings, the silverware, the procession, and the millions of other tiny details that when it is all said and done it has become this major stressful day that the true meaning of the day has been lost. What is most important is the union of the bride and groom. Yes, it is very hard when family cannot be there inside the Temple to see it. But it goes both ways. The family COULD be in there. All they have to do, is join the Church wait a year and then be endowed and then they could go to the wedding. But i understand that they don't want to do that b/c they don't believe the church is true. I respect that, so they should do the same for their children. Respect the beliefs of the bride and groom. A temple marriage is not "till death do you part", it is for eternity. A wedding outside the Temple is not eternal. It is highly important to the bride and groom to have an eternal wedding. Make the day about the soon to be married couple instead of all the stressful less important traditions. I understand that this is a sensitive topic...I am a convert, and my parents couldn't go to the wedding. But later on, they were really touched by how my wife and i found ways to include our family and friends into our wedding. We made our own wedding to blend the two cultures. Just how in death, we honor the deceased wishes, even if we don't agree with them, we should honor the wishes of the living couple even if we don't agree with it. But we do what we can to show our love and respect.

Well being that they are married I hope you are okay with the idea that your future nieces and/or nephews are going to be raised a world apart from what you knew.

I would be grateful but thats just me

If a person wants to attend a wedding in an LDS Temple. They can make the same sacrifice as their loved ones and become worthy, receive a recommend from their bishop to enter an LDS temple. To members of the LDS Church, an eternal marriage is the ultimate manifestation of faith and committment to God. If the family of the person genuinely loves their family members who are getting married in the temple, they would either join them in their committment to an eternal marriage and become worthy themselves to enter the temple, or show them respect in their beliefs and in showing their faith and committment to God by allowing them to enter into holy matrimony for time and all eternity. In Matthew 19, verse 6, Jesus said, "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." Marriage is an institution that was ordained by God, beginning with Adam and Eve, and it should be a covenant between the couple being married and with God. A wedding is a time for the couple getting married and their happiness. They are not getting married for other family members, but for themselves. If you love your family members, why would you want that relationship to be broken up at death, if your own wedding vows stated, "until death do you part"? After you die, your family will no longer exist! Whereas, those who marry in the LDS temple are sealed for time and all eternity with their children! Or why would you want them to go against their beliefs because it is more convenient for you? This is their wedding. You should stop thinking about yourselves and do what makes them happy. Don't you think your family members getting married in the temple yearn for all of you to be sealed to them for time and all eternity? How do you think they feel when you tell them that you do not want to become worthy to go to their wedding? What would make them happier than for you to be worthy to attend their wedding? Do you want what's best for them, or what's best for you? This is the couple's decision to get married in the temple. They shouldn't have to compromise their standards or their wedding plans to accomodate your non-belief. This is not the LDS Church versus non-members who want to attend the ceremony, but about the couple exercising their right to choose a temple wedding versus any other type of wedding.

Be glad. That way, you don't have to give a gift

I am mormon and my husband and I got married in the temple about 2 years ago. My grandparents, some close friends, and other family members weren't able to be in the temple with us when we got married. As hard as it was, we understand the importance of the temple ceremony. We worked hard and had to sacrifice many things to be able to get married in the temple. We were able to be greeted by our family members and friends when we got out of the temple and they were able to share their feelings and joy with us throughout the rest of the day. They dont WISH to keep people away, but we know that what happens in the temple is SACRED not SECRET and those who love us respect that.

their just strict about it besides mormons are creepy

The Mormons have some serious issues - calling them "creepy" just touches the tip of the iceberg.

&gt; Why do they wish to keep people away from such a happy event? < Because it was originally designed to keep the Polygamous activities of Joseph Smith and other LdS Leaders "sacred and secret" but because the cover story - that it was a "restoration" of Ancient Priesthood Endowment rites going back to the Garden of Eden - was so thoroughly accepted by Latter-day Saints it has remained a big "sacred secret". Please see the following link for validation of the above assertions: http://www.concernedchristians.com/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=42&func=view&id=79200&catid=10 The biggest tragedy is that LdS are in such a snapped psychological state that they can't empathize or understand why this behavior is so offensive to those outside the faith. It's really sad. And for the record, the RLDS/Community of Christ has NEVER conducted secret ceremonies of any kind. They were wise enough to realize the true nature of many of the practices that Joseph Smith introduced in Nauvoo as a means of disguising and/or hiding his misdeeds. Many RLDS/CoC members consider Nauvoo the turning point where Joseph Smith transitioned from being a TRUE Prophet to a FALLEN Prophet. But I must say I have NEVER found a finer collection of snapped Mormon psyches in one place than the LdS answers to this AB question. It was really quite stunning reading the numb, brain-washed justifications for the insensitivity that they presented in their answers. Amazing! Utterly amazing!

Considering Mormon temples don't have the Ark of the Covenant to 'protect', it's another way of punishing non-mormon members of the family for not being mormon.

Because they're weird.

A couple is allowed to have whatever kind of ceremony they want. It isn't about the family, it's about the couple.

We don’t. However, the temple is quite literally the House of the Lord. Just as the ancient Israelites required symbolic, ritual preparation and purification before entry into the temple, so we, the Latter-day Saints, are required to cleanse and prepare ourselves spiritually, before entering therein. As the greater truths of the temple really wouldn’t make any sense without the proper context, part of this preparation involves having just such context. As one whose own parents were unable to attend my temple wedding, I can completely understand why this might seem exclusionary and even cause hurt feelings, for both the bride and groom and their non-attending family members. However, our desire is *not* to keep people out of the temple; it’s to invite them in. It’s just extremely important that each of us not only be doing our best to emulate the Savior, but also sufficiently prepared for the greater learning we’ll receive, in the temple. The apparent exclusion is just the Church doing its best to make sure that happens. Make sense?

Control. They are sending a clear message that religion comes before family. Your family member is not theirs first, and yours second - if at all.

SHORT ANSWER: Your feelings are not unique. Countless others have asked this very question and received the same callous, and insensitive responses from faithful Mormon stalwarts that you did. LONG ANSWER: This is from Arza Evans's fine white paper on this very topic: "Although claiming to be family oriented, Church policy does not allow parents to witness the marriage of a son or daughter in a Mormon temple unless those parents are full tithe payers in good standing with the Church. This ticket to the temple can cost thousands of dollars. And since I refused to say that I believed in Joseph Smith and pay this extortion (about $5,000), I was not allowed to see my own son get married. Also, young Mormon siblings (usually under 18) are not allowed to see an older sister or brother get married in an LDS Temple even if the younger person is a full tithe payer. This is not family orientation nor is it Christian. It is another cruel anti-family policy of the LDS Church. The following true stories are not exact word-for-word quotations: A Heartbroken Mother I am a 55 year old woman who grew up in a prominent LDS family. I tried my best to be a good wife and mother and to accept all of my Church callings. I took my children to Church and taught them to believe in Mormonism. After many years of abuse, I ended my “eternal marriage” and divorced my husband. This was not an easy thing for a woman who has been taught since childhood that marriage is eternal and that she needs a husband who holds the Melchizedek priesthood in order to enter into the highest degree in the celestial kingdom of God. After my divorce, I started to do some serious research into Church doctrine and history in order to strengthen my faith and testimony. The more I studied, the more I came to believe that Mormonism is based upon deception. This heartbreaking discovery has been even more painful than my divorce. My parents, my brothers and sisters, and also my children have turned against me. They are all still active Church members. My married children will not even let me be alone with my grandchildren. They are afraid that I may try to turn them against the Church. Adding to my pain is the guilt of knowing that I am the one who taught my children to believe in Mormonism and to act this way. An Angry Father I am a Catholic who married a Mormon woman. I have always tried to be understanding and supportive of my wife’s religion. I even agreed to allow our children to go to her Church and be brought up as Mormons. My oldest son and I have always been very close. When he decided to go on a two year mission, I agreed to support him even though I would need to work a lot of extra hours. When he came home from his mission, he married a Mormon girl in an LDS Temple. Her family and my wife were able to see the wedding but I was not “worthy” to attend. I had to wait outside the Temple even though I had paid for his mission and part of his wedding. This made me very angry with the Church. Since the wedding, my son and his wife don’t want much to do with me because I won’t convert to Mormonism. The Mormon Church has destroyed my family! A Temple Wedding I still agonize over how deeply my wedding day must have hurt my parents. I am their only daughter. I refused to drive to the temple with them for fear of smelling like my dad’s cigarette smoke. I have grieved many times since then about my decision to get married in a Mormon Temple with my parents standing outside shivering in the December cold. My grandparents and my brothers stayed home, as did my aunt, my uncle, my cousins, and almost all of my friends. We walked into the sealing room. Who was there for me? Not any of my family or people who really knew me, cared about me, or loved me throughout my life. The room was full of people that I didn’t know. The temple sealer gave a short talk and then recited some memorized words about us becoming kings and queens in heaven. There were no flowers, no music, no ring ceremony, nothing like the wedding I grew up looking forward to. I had no way of knowing all of this until it was too late. We were pushed out of the room to make way for the next couple. The cycle time for weddings is only about thirty minutes. We walked out of the temple to where my parents were waiting. My mother was crying. My dad said I looked pretty. I felt horrible. I will never forget that sick feeling in my stomach as long as I live. My wedding broke my heart and that of my family. I eventually left the Church and my husband but not before my children were taught that temple marriage is the only marriage truly acceptable to God. Today, I face the prospect of one or both of my children being married in an LDS Temple surrounded by strangers while I stand outside and wait. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” Ostracism of friends and family members is not loving and not Christian. It has broken many hearts including mine." http://keystonebooks.com/FAMILIES_HELD_HOSTAGE.pdf

They don't let people see the temple rituals until they have been members for at least a year and have been properly friendshipped and are biting at the bit to go to the Temple. If I knew about those rituals I would have told the missionaries to get lost. Gentiles, as non-members are called would be shocked by the many different things that do go on that's why the Temples have walls and Iron gates,guards at the door,a nd you have to have a coded reomend (pass card) to get in. They don't care about your feelings my friend. It's religion. Religion is a business, and they have that part Down. Forget abut your friends because after they go to the temple thet take an oath to bring in new members. Expect calls, invites to dinner, people mowing your lawn, you know stuff people never did before. My dear old drunk daddy said 2 things. "Believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear" "Never go where you're not wanted."

It's your family member's choice where to get married -- it is her wedding after all. Obviously getting married in the Mormon Temple is the most important thing for her/him. Plan a celebration afterwards that non-Mormon family may attend.

Just count yourself lucky. One less wedding you have to attend.

I can't post a comment at my desk, but i can answer and will therefore direct all to read the "Rockie" answer first ... ok ... done??? ... good ... Jesus himself answered a question of Marriage in the After-Life when He was asked about a woman who kept having husbands die off and to whom would she be married to in Heaven ... He said "When they rise from the dead they will neither marry nor be given in marriage but will be like angels in heaven" (Mark 12:25) ...