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 !