My Daughter got married yesterday. Her and her husband are both active LDS but they were "unworthy" of a temple marriage unless they waited for another year. His parents tried to convince him to wait a year so that he could get married in the temple. My daughter and her (now) husband decided to go ahead with the date they had planned. His parents were disappointed that their son who was raised so well was unworthy, and I think they blamed my daughter. All I can say is thank God for unworthiness.

When my other two children got married I had to wait outside the temple. This time I was there for the whole thing.

The in-laws also complained that we rented a venue instead of using a free church. I admit I couldn't really afford it, but when it was time for the wedding I arrived a beautiful venue, spacious and full of plants, with sunlight shining down through the ceiling. When my daughter came out of the brides room, stunningly beautiful, we linked arms and as I walked her down the aisle I could see people's faces light up as they turned around to see her. I can't think of a more beautiful moment in all of my life.

Half of his extended family are non-mormon and they got to attend and participate fully, along with my two apostate brothers, one of whom traveled a long way to be there. All of the "unworthy" were there and no difference was made. I was honored as her father and as someone she loved whatever my other failings might be.

We spent a wonderful day with friends and family in a beautiful venue, and although a lot of money was spent on one day, it was a beautiful memory that we will always have.

I'm atheist and felt reverence and spiritual at just being around other happy people and that being enough.

The temple marriage just feels criminal in comparison.

How lovely that you got to thoroughly enjoy your daughter's wedding! That's as it should be.

From the sounds of it, that was money WELL SPENT.

You have every right to be proud of your daughter, and to have been able to be a part of her very important life event.

Congratulations to the father of the bride!

:)

Congratulations.
And I'm so glad you got to BE there. I'm sure your daughter appreciated it, too :)

Congratulations!!! Hopefully, within a year you can share the CES letter and save the kids from further embarrassment of church involvement.

Congratulations!

How funny that they wanted the "free" church! 10 percent for life is free?

Congrats!

The in-laws are mad that they 1) didn't wait a YEAR to be married in temple. gag. 2) that the wedding wasn't performed in the church?

The weddings I've attended at the church have all been depressing guilt-fests where the bishop rails about how this marriage is only temporary until done at the temple. Glad you avoided that and everybody could attend!

Gratefully, the bishop who performed the ceremony did talk about family being part of the order of heaven, but didn't talk about the current marriage being only temporary.

Congratulations.

Overall, it was just such a happy experience. I'm recovering a little because I don't worry so much about what the true believing are thinking about my eternal salvation, or the pain it is causing them to think of me jumping off the Mormon theological cliff (conveniently placed after death and beyond the veil). I let them worry about that, and just try to enjoy being with the people I am with.

Now that I am not so worried about good and evil, and my own or other's ranking in relation to them, I've found that I can enjoy people. And that is my religion and spirituality, Just to enjoy the people around me, and the beauty of the world. Not only is it enough, it is more than you get if you look for more.

The memory of that moment is priceless.

Congratulations! Wishing happiness for your family.

Good for the kids getting married as they did. If they go to the temple that is their call as well.

that they didn't let his family "shame" him into kowtowing to mormon leadership.

Whose right is it to determine who is worthy and unworthy? That is just so ridiculous and insulting when you think about it. That actually might be the first chip in their testmony.

In Mormonism your "worthiness" is constantly determined by the
human leadership. It's between you and them. In any other
denomination it's between you and God.

God is superfluous in Mormonism because we have priesthood
leaders who intercept your relationship with God.

That's just another indication of total cultness.

That feeling had a lot to do with me leaving. What I thought the Spirit was telling me to do didn't match with what the leadership were advising. The leadership seemed to be more and more like businessmen trying to extrapolate from church history, the scriptures, and the business interests of the church out what God probably aught to tell them to do.

I shouldn't say this (schadenfreude and all), but I'll bet your other two kids that married in the temple were a bit jealous.

One couldn't help comparing the beauty of your daughter's wedding, to the cheap imitation provide at an LDS McTemple.

Good for you. Good for your daughter. And good for your new son-in-law.

(My first married in the temple. I'm hoping my other three don't - time will tell.)

It was only the wedding of our last child to be married (of 12) that I finally got to walk the bride down a church aisle. And I was able to drink champagne.

Great story that illustrates the real concept of family: You got to walk your daughter down the aisle, and the ceremony was about the joining together of two people...and two families.

The temple ceremony is about committing *everything* to the church....not God...not family...the Church™

How beautiful! Thank you for sharing. Also kudos to the bride and groom for not succumbing to the pressure and shame! Thank you.

I have always enjoyed "Non-Mo" weddings. Usually have a fun reception with a catered meal,lots of great hors d'oeuvres and an open bar, and generally a live band or a DJ. What's not to like?! Nobody needs to feel that they have to "cease loud laughter" etc and depending upon how large the families are a broad spectrum of society shows up you get to talk to.

I figure the ceremony,type of location, vows, wedding dress, etc is for the bride and groom and close family. The rest of the festivities are for everyone!

P.S. People give some NICE gifts at Non-Mo weddings too!

I love it!

Your attitude is perfect! You just wanted to see happiness.

Spot on, ding ding ding!!!

No happiness comes from going to the temple as member profess.

Sad faces, solemn, holier than thou and unnecessary threats occur at the temple.

What you just described is exactly what every person wants on
their wedding day -- no judgement, family, friends and love.

*Congratulation, best wedding story ever!

Congratulations!!! What a wonderful and happy day. I'm so glad you were able to be part of your daughter's special day. I'm also glad you rented a venue to have it. Even as a TBM I thought cultural halls were ugly and tacky places to have weddings and receptions and luckily so did my parents. I'm so glad your memories of this day won't be tainted by TSCC.

Where is the "Like" button? ;-)