Temple Weddings - Behind the Scenes

This last Saturday my family went through an endowment session at the Salt Lake Temple while I did baptisms, took pictures and waited for a long time in the waiting area (needless to say, a great place to wait). I happened to be sitting near where brides and grooms come and check their dresses and tuxes, and learned a lot about what happens behind the scenes. Observations:

• Brides. They all have such different moods. Some are flustered, but so happy to be there. Others are nervous, but try to act calm and collected. Some flit about from person to person asking questions and calling people to check if she left her slip in their apartment. Another was content to simply hold the groom's hand.


• Grooms. These were by far the funniest to watch. They have NO idea what to do with themselves. They usually come in carrying the bride's dress for her, set it on the table, and then just kinda stand there, sometimes wandering over to the drinking fountain, talking to mom and dad, or just looking on as the bride and her mother talk to the temple workers. There are a lot of people telling him what to do, and that may be part of the problem. There's the bride, the bride's mother, his own mother, and the temple workers. The moods of the grooms aren't quite as diverse. Most were just in a daze, but one was in a particularly foul mood because something had gone wrong. He refused to joke with the temple workers, and the bride was trying really hard to calm him down. That's a great start, kids. Nevertheless, everything works out in the end, and they are sent on their way to be sealed.