So to recap, Ezra and I were married on November 6, 2010 at the Walkersville Chapel of the Frederick, Maryland Stake. Over 350 guests attended our wedding and reception. We were so grateful to have so many of our family members and friends to celebrate our special day. Like I mentioned in one of my previous posts, it was a tough decision for both of us to choose to marry civilly rather than getting sealed immediate on our wedding day. Ultimately, we felt we made the right choice.
As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, one of the most important ordinances we can make, besides baptism, is to be "sealed" together as husband and wife, which will in turn bond our family for eternity. This bond will not only pertain to our future children, but family that has passed on before us.
"Sealing
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the word sealing refers to the joining together of a man and a woman and their children for eternity. This sealing can be performed only in a temple by a man who has the priesthood,
or the authority from God. According to Latter-day Saint belief, the
sealing means these family relationships will endure after death if the
individuals live according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. For
Latter-day Saints, the family is essential to God’s plan as the most important unit both on earth and in eternity.
When a man and a woman are married in a Mormon temple, the ceremony is referred to as a sealing. When children are later born to this couple, they are considered automatically sealed to their parents. Couples who joined the Church after their marriage, or did not marry in the temple originally for other reasons, still have the opportunity to be sealed together in the temple later. Parents can have their children sealed to them at that time. These sealing ordinances can also be performed vicariously for the dead, thus binding families together across generations.
Jesus Christ Himself talked about the idea of sealing in the New Testament:
Knowing how important this was to both of us, we decided to get sealed as soon as we could after our year waiting period was up (we were required to wait one year after our marriage before we could have our sealing performed). So we took the first available Saturday possible (since we had moved down to Virginia Beach by then). November 12, 2011 in the Washington DC Temple.
Other family and guests who were waiting for us outside the temple and/or who joined us for our reception included:
* Vicky & Juan Carlos Majano
* Mylynh Nguyen
* Bobby Lynch
* Kathryn & Devon Tross
* Cameryn & Lucas Shipley
*Shelagh & Dan Wesely
We were so very grateful for all those who were there to witness and share in this special moment!
Brother Grand Worth was our sealer. He performed some ordinances before proceeding with our sealing and he gave us great advice as we prepared to make our union eternal. Brother Worth reminded us of our potentials to be kings and queens, and we do that by how we treat one another. He also mentioned that men are given the gift of the priesthood in another ordinance. Women, however, do not receive the priesthood as women are naturally perceptive to the spirit and already have a great power to heal others. But in the grand scheme of it all, we are equals, given different talents and responsibilities.
My favorite part was kneeling at the altar looking into Ezra's eyes. I saw myself in his eyes, and in them saw tenderness and caring, and knew that he loved me and chose me to be his eternal companion. At that moment, I felt like a queen. Something I had never felt with anyone else.
As we exited the temple, we took pictures with most of our family and friends, but others had already rushed back to Frederick to prepare for our reception at Sister Landro's home. My cousin, Lester, and his beautiful wife, Arlyn, capture the evening after our sealing. It was perfect weather (unlike the freezing cold we had for our wedding in 2010) and the lighting was just right! Not to bright, and not yet dark.
When a man and a woman are married in a Mormon temple, the ceremony is referred to as a sealing. When children are later born to this couple, they are considered automatically sealed to their parents. Couples who joined the Church after their marriage, or did not marry in the temple originally for other reasons, still have the opportunity to be sealed together in the temple later. Parents can have their children sealed to them at that time. These sealing ordinances can also be performed vicariously for the dead, thus binding families together across generations.
“When
Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? …
“And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
“And
Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for
flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is
in heaven.
“And I say also unto thee,
That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
“And
I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:13, 16–19).
Latter-day Saints believe this same authority given to Peter was given to Joseph Smith in 1829 and passed along to the current prophet and president of the Church, Thomas S. Monson. Only the prophet can give the sealing power to other men, and relatively few men hold this authority at any given time."Knowing how important this was to both of us, we decided to get sealed as soon as we could after our year waiting period was up (we were required to wait one year after our marriage before we could have our sealing performed). So we took the first available Saturday possible (since we had moved down to Virginia Beach by then). November 12, 2011 in the Washington DC Temple.
A lot of preparation went into our Sealing Day too. Not as much as the wedding, but it was a bit difficult preparing further away from the temple than when we lived in Frederick, MD. Thankfully, we had a lot of wonderful family members, church family, and friends in the surrounding areas of the temple, whom helped us get ready for our special day.
I made my own bouquet and Ezra's boutonniere out of fabric. I loved the way they turned out! I made some for our wedding too, but I never got to give them out to our bridal party.
Our Sealing was more of an intimate gathering, since only members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with current temple recommends are able to enter the Lord's Temple. Here is a list of our invitees who were able to witness our sealing:
* Elizabeth & Jonathan Tross
* Daisy Shipley
* Randy & Ann Hoover
* Alan & Kathleen Moorehead
* Terry & Paul Smith
* Harold & Beverly Virgin
* Steve & Lou Duke
* Marcy Polander
* Bill Tross
* Jonathan & May Tross
* Jonathan Allgaier
* Joey Higbee
* Karlene Lynch
* John & Stephanie Magee
* Leslie McGowan
* Kelly & Mike Hall
* William & Karen Hoover
* Kate Landro
* Nancy & John Franco
* Maureen & John Edgerly
Other family and guests who were waiting for us outside the temple and/or who joined us for our reception included:
* Vicky & Juan Carlos Majano
* Mylynh Nguyen
* Bobby Lynch
* Kathryn & Devon Tross
* Cameryn & Lucas Shipley
*Shelagh & Dan Wesely
We were so very grateful for all those who were there to witness and share in this special moment!
Brother Grand Worth was our sealer. He performed some ordinances before proceeding with our sealing and he gave us great advice as we prepared to make our union eternal. Brother Worth reminded us of our potentials to be kings and queens, and we do that by how we treat one another. He also mentioned that men are given the gift of the priesthood in another ordinance. Women, however, do not receive the priesthood as women are naturally perceptive to the spirit and already have a great power to heal others. But in the grand scheme of it all, we are equals, given different talents and responsibilities.
My favorite part was kneeling at the altar looking into Ezra's eyes. I saw myself in his eyes, and in them saw tenderness and caring, and knew that he loved me and chose me to be his eternal companion. At that moment, I felt like a queen. Something I had never felt with anyone else.
As we exited the temple, we took pictures with most of our family and friends, but others had already rushed back to Frederick to prepare for our reception at Sister Landro's home. My cousin, Lester, and his beautiful wife, Arlyn, capture the evening after our sealing. It was perfect weather (unlike the freezing cold we had for our wedding in 2010) and the lighting was just right! Not to bright, and not yet dark.
My favorite picture (as shown at the very top) is of the picture of Ezra and I on the stairs behind the temple stretching all the way up to the Angel Moroni. The colors were vibrant and perfect for pictures! I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!
After pictures, we headed back to Frederick for our reception, thrown for us by Sister Kate Landro (my first visiting teacher in the Monocacy Ward - one of my most favorite people in the world!). The food was wonderful, and our cousin, Nikki, made us some delicious cupcakes!!!!!! I'm sad we never got a picture of her display, but they were so yummy! I could re-live this day over and over again and it would never get old!
I'm grateful for eternal families and the sealing ordinance that makes it possible! I'm grateful to have changed my life to be able to be worthy enough to enter the Lord's Holy Temple, and the blessings that come from attending. I'm grateful for Heavenly Father's plan of happiness that allows us to be together in the next life... and I'm grateful for my wonderful husband who loves me enough despite all my faults, baggage, and imperfections! I wouldn't want to share eternity with anyone other than him!
After pictures, we headed back to Frederick for our reception, thrown for us by Sister Kate Landro (my first visiting teacher in the Monocacy Ward - one of my most favorite people in the world!). The food was wonderful, and our cousin, Nikki, made us some delicious cupcakes!!!!!! I'm sad we never got a picture of her display, but they were so yummy! I could re-live this day over and over again and it would never get old!
I'm grateful for eternal families and the sealing ordinance that makes it possible! I'm grateful to have changed my life to be able to be worthy enough to enter the Lord's Holy Temple, and the blessings that come from attending. I'm grateful for Heavenly Father's plan of happiness that allows us to be together in the next life... and I'm grateful for my wonderful husband who loves me enough despite all my faults, baggage, and imperfections! I wouldn't want to share eternity with anyone other than him!
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