The short version: to get married at a Utah temple, you'll schedule your sealing with the temple recorder's office, settle your guest list early, and plan a full day around it: getting ready, the sealing itself, an exit that's usually the emotional high point of the day, grounds portraits, and for most couples, a luncheon or reception after. As a Utah temple wedding photographer, I've built galleries at six different temples, so this guide walks through the whole day the way I plan around it in practice, from choosing your temple to the marriage license paperwork.
This guide covers the full wedding day: getting ready, the sealing, the exit, portraits, and a reception afterward. If you're picturing something smaller, a handful of guests and no reception at all, I've written a separate guide to planning an LDS temple elopement in Utah that's built around that scaled-down version instead.
TL;DR
Schedule your sealing with the temple recorder's office, and report a firm guest headcount early.
Sealing and exit take roughly an hour combined; grounds portraits add another 20 to 30 minutes.
A Utah marriage license costs $50 to $75, has no waiting period, and stays valid for 30 days.
I've built galleries at six Utah temples and travel statewide for the rest.
Wedding packages start at $1,850 for 6 hours of coverage, the minimum most temple wedding days need.
Why Get Married at a Utah Temple
A temple sealing is one of the most meaningful moments in a Utah wedding, and one of the most misunderstood if you've never planned around one before. Your photographer can't come inside, the schedule moves faster than a typical ceremony, and every temple has its own grounds, its own light, and its own quirks.
Utah has 24 operating temples right now, with more under construction in places like Ephraim, Smithfield, and Heber Valley. Getting married at a Utah temple isn't one fixed experience: mountain views at Mount Timpanogos look completely different from a hillside overlooking the Salt Lake Valley at Draper. The building you choose shapes your day as much as anything else you plan.
How to Get Married at a Utah Temple: Step by Step
Schedule your sealing. Contact your chosen temple's recorder's office to set your date and time. With 24 operating temples to pick from, base your choice on where family lives, which grounds fit the look you want, or simply which building has an opening that matches your timeline.
Settle your guest list early. Sealing rooms get assigned based on the headcount you report in advance, so give the temple a firm number, not a rough guess, well before your date.
Book photography for the whole day, not just the sealing. Photography isn't allowed inside the temple, so your photographer's coverage happens before you leave for the temple and after you walk out married. Build your package around the whole day (details on typical timing below).
Get your marriage license. A temple sealing is also your legal marriage in Utah, so you'll need a valid license from your county clerk beforehand (more on timing under Marriage License & Temple Sealing Requirements).
Plan for guests who can't attend the sealing. If part of your guest list doesn't hold a current temple recommend, decide ahead of time whether you want a short ring ceremony or blessing on the grounds after your exit (see the FAQ below for the full logistics rundown).
What to Expect: Your Wedding Day Timeline
A temple wedding day moves fast, and it runs differently from a typical ceremony. Here's the rough shape of it:
Guests arrive about 30 minutes before your sealing, and you arrive about an hour early. Only guests with a current temple recommend can wait inside with you.
The sealing runs roughly 20 to 30 minutes. No photography is allowed inside, at any Utah temple, for anyone, guests included.
The exit happens around the 45-minute mark. It's almost always the emotional high point of the day: confetti, cheers, tears, the first moment you're seen as married.
Grounds portraits take another 20 to 30 minutes, timed to your temple's own light before you head to your reception or family celebration.
Add getting-ready coverage before the sealing and reception coverage after, and you're close to two hours before your reception even starts. That's why most couples need a minimum of 6 hours of photography to cover the whole day without gaps, which is the starting point for my wedding packages.
Choosing Your Temple
Utah has 24 operating temples right now, with more under construction in places like Ephraim, Smithfield, and Heber Valley. I've photographed sealings and exits at six so far: Mount Timpanogos in Lehi, Provo City Center, Orem, Jordan River, Taylorsville, and Draper.
Mount Timpanogos sits against the mountain it's named for, a strong pick if peaks in the background matter to you. Draper sits on a hillside overlooking the Salt Lake Valley, which gives grounds portraits a strong sense of place. Every temple has its own grounds and its own light, and I plan your portrait time around whichever one you choose.
If your temple isn't one of the six above, that's not a reason to rule me out. I travel statewide for weddings and build your timeline around your temple's own schedule and grounds, the same as I do for these.
Marriage License & Temple Sealing Requirements
A temple sealing is also your legal marriage in Utah, so you'll still need a valid marriage license from your county clerk beforehand, which the officiant signs as part of the ceremony.
Every Utah county issues marriage licenses (see Weber County or Utah County for two examples of how the process works), and while the details vary slightly county to county, expect to show valid photo ID, appear together in person (or complete an online application first, depending on the county), and pay a fee that typically runs $50 to $75. There's no waiting period, so you can apply and be sealed the same week if your schedule is tight. The license is only valid for 30 days, so time your application close to your sealing date rather than months ahead.
What to Pack for Your Temple Wedding Day
Your signed marriage license paperwork, ready to hand to the officiant before the sealing.
Comfortable shoes for grounds portraits. Temple lawns and walkways aren't always flat, and 20 to 30 minutes of standing and walking in heels adds up.
A light jacket or wrap for temple exit photos if you're marrying in cooler months. You'll be outside for the most photographed moment of your day.
A change of clothes if your reception includes dancing or anything more casual than your ceremony attire.
A short list of family combinations you want photographed on the grounds, so nothing gets missed in a day that moves fast.
Utah Temple Wedding Photos
Every photo above documents a sealing day, six different couples at six different Utah temples: Mount Timpanogos in Lehi, Provo City Center, Orem, Taylorsville, and Draper, plus the Jordan River Temple in the photo at the top of this page. Wherever your temple is, this is the kind of candid, unposed documentation you can expect from your own day.
Your Utah Temple Wedding Photographer
I'm Jade, a Utah temple wedding photographer who's documented sealings and exits at temples across the Wasatch Front, so you know what to expect from your own temple wedding day. I've built galleries at six temples so far, and I travel statewide for the rest, planning around whichever one you choose.
Wedding packages start at $1,850 for 6 hours of coverage, the minimum most temple wedding days need to cover the whole timeline. See the wedding packages page for the complete breakdown.
Ready to Talk Through Your Temple Wedding Day?
Tell me your temple and your sealing time, and I'll help you build a timeline around it, from getting ready through your reception.
Frequently Asked Questions About Utah Temple Weddings
Can my photographer come inside the temple for the sealing?
No, photography is never permitted inside any LDS temple during the sealing, and that’s true of guests too, not just photographers. Since I can’t follow you inside, the smart move is starting coverage before you even leave for the temple: getting-ready portraits, a first look with parents, details of the dress and rings. That way there’s no gap in your story between morning prep and the moment you walk out the temple doors married.
How long does a temple wedding day take from start to finish?
Build in buffer beyond the rough hour-by-hour schedule most couples plan around. Sealings don’t always start right on time, and how long grounds portraits take depends on how busy your temple is that day. I’d rather build slack into your timeline than have you feel rushed between your exit and your reception.
Which Utah temples do you photograph weddings at?
I’ve built galleries at six so far, all pictured above. If yours isn’t one of them, just tell me which temple and your sealing time when you reach out. I’ll research the grounds and plan around that temple’s specific rules before your date, the same prep work I put into each of the six above.
What should we plan for guests who can't attend the sealing?
Beyond deciding whether to add a ring ceremony, think about logistics: guests without a recommend can’t wait inside the temple lobby with you, so they’ll be gathering somewhere on the grounds until you come out. Pick a meeting spot ahead of time (most temples have an obvious spot near the main entrance), and have someone in the group keep an eye on the doors, since sealings don’t always run right on schedule. I’ll be watching the doors the whole time regardless, so as soon as they open, I’m shooting.
How much does Utah temple wedding photography cost?
Temple wedding packages start at $1,850 for 6 hours of coverage, which typically covers the temple exit, portraits, and your reception's key moments, up to $2,400 for full wedding-weekend coverage. See the wedding packages page for the complete breakdown.
Do we still need a marriage license for a temple sealing?
Yes. A temple sealing is also your legal marriage in Utah, so you'll need a valid marriage license beforehand, which the officiant signs as part of the ceremony. Every Utah county issues them (see Weber County or Utah County for two examples of how the process works), and while it varies slightly county to county, expect to show valid photo ID, appear together in person (or complete an online application first, depending on the county), and pay a fee that typically runs $50 to $75. However you get it, the license is only valid for 30 days, so time your application close to your sealing date rather than months ahead.
