Mormons making wedding rule change to be more inclusive

By BRADY McCOMBS
May 6, 2019

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints changed wedding rules Monday in hopes of preventing family members who aren’t church members from feeling excluded.

Couples who get married in civil ceremonies will no longer have to wait one year to do a temple wedding ceremony that only members in good standing can attend, the faith said in a news release.

Church leaders said it will allow “families to come together in love and unity,” but doesn’t lessen the temple ceremony the faith believes seals the couple for eternity.

Religious scholar Matthew Bowman said the old wedding rule was designed to encourage couples to get married in a temple and have a reception or “ring ceremony,” but sometimes created heartache for families with mixed religious affiliations.

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