The month-by-month planning is behind you: the venue, the photographer, the invitations. This page starts where our month-by-month wedding timeline ends, at about two weeks out, and goes day by day through the sealing and into the week after. It is written for the most common Utah Valley pattern (a temple sealing, a luncheon, a reception), with notes for couples marrying civilly first.
The temple steps here come from the Church's General Handbook, chapter 27. The legal steps come from the Utah County Clerk's marriage license pages.
Before the countdown: things that should already be done
The wedding week is too late for these. If any is still open, start it today.
- Your endowment. The Handbook says members "must be endowed before they can be sealed," and that those preparing to be sealed should receive it. It is scheduled with the temple after meeting with your bishop.
- Two recommends each. To be sealed, each of you needs "a temple recommend for living ordinances" and "a current temple recommend for endowed members." Both come through interviews with your bishop and stake president.
- The sealing appointment. Members "should contact the temple in advance to schedule the ordinance," after meeting with the bishop. "The temple will provide instructions when the appointment is scheduled." Keep that email; it answers questions about arrival time and dressing rooms that this page cannot.
- The guest list for the sealing. The Handbook asks couples to "invite only close family members and friends," and accountable guests "must be endowed and have a current temple recommend to attend." If you have not told the rest of your family how the day will work, our first 30 days after the engagement guide has a section on that conversation.
Day 14 to day 10: the marriage license window
Utah County's advice is to apply "about 10-15 days before your wedding." The reasons are on its application page:
- The license is "issued immediately following your payment," and Utah has no waiting period.
- It "must be used within 32 days after the date" it is issued. Apply six weeks early and it expires before the sealing.
- If automatic identity verification fails, manual verification "typically takes a few business days." Ten days gives you room.
The application takes 15 to 20 minutes, needs each of your photo IDs and a smartphone for the ID and face scan, and most couples pay $71.75. Our Utah County marriage license guide covers the $20 discount for premarital education and how many certified copies to order now.
For a temple marriage, the Handbook says the license "is reviewed when verifying information through Ordinance Preparation" and "the couple must also bring the marriage license to the temple." Utah County licenses are digital; after you apply, the county emails instructions for sharing the license with your officiant. Follow your temple's instructions on how to present it.
If you married civilly first, you do not bring a license to the sealing. You provide the date and place of the civil marriage instead.
Day 9 to day 7: send the dress and flower rules to your guests
The Handbook asks couples to share two things with sealing guests "well before the sealing": Guests can be pointed to our wedding guest's guide.
- What to wear. Guests "should wear clothing similar to what they would wear to a sacrament meeting," avoiding clothing that is casual or does not cover the temple garment, and avoiding clothing "that is overly formal, like tuxedos."
- No flowers inside. "The couple and their guests should not wear flowers during the sealing ceremony. Flowers may be worn outside the temple." Tell your florist to package boutonnieres and corsages for after the exit.
For guests who will wait outside, send the exit time and the reception details. Our guide to temple weddings for out-of-town guests explains the day from their side.
Day 7 to day 5: the dress, the suit and the escorts
The bride's dress. The Handbook's requirements for a dress worn in the temple:
- White, "modest in design and fabric, and free of elaborate ornamentation," covering the temple garment.
- Long sleeves or three-quarter sleeves.
- Sheer fabric lined.
- No train "unless it can be pinned up or removed for the sealing ceremony."
"The temple can provide a dress if needed or desired." If your dress needs a final alteration to meet these, this is the week your seamstress needs it.
The groom. A brother being sealed "wears normal temple clothing during the sealing ceremony" and "may wear formal clothing outside the temple." If you are renting a tuxedo for photos and the reception, our tuxedo and suit rental guide covers group-order timing and the shops' Sunday closures.
Escorts. An endowed sister may help the bride in the dressing room, and an endowed brother may do the same for the groom; each needs a current recommend. "The temple can provide an escort if needed." Ask your escorts now.
Day 4 to day 2: rings, rehearsal and the luncheon
Rings. Settle where they will be exchanged. The Handbook says rings are exchanged after the ceremony "in the sealing room," and couples "should not exchange rings at any other time or place in a temple or on temple grounds." If you want everyone to see a ring exchange, plan it for later in the day. It "should not replicate any part of the sealing ceremony," and the couple "should not exchange vows after being sealed in the temple." Our ring ceremony guide builds a program within those lines.
The calendar. If the ring ceremony or reception is in a meetinghouse, Handbook section 38.3.4 says weddings in Church buildings should not be held on the Sabbath or on Monday evenings. The Utah County temples with posted hours on Google Maps are closed Sundays, and most are closed Mondays.
The luncheon and the reception. Give final counts. If you are still deciding whether to hold both, our explainer on the wedding luncheon versus the reception lays out the four shapes a wedding day can take, with sample schedules.
The day before
- Put the license (or your temple's instructions for it), both recommends and photo IDs in one place.
- Pack the temple bag your temple's instructions describe, and the rings.
- Confirm the photographer knows the temple's photo rules and the exit time. Our wedding photographers guide covers the two Utah Valley wrinkles photographers plan around.
- Send the family group text: who arrives when, where the outside guests wait, and when lunch starts.
The wedding day
A typical order for a Utah Valley sealing day, adjusted to your appointment:
- Arrive at the temple at the time your appointment instructions give, with escorts.
- The sealing, performed "usually by a sealer who is assigned to the temple." If a relative holds the sealing authority and is assigned to that temple, you may invite him.
- Rings in the sealing room afterward, if you are exchanging them there.
- The exit to the family and friends waiting outside, and photos on the grounds.
- The luncheon for the sealing guests and close family.
- A rest gap, then the reception or open house in the evening.
The week after: the paperwork that finishes the marriage
Days 1 to 30: the officiant's submission. In Utah County's digital system, the officiant completes an online submission with the ceremony details and the names of two witnesses. Utah law requires it "within 30 days of the ceremony." After it is filed, the county emails your digital certificate, and "a paper certificate will be mailed within a few business days."
Week one: certified copies. You will need paper certified copies for name changes. The clerk's name-change page says most agencies want a paper certified copy, and that additional copies are $10.
Week one or two: names. If one of you is changing a name, the county's name-change page lists the offices in this order: Social Security (the Provo office is at 88 W. 100 North), a Utah driver license office (Orem at 759 N. 1370 West or Springville at 2277 W. 700 South), the U.S. passport, and then employers, schools, insurers and banks. For the honeymoon, the county notes you can keep traveling on a valid passport in your pre-marriage name "as long as your tickets and other travel documents show your name as it appears on your passport."
Month one: money and housing. Insurance, a joint budget and address changes come next. Our newlywed money guide and newlyweds' guide to Provo pick up there.
If you are students
A wedding week in the middle of a semester means exams on one side and a honeymoon on the other. Our guide to getting married during the semester at BYU or UVU covers the break windows, finals week, housing contracts and the ward change.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should we apply for our marriage license before a temple wedding?
Do we need to bring the marriage license to the temple?
What recommends do we need to be sealed?
What are the rules for a bride's dress in the temple?
When do we exchange rings at a temple wedding?
Can we be sealed on a Sunday or Monday?
Who submits the marriage certificate after the wedding?
What should we do first to change a name after the wedding?
Sources
The facts in this guide were checked against these sources. Hours, fees and rules change, so confirm anything time-sensitive with the source before you go. How we make Provo.com.
- Apply for a License, Utah County Clerk, Marriage License. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Marriage License: The Process, Utah County Clerk, Marriage License. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Officiant Responsibilities, Utah County Clerk, Marriage License. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Utah County Clerk, Marriage License: Name Changes, Utah County Clerk, Marriage License. Checked October 19, 2026.
- General Handbook, 27: Temple Ordinances for the Living (27.2 Endowment; 27.3 Sealing of a Husband and Wife), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Checked October 19, 2026.
- General Handbook, 38: Church Policies and Guidelines (38.3.4 Civil Marriages Held in Church Buildings), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Checked October 19, 2026.
- Google Places listings: Utah County temples (posted hours), October 2026, Google Maps. Checked October 19, 2026.
