The first thing we noticed was most everyone else's dress. The website had said "Make sure to dress modestly", so we decided to not wear jeans to show respect. Most people, however, were dressed in suits and dresses. Oops.
I had always assumed it would look like a cathedral inside; you know, a large sanctuary with ornate architecture all around. Well, it was nothing like that. When you first walk in, there is a reception desk, like in an exclusive office building. If you have your "temple recommend," you are then allowed to go into the many rooms located behind the door behind that desk. The rooms include instruction rooms, sealing rooms (where weddings take place), reception areas, and changing rooms for baptisms for the dead, endowments and weddings. To find out why they need the changing rooms, read about the Mormon temple garment here.
No expense was spared for this building. The granite was from Brazil, shipped to China for the cutting and smoothing, and then shipped up to British Columbia. The entire outside was covered in this granite, even the doors. John noticed that the rain gutters were actually located behind the granite (inside the wall instead of outside), with ornate metal spouts visible at the bottom of the building. The floor of the bride's preparation bathroom contained a beautiful mosaic. The decor was very North American - makes sense since it's a North American religion.
In addition, there were many connections to the Old Testament. Two obvious ones were the fence surrounding the building which seemed to create a temple court of sorts (just one though, instead of an outer and an inner) and the baptismal that is round and sits on the backs of twelve oxen, which alludes to the "sea of cast metal" which held water in the temple courts outside (1 Kings 7:23-25).
Touring the temple was an interesting experience. Now we know what is inside those buildings that are forbidden to us non-Mormons.
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