‘Do you always double-date like this?’ — Kristen Oaks recalls her first date with LDS apostle Dallin Oaks

Never sabotage eternal happiness or the chance to marry for a job opportunity.

This was the guidance Kristen Oaks, wife of senior apostle Dallin H. Oaks, offered Saturday to more than 20,000 young single adults and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Hosted at the Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City, the church’s 2025 YSA Utah Area Conference gave thousands of attendees the chance to not only hear religious messages but also to make spiritual and interpersonal connections.

Kristen Oaks, one of the keynote speakers, encouraged the eager audience not to delay marriage for travel, video games or job prospects. She even commented on her own dating experience with Dallin Oaks, first counselor in the church’s governing First Presidency and next in line to lead the global faith.

“You may wonder what it’s like to date a general authority,” she said. “Life is and will always be a challenge, single or married.”

She married him in 2000 in the church’s Salt Lake Temple two years after his first wife, June Dixon Oaks, died.

Their first date

Kirsten recounted her first date with the high-level Latter-day Saint leader and how they decided to meet in a park. As Kristen waited for him, she pondered how she could ever integrate into an already established family of six kids and multiple grandkids.

She didn’t have to wonder for long. Dallin brought one of his daughters to the date, to which Kristen responded, “Do you always double-date like this?”

“Relationships require work and time,” Kristen said. “So don’t judge or misjudge.”

She also described the challenges of being single until she reached her 50s, saying loneliness often afflicted her.

She urged her listeners to reach out and cultivate relationships with the people around them, saying it was the duty of Latter-day Saints to help those in this “very lonely world.”

She also counseled them to “relish this time” and focus on becoming a disciple of Christ.

“Concern yourself most about becoming a disciple of Christ,” Oaks said. “Your light will attract others to you because light attracts light.”

Purpose of the YSA gathering

Priscila Andrade, one of the YSA Conference organizers, said the main goal of the gathering — which drew more than 20,000 participants, including many from outside the U.S. and the Latter-day Saint faith — was to help people feel like they belonged.

Fellow organizer Zach Sutton said the wide array of activities — from dating sessions to service projects, devotional speeches to pop concerts — was to reflect the theme “Together in Christ.”

“One of the first and foremost purposes of this conference is to build faith in Jesus Christ,” Sutton said. “We’re hoping that this can be a positive influence in the community, regardless of which religion you come from.”

Many of the activities, ranging from roller skating to receiving advice from dating coaches, seemed tailored to breaking the ice.

Oaks encouraged these face-to-face interactions, telling audience members to put away their cellphones in these social settings.

“The more you reach out to others,” she said, “the bigger your world becomes.”

As the young Latter-day Saints left after her address, the chances of anyone leaving alone seemed a bit smaller.

Note to readers • Dylan Eubank is a Report for America corps member covering faith in Utah County for The Salt Lake Tribune. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories.