Do you perform civil unions?

No. Rev. Phil does not perform civil unions.

Will you travel to our ceremony site to do our wedding?

Yes! Rev. Phil will travel anywhere in the greater Chicagoland area — in the city of Chicago or any of the suburbs.

He does not charge a travel fee, unlike many wedding officiants.

What kinds of places do you do weddings at?

Hotels, country clubs, banquet halls, chapels, parks, boats, homes, etc.

You can see every place he has ever done a wedding — on a live Google map with links — on the ceremony locations page of his web site. 

How religious or traditional does the ceremony have to be?

Pretty much as religious (or not) or traditional (or not) as you want it to be.

Rev. Phil is a real minister so he would like to mention God (not Jesus) at least once or twice as in “Before God and these witnesses, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

But Rev. Phil wants the ceremony to reflect you and where you are in your spiritual journey. He will not impose his faith at your wedding. However, he does ask that you not violate his Christian faith. By focusing on your love story, on romance, there is rarely an issue.

Do you have different service levels? Do you have payment options?

Yes.

Rev. Phil has three levels of service. There is a big difference between a ceremony with 5 guests vs. a ceremony with 300 guests. Information about the full service, standard and basic ceremonies can be found on the pricing page.

When you meet Rev. Phil for a free one hour consultation, he will show you the differences and discuss prices.

You can pay in 1, 2,  or even 3 payments.

• check (preferred)
• Chase — if you bank with Chase, use their new Chase Person-to-Person QuickPay

• or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express) via Google Checkout.

What happens at the free one hour consultation?

At the end, you will have the option to lock your wedding into his calendar by signing an agreement and making a deposit. (Bring your checkbook or credit card). Or you can go home and think about it.

What happens at the 2 hour planning session?

At that meeting — only for couples who have chosen the full service ceremony — Rev. Phil will guide you into many options for your ceremony. He will give you options like unity candle or unity sand, flowers for mothers, memorial candles,  Audience Gives Blessing, etc., etc. He suggests, you decide.

He will hear your love story and share the first draft of it with you. You will laugh at him telling you your own story.

By the end of it, you will have a really good sense of what your ceremony will be like. You don’t know how to plan a wedding ceremony. Rev. Phil, who marries over 100 couples a year, does.

If you’re not available, can you refer us to someone who is?

Yes! Rev. Phil has a team of seven ministers he can refer you to. They are real ministers who do weddings in his style — for he trained them in weddings. He has their schedule so he is all-but-sure that they are available.

Your search for a wedding minister who is available for your date and time is over!

What do you do to make our wedding unique and fun?

Sharing your love story at your wedding ceremony guarantees that your wedding will be unique, personalized and enjoyable! Please watch the video clips of Rev. Phil sharing couples’ love stories. They are at the top of the right hand column. You’ll laugh and, maybe, tear up.

Rev. Phil will guide you through options including unity candle or unity sand, religious or romantic readings, flowers for moms (and other special women there), memorial candles, share what you love about each other, ethnic customs, etc., etc.

Can we see video clips of you at a wedding?

At the top of the right hand column you will see videos of Rev. Phil sharing couples’ love stories.

What have brides and grooms said about you?

There are 100+ rave reviews on this web site.

Plus, you can read the unfilteredreviews that won Rev. Phil the Brides Choice Award from WeddingWire.com

Anyone can post 4 or 5 good reviews. After you read 80, 90, 100 you get the idea that Rev. Phil really is this good.

Can I talk to some brides and grooms you have married?

Yes! Rev. Phil would be happy to give you the names and phone numbers of more than a dozen brides and grooms you can call. Ask them about working with him, if he was worth it or any other wedding question you have.

Do you lead the rehearsal? Do we need one?

Yes! Rev. Phil personally leads the rehearsal (almost all the time). With a full service ceremony, the rehearsal is part of the all-inclusive complete package.

A rehearsal is to put everyone through their paces so they know when and where they are to be during the ceremony. If you have several bridesmaids and groomsmen plus a ring bearer and flower girl, you ought to have one. If your wedding party is small, you probably don’t — and save on not having to provide a rehearsal dinner.

What do you wear at our wedding? Do we have choices?

Rev. Phil wears the clerical collar at 90% of weddings. It shows family members that you got a real minister. He prefers it for people at the venue know who is he immediately. So does everyone at the rehearsal and the wedding.

But he also can wear a suit. Let him know your colors and he will try to have his tie match.

Where do we get a marriage license?

You must get it in the county in which you are getting married — regardless of where you live — no sooner than 60 days before your wedding but no less than the day before.

More info with links to each county in Chicagoland is on the marriage license page.

Are there chapels we can get married at even though we don’t go to church?

Yes. There are chapels owned by park districts or historical societies that are open for everyone to use.

Rev. Phil has compiled a complete list of all chapels in the Chicago area — on a live Google map with photos and links — on the chapels page.

Do you require pre-marital counseling?

No, it is not required.

However, Rev. Phil strongly encourages every couple to do something in this regard. He has three excellent resources — a book set, a suburban seminar, a weekend seminar at a hotel — on his pre-marital counseling page.

Will you marry us if we are of different faith backgrounds?

Yes. Almost all couples Rev. Phil marries are not-so-practicing in their faith. If they were, they would get married at a church, a synagogue or other house of worship.

Rev. Phil has married Catholics and Protestants (Methodists, Lutherans, etc.). That difference is not so great. He has married Christians and Jews (both honor the Hebrew Scriptures). He has married a not-so-practicing Muslim to a not-so-practicing Christian.

Faith in Jesus has helped Rev. Phil and his wife, Pam, stay married for 26 years. But that is a choice we each must wrestle with.

Are there weddings you will not do?

Yes. Rev. Phil willl not marry couples that are:

• The same sex (it is illegal in Illinois, see section 5/213.1)
• Arranged
• Under age
• Forced

Are you a real minister?

Yes!

Rev. Phil has a Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield. He graduated with his masters in 1990. He has been a pastor. He no longer has time since he marries well over 100 couples a year.

Do we have to invite you to the reception (or rehearsal dinner)?

No, you are under no obligation to do so.

Do we tip you?

No.

But if you are going to tip the DJ, musicians, wedding coordinator, etc. it would be appropriate to tip Rev. Phil, too. Tips are rare, never expected but always greatly appreciated!

What do we call you?

He prefers to be called “Reverend Phil”. Spelled out, that becomes “Rev. Phil.”

Just don’t call him “late to dinner.” You can see from his photos, that does not happen too often :>)

Yes, that is his real name. A philander is defined as “to be sexually unfaithful to one's wife.” So, Rev. Phil Landers = Rev. Cheats-on-Wife! He never has in 26 years of marriage. But a funny name for a full-time wedding minister, isn’t it?

Do you do renewal of vows?

Yes! It is always romantic. Usually it is done on or near an anniversary.

Rev. Phil has done renewal of vows for couples he has just met. He especially enjoys it for couples he has previously married. Rev. Phil will travel to where you are — your home, a park, a hotel, etc.

Read more plus a rave and review at the renew your vows page.

Do you do funerals?

Yes. Even when Rev. Phil was a pastor, he did a bunch of funerals for people he did not know. But he will make the effort to get to know about the deceased and so make the funeral customized and personalized. Read more about it on the funerals page.