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 story, on romance, there is almost never an issue.

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

Yes.

Rev. Phil has three levels of service with three different price ranges. There is a comparison chart that makes it easy to see the differences between the three packages.

Check it out on the prices page of this web site. Rev. Phil is one of the very few officiants to list prices on his web site.

You can pay in 1, 2, 3 or even 4 payments. You can pay by check (preferred) or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express) via Google Checkout.

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

Sharing your story at your wedding guarantees that your wedding is unique, personalized and fun! Please watch the video clips of Rev. Phil sharing couples’ stories. You’ll laugh and, maybe, tear up.

You get options about 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.

Have kids? Rev. Phil has several ideas on how to include them in the ceremony.

What happens at our 3 hour planning meeting?

You get to know Rev. Phil and he gets to know you.

You don’t know how to plan a wedding. He does. He will guide you in planning out your wedding. Since he is a full time wedding minister who marries over 100 couples a year, he has a lot of experience and ideas.

Rev. Phil will get your story — it’s better and funnier than you think. He’ll even share the first draft of what your story will sound like!

You are under no obligation. If you meet with Rev. Phil and do not have him do your wedding, you owe him nothing. All he asks for is that he have a clear shot at being your officiant — that, at the END of the meeting, if it goes well,  you would be willing to sign a contract and make a deposit. 99% of couples that meet with him have him officiate at their wedding.

How do we lock our wedding into your calendar?

It takes two things — sign an agreement and make a payment (by check or credit card.)

For a platinum ceremony, that happens at the END of the 3 hour planning meeting. After Rev. Phil has spent that much time, sharing every idea he knows about weddings, after sharing the first draft of your story, you have the opportunity to sign an agreement and make an initial investment.

For a gold ceremony or a silver ceremony, Rev. Phil will e-mail you an agreement. Sign it (it only takes one signature) and mail it back to him with a check or pay by credit card online. As soon as you tell him it’s in the mail, he will lock your wedding into his calendar immediately. He will not wait for the mail to arrive.

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

Yes! Rev. Phil has a team of six 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!

Can we see video clips of you at a wedding?

Yes!

On the home page, you will find video clips of Rev. Phil telling couples’ stories at actual weddings. See what he is like, listen to his voice, see how the guests react to the story and even how it sets the couple at ease.

What have brides and grooms said about you?

There are nearly 100 raves and reviews on this web site — a bunch on the home page, many more on the raves & reviews page.

Anyone can post 4 or 5 good reviews. After you read 60, 70, 80 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 platinum ceremony, the rehearsal is included as part of the all-inclusive fee.

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 aring 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 more than 85% 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 four excellent resources — a book set, an online program, a suburban seminar, a weekend seminar at a hotel — on the 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, make it to 25 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 25 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 baptisms?

Yes. Infant baptism is not “fire insurance.” It is dedicating the child to the Lord — and that you, the parents, will be responsible to help your child grow up to know, love and serve Jesus. It is a religious service.

Read more about it, including a rave and review, at the baptism 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.