Rent-A-Rev

Jim was easy to work with and asked questions so he could try and get to know us without actually meeting us in person before the wedding day. He showed up on time and didn’t disappoint.

This man is AMAZING! These reviews say it all. I first met Jim at a bridal expo with my mother and he was so kind. We stopped at his booth and he was willing to answer any questions we had. Then we decided to take him on to have him share in our special once in a lifetime memory. His joy and endless humor makes everything that less stressful and fun! This experience should be fun and that’s exactly what he does when he is apart of your wedding experience. I am so thankful for this man and his ability to create an atmosphere perfect for each individual couple. I got so many compliments and questions about him. And it’s funny. my cousin who got married two weeks after me went with him too (not knowing). When she saw him at my wedding she was so shocked that we went with the same guy. Which she was that more excited about her wedding, because he did an a exceptional job. When I attended her wedding two weeks later, the things he said about her were completely different from what he said about me so it’s not scripted! He really takes the time out to get to know each couple. Whether that’s over the phone or meeting up in person before hand. He is worth the price and he does care if your own a budget. Thanks Jim for helping make our special day memorable. YOU Rock!

I looked up Jim after putting off having one of my friends ordained prior to our wedding. I was nervous about having someone marry us with the proper skills to entertain an audience. Jim met with us for one hour on a Sunday prior to the wedding and asked a lot of important questions. He could not make the rehearsal so he sent an employee to fill in the spot. This person is important to organize all of the bridal party. Beth did a much better job than a friend would have done. We finished our rehearsal in about30 minutes and it was painless. The next day our ceremony went great. All of our friends asked how we both knew a reverend that knew so much about us as our family friends knew we do not attend church regularly. Reverend Jim gets to know you personally in a short amount of time and turns it into a very personal ceremony. We were both thrilled with our ceremony that Jim put together after a very short interview and acted like a long time family friend.

What an honor it was to have such a great man, Reverend Jim, preside over our ceremony.
He’s truly is remarkable.
Our first communication with Reverend Jim was via telephone as we discussed the origins of our relationship and our feelings for one another.
After our initial conversation, we talked a few more times over the telephone, each time getting more and more familiar with one another.
We live out of state and wanted to meet with Reverend Jim, in-​person, prior to our ceremony, to finalize the details.
We agreed to meet at a location halfway between where we were staying and Jim’s home.
Immediately, as he walked into our meeting place, his smile personified his character.
Within seconds, he made us feel very welcomed and comfortable and his caring nature is clearly evident.
He was very open and inquisitive into our religious orientations and clearly accepting of all religions.
During our ceremony, August 31, 2014, Reverend Jim incorporated every aspect of every telephone call and meeting in the sermon and even threw in a few jokes about the groom’s profession.
Standing up with him felt very comfortable and every one of our guests clearly enjoyed the ceremony as he had everyone in the room laughing at times.
After our ceremony, many of our guests asked us how we found Reverend Jim and commented on what a great ceremony he conducted.
It was really unbelievably comfortable and smooth experience with Reverend Jim.
We would not hesitate to give Reverend Jim AKA «Rent-​A-​Rev» our highest recommendation as not only a justice of the peace, but as a wonderful person.

Rev Jim is the best!!! My husband and I were in need of an officiant and weren’t sure where to start and I came across Rent-​a-​Rev while doing an online search. We were so happy he was available for our date, and once we met him we knew we had to have him to marry us.
It was an absolute pleasure getting to know Rev. Jim during our first meeting– he has a great sense of humor and is extremely personable. He was genuinely interested in getting to know us too.
I might be biased… But Rev. Jim conducted the BEST ceremony we have ever been to. Lucky for us, it was ours!!! He spoke beautifully about marriage and love but at the same time keeping it fun. We still have friends and family telling how awesome and funny Rev. Jim was 6 months after the fact.
Stop thinking about it and book him!!!

I’ve only spoken with Jim through voicemail messages, but this guy seems SO nice! He called to let me know that he isn’t available for our wedding date, but recommended a few other people and gave me their phone numbers. He also was surprised when I mentioned that he’s a popular officiant here on Unilocal,and used the phrase «who would’ve thunk!» which is just adorable :)
So even though I don’t know of his actual work, I imagine it’s top notch. Call him quick to set the date, he seems to be quite popular!

My new husband and I cannot be any happier about our decision to hire Rev Jim as our wedding officiant on Sep 8 2013. We connected with Rev Jim immediately, as he welcomed us into his home and spent time getting to know us individually and as a couple. Our ceremony was the perfect length and was both sentimental and funny. He personalized everything. As the bride, I felt at ease as Rev Jim queued everybody throughout the ceremony and kept the whole process smooth. We have received many compliments regarding our ceremony, thanks to Rev Jim, and we would recommend him to anybody!

Susan & Rob
Rev. Jim was wonderful! Throughout the whole planning process he made us feel very comfortable! Our wedding ceremony was beautiful. He was well prepared and very thorough. Many of our guest thought Rev. Jim was a family friend & he knew us so well. We would highly recommend Rev. Jim!!!

Reverend Rehnberg is amazing!!! We met him for the first time at a wedding show in Chicago. One of our big concerns about hiring someone where we had no history was that the ceremony would feel impersonal and bland. This could not have been further from the truth. The ceremony was above and beyond anything we could have ever hoped for. It was heartfelt, funny, upbeat… it was perfect. We knew he would do a good job, but we were absolutely blown away. He exceeded every expectation we had. Rev Rehnberg is an extremely captivating speaker who does not read from a script. He took details from our meetings and masterfully worked them into the ceremony. It felt like he had known us our entire lives, and there was not a moment where he was not smiling. Guests were coming up to us all night talking about what a wonderful job he did. We truly could not have been happier with Rev Rehnberg.

Reverend Jim was amazing. He met with my now husband and I for 2 hours and really got to know us. He then met with us closer to our ceremony to finalize all the details and also spoke with us on the phone finalizing details. The day of our wedding we had a beautiful ceremony that was very personalized and got TONS of compliments regarding how beautiful our ceremony was. We couldn’t be more thankful and can’t wait to see him again at a friend’s wedding in December!

I wish I had the option to select 10 stars! I must admit, as a practicing Catholic I was very leery of booking minister on line. The Reverend Jim Rehnberg was AMAZING. He really gets to know the couple. He officiated my ceremony in July and friends/​family are STILL talking about the service. He made the service funny/​lovely/​entertaining/​personalized. I could not have been any more pleased. If you have to book a Reverend that you don’t have a history with… look no further.

Reverend Jim did a fantastic job officiating our wedding. So many of our guests told us how much they enjoyed the ceremony, and what a great job he did. Folks thought we had known him for years, tho we had only met for the first time a couple months earlier. He really captured our personalities and made the ceremony special. He was really easy and professional to deal with throughout the process. Would highly recommend him to anyone.

Reverend Jim made our wedding ceremony SO perfect. From the first time my husband and I met with him, he made us feel us feel like we’ve known him for years. On the wedding day, he brought up stories and personal characteristics about us that made our ceremony so special. Our families and guests commented on how amazing he was! He promptly returned every email and phone call within a few hours during the planning process. I would HIGHLY recommend Reverend Jim to anyone who is looking for a minister for their wedding!!!

Reverend Jim did our wedding 5 years ago. He did a great job we still have people commenting how lovely it was and how personable and joyful the Reverend was.

My wife and I were not members of a church when we wanted to get married, and we certainly weren’t about to fork over thousands of dollars to get married in a church we weren’t members of.
Reverend Jim was the answer.
People in our families STILL talk about what a great wedding ceremony we had (and that was September 13, 2008) thanks to him. He was also there to coordinate the rehearsal and knew how to work with kids and adults.
We first watched him perform at another ceremony; then he spent a great amount of time not only getting to know us, but watching and remembering how we interacted with each other.
He genuinely cared about what we had to say and knew what we were looking for in a wedding. The ceremony was very lighthearted yet sophisticated — not to mention, he had about 90% of it completely memorized. That’s not something many officiants can boast! And even though we weren’t members of a church, he was concerned about our spiritual well-​being.
Thanks to him, not only did we have a very memorable ceremony, but we have since joined Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Woodridge, IL and we couldn’t be happier. Whether you hire or observe Reverend Jim, it’s sure to be a real treat.

Although I did not have a chance to book Jim because he was already booked I wanted to point out what a wonderful person he is. Most officiants that I spoke to would not give me the time of day if they already had a booking but Jim went out of his way to provide me two other recommendations. I believe this shows his true class and character. After having such a bad experience with another pastor it gives me new hope that there are good people out there who truly care.
Kari & Manny (June 22, 2012)

We have chosen to have Reverend Jim do our upcoming wedding ceremony. We have met with him and he is just fantastic! He is genuinely interested in getting to know my fiancé and I. He is also very passionate about his work and I can tell that he is doing all he can to make our ceremony personable and memorable. I feel like he has known us for years as he remembers every little detail we have mentioned to him about ourselves! If I could give him more than five stars I would! I can’t wait for our wedding because I know he will do an amazing job!

Reverend Jim did a wonderful job at our Feb wedding! Everyone thought that he was someone I had known all my life, not someone I had only met once! He really knows how to incorporate the small touches that make your ceremony so personal.
Every time I talked to Rev. Jim I teared up, he really has a way with words, so of course we both were a mess during the vows :) All the guests were tearing up! It was so great! haha
As far as price goes, I think he was worth every penny. Plus, I understand that he is not affiliated with a church, therefore, this is his major income, and I think his prices are fair. Yes, they are more than if you were to go to a church and use their Reverend on hand. But since we did not have a church of our own, and we were not getting married in a church, I think he was just perfect.
I had seen him years ago when I was helping film a wedding, and he stuck in my mind, and I knew that I wanted him to perform my ceremony. Thats how good he is. You won’t regret him!

Rev. Jim did a great job at our wedding! Had both of is tearing up! He added so many personal touched to our ceremony, it was wonderful! Even my guests who did not speak English love the ceremony! :) Also Rev. Jim was always there to take my calls about silly little things! He didn’t even get mad at me when I forgot to tell him where the rehearsal dinner was and he went to the wrong place! He is a bit pricey but totally worth it!

Reverend Jim was our celebrant at our wedding on NYE. He was fantastic — people would come up to us and say it was one of the most entertaining ceremonies they had attended. It also could be that the bar was open prior to the ceremony! ;)
That should not take away from the great job Reverend Jim did — he was funny in the right places and traditional when it was necessary. I was amazed how much detail he was able to work into our ceremony after two meetings (one in person, and one via conference call). Needless to say, our guests were very entertained!
So why only 4 stars? I took one star away because as one other poster mentioned, he is pricey. Taking cost out of it, it would be 5 stars all the way!