Chapel of Love Ceremonies by SJB Ministries

It was a pleasure to have Reverend Burns officiate our wedding. She is a fun, light-hearted & professional individual. My husband and I enjoyed our pre-marital session. She makes the ceremony & vow writing a breeze. And provides you with tons of assistance and will taylor your ceremony to fit your religous/spritual views. Thanks again Rev. Burns!

Reverend Burns wrote a beautiful ceremony and made our day perfect.

Rev. S.J. Burns was amazing. I was so blessed to come across her website. She was there for us through every step of our wedding process. She was more then willing to help us with any questions and concerns we had. She made it a very relaxed atmosphere and helped put us at ease. We are very grateful for the beautiful service.

We were very pleased with Rev. Starlene Burns' services, as the Officiant for our wedding. She demonstrated a high level of professionalism and went beyond the call of duty to help us prepare for our wedding ceremony. Her knowledge and vast amount of experience made for a perfect wedding ceremony!

Reverend Burns was awesome! She provided a moving and meaningful ceremony for my partner and me! Since we are from NC, She also served as our license agent, which made our day stress free. Everything was an absolutely wonderful experience. I would highly recommend her services!!!
Danny and Roger

We could not have made a better choice then Rev. Burns. From the beginning of our first consultation till the day of our wedding. Rev. Burns was always there to answer questions, was on time with anything we ask. In Short, PROFESSIONAL all the way and felt more like a friend. THANK YOU REV. BURNS

We were very satisfied with the services!

Rev. Burns was very informative. She made everything easy.

We decided to have a last minute civil ceremony at our condo in DC after finding out that my father's health was rapidly worsening. We found Reverend Burns online and sent her an email inquiring if she could file our paperwork, bring it to our home and officiate a small civil ceremony. She quickly responded and within 24 hours (beginning on the Sunday of the Thanksgiving weekend) we had received an emailed response, spoke to her on the phone, and completed all the necessary paperwork.

Reverend Burns is kind and thoughtful. She even suggested that my father walk me down the "aisle", which was the entrance to our roof deck. She kept us up to date with emails and she was prompt the day of the ceremony. However, that is not what made her fabulous; my fiance told her our engagement story and she incorporated the tearing of a paper towel as part of the ceremony at the very last minute. It brought me to tears and the entire ceremony was perfect!

She also created a lovely program and had everything prepared in a folder for us to review. She really thought of everything, including the forms and envelopes to get certified copies of the wedding certificate. I strongly recommend her services. She will not disappoint and will probably pleasantly surprise you!

Rev. Burns. Thank you so much for being there for us. The ceremony was more than what we've expected. You made it very personal, especially when you incorporated the meaning of our last name at the end. That was a very nice and special touch and meant a lot for us.. we really appreciated everything you've done to make our day such a special and memorable day..
Thank you Thank you Thank you..God bless

The Officiant Rev. Burns was wonderful.

Reverend Burns did bless us with a very thoughtful and emotional speech and as a person she did complement our special day with her warmth and personality. We are very happy that she did marry us and will always remember Reverend Burns. We were on very short notice and she was very flexible and supportive too.

Rev burns was a preferred vendor for Newton White and also highly reccomended by a schoolmate of mine. Initially I wasnt interested in having a minister that I didnt know but after numerous schedule conflicts, distance and a few crazies I decided I better consider it with four month to go. Im really glad I did, working with Rev. Burn was a breeze and comfortable experience. I like that she was personable and real. She also had a sense of humor that reminded me of some of the elders in my family lol .
What I really loved about her was that she pretty much allows you to piece your ceremony together yourself with her guidance and book samples. Making your ceremony as personal as possible. Alot of ministers dont do that so it was really comforting to know exactly what was going to be said and when. I also added a few things that were important to us, like a moment of silence for our grandparents.
The only thing i would say negative is that she isnt always quick to respond but she does, just always double confirm any changes, meeting times and such with her. She overall was pretty much on point for us and I would definately recommend her! No hassle, restrictions, discrimation or stipulations just assistance in making your day as personal as possible!

Rev. Burns was great and made us feel as if we had known her all our lives. She took time to get to know us, which made our wedding personal and not routine. Will continue to tell people about her and her business. We are very pleased with the job she provided. Thanks Rev Burns for making our day a day we will always remember.

The Rev. Starlene Joyner Burns was very helpful with suggestions on planning our small (just she and us) ceremony across from the D.C. Courthouse. The vows were short and sweet, and there was the added, and unexpected, bonus of some great photos she took. She was very pleasant, punctual and in good communication with us before and after the ceremony. Highly recommended!

The ceremony was beautiful and well planned. We decided to elope and Reverend Jones made us feel like family when we had none with us. After the ceremony she gave us a beautiful wedding packet with our personalized ceremony and all of our papers. She is a very special woman andI would highly recommend her to anyone needed her services.

We decided to have a last minute civil ceremony at our condo in DC after finding out that my father's health was rapidly worsening. We found Reverend Burns online and sent her an email inquiring if she could file our paperwork, bring it to our home and officiate a small civil ceremony. She quickly responded and within 24 hours (beginning on the Sunday of the Thanksgiving weekend) we had received an emailed response, spoke to her on the phone, and completed all the necessary paperwork.

Reverend Burns is kind and thoughtful. She even suggested that my father walk me down the "aisle", which was the entrance to our roof deck. She kept us up to date with emails and she was prompt the day of the ceremony. However, that is not what made her fabulous; my fiance told her our engagement story and she incorporated the tearing of a paper towel as part of the ceremony at the very last minute. It brought me to tears and the entire ceremony was perfect!

She also created a lovely program and had everything prepared in a folder for us to review. She really thought of everything, including the forms and envelopes to get certified copies of the wedding certificate. I strongly recommend her services. She will not disappoint and will probably pleasantly...

We had been engaged quite a while, but rather last minute (in Oct) to get married in DC on our anniversary in Nov 2011. While we did not love the thought of getting married at the courthouse, we thought that was the best option at the last minute. Then I found the Reverend online, we were so excited. She worked with us - at the very last minute (3 or 4 days before) - to create a beautiful ceremony outside of the Jefferson Memorial. She is very flexible in offering skype for first meetings with her, traveling to different sites in DC to officiate, and filing the paperwork for us. But the lasting memory are the lovely vows she drafted based on her first meeting with us. Rev. Burns made our day very special!!!

We have already recommended Reverend Burns to several of our friends. She was very helpful in getting our license without us being there and made the process very easy and painless. The ceremony she provided was very memorable, she also recommended the location which was beautiful.

Rev. Burns is an absolute professional with a witty sense of humor and an amazing ceremony delivery style. Her ability to perform a simple, sophisticated ceremony that wasn't the typical canned presentation was sincerely appreciated not only by the bride & groom but our guests as well. Thank you for adding to the joyful spirit of our event with your presence and your amazing talent. And thank you for giving us a lasting memory of your kindness and generosity. Sincerely, Elisha & Ka-el

Rev. Burns was EXCEPTIONAL!!!!!!!!! We found her only weeks before our wedding, however we felt like we had known her for such a long time. Her professionalism, flexibility, and creativity during our last few weeks of planning put us at ease. Rev. Burns exudes confidence and a great sense of humor, and added a wonderful touch of class to our ceremony. We wholeheartedly recommend her!!!!!

Dellin and Nicole Smith, 10/8/2011
Renaissance Mayflower Hotel

Our planner at DIYva Designs recommend Reverend Starlene Joyner Burns to us. We waited so late in the game finding an officiant since our ceremony was not going to be at church and were sooooo relieved when she was available to perform our wedding ceremony for us. We met with her about 1 month prior to our wedding where we got to know each other and she went over her services and what she was able to provide. We were given the opportunity to customize our ceremony and see examples of others that she does. She was very nice to work with and was also very understanding when we experienced a delay at our rehearsal.

She is very easy to talk to, answered any questions we had and was prompt with returning calls/emails which is also very important.

Rev. Starlene Joyner Burns was very professional and at the same time she was loving and sincere! She made our ceremony exactly what we wanted it to be! She was highly recommended to us and we highly recommend her to anyone planning to get married in the DC area!

Joseph & David

My husband and I selected Rev Burns to perform our marriage ceremony after talking to a few others. The most important thing to us was that we and our family and friends were comfortable with her. Within minutes of meeting, she expressed her belief in equality for gay and lesbian people and her frustration with other religious leaders who oppose equality. I enjoyed using her guidebook to write our ceremony, although she will do it for you if you don't want to. I think the revisions she made to my version were helpful. Rev Burns was gracious to our families and friends and several people remarked that they enjoyed talking to her at the rehearsal, reheasal dinner, and reception. The ceremony went off perfectly. I would certainly recommend Rev Burns for a wedding whether gay or straight.

Rev. Burns was great! she was professional and offered some insight and great advice to us about the journey on which we were about to embark.

She paid close attention to us and took the time to get to know us and find out what was truly important to us, and was sure to include that in the ceremony.

Rev. Burns delivered a wonderful service and I highly recommend her!

I just want to say a few honest and kind words about our experience with Chapel of Love Ceremonies and the respected and most honorable Starlene Joyner Burns, MSS. We arrived from Miami to Washington DC after a earthquake and in the midst of a hurricane this past August 25th. We, my partner and myself were a nervous wreck if you can imagine but went on a vibe all would be fine. Well, it was more than fine, it was spectacular. The storm just brushed by us at our hotel and she was encouraging through the entire process. She was on time, kind and encouraging about doubts, cold feet, vow's and positive advice in making this marriage a most wonderful and long lasting one at that. My partner was an hour late right after the photographer who was just as late due to the storm and she was so patient and calming to me. She spent time sharing advice and listening to me discussing hopes, concerns and desires from Gay Marriage to Acceptance and family turbulence shall I say. She was wonderful! The ceremony went so smooth and her words and vows bestowed upon us were priceless. She further gave us for keep sake a nice folder with all our documents, licenses and vows exchanged etc. A true memorable keep sake and I just want to say on behalf of my partner and I - we thank you so much. We hope many more lucky couples out there get the chance to experience the true blessings and spiritual nature of the most honorable Minister - Starlene Joyner Burns, MSS.
To her I say thank you for your time, patience and true caring nature you bestowed upon Gary and I on August 27, 2011. God bless and much success and many more opportunities to those wishing to elope. Best regards with love, Craig

Rev. Burns is the best in Washington dc area. She's flexible she's understanding, she's very professional in every way, We recommend her to everyone we know.

She is very professional, punctual, and made sure our wedding ran smooth! Definately referrable!

Honestly, you made our wedding day perfect!!!!

Very Very sweet and beautiful person that does everthing with excellent taste.

From the moment I meet Rev. Starlene Joyner Burns, I thought she was wonderful. I loved her energy, coolness and a sort of jazziness about her. She was perfect for my non-traditional wedding. I loved that she was flexible and understood my vision of what my wedding day should be. She showed up on time. The family enjoyed her. Loved the way she presented the ceremony for my small cocktail wedding ( we only had about 12 guest and out of those 12 guest four were kids). I really think I was blessed with the perfect wedding. I was worried about find the right officiant to fit into my non traditional wedding. But after meeting her in one meeting. I told my husband that she was the one. She has a great sense of humor. she's laid back. very nice and put me to ease. She's got a zen quality about her. Trust me on your wedding day you will want as many chilled people around you as possible. Cause you will be a little stressed. So whether you want a traditional wedding or non-traditional like I had. I would highly recommend Rev. Starlene Joyner Burns.

Peter and Michelle Graves, Married May 21, 2011 in Alexandria, Virginia!

Rev. Starlene Joyner Burns was wonderful. I called her one day in advance and she helped me with my vows, was on time, helped with rehearsal, was very professional and didn't make any mistakes when administering the ceremony. My family felt very comfortable with her, like she'd been a family friend for years. I highly recommend her services and look forward to maintaining her friendship as we retain her services for marriage coaching and spiritual guidance.

Absolutely Fabulous! Starlene Joyner Burns was responsive to our every needs. We needed to get married quickly and she helped; she suggested the venue and arranged everything to happen within a couple of days. She didn't charge any extra for an extremely expedited service.

My husband and I were married by Rev. Joyner Burns on May 1, 2011. Although I contacted several local officiants, Rev. Burns was by far the most professional, courteous, and responsive. She took the time to listen to our hopes for our wedding day and learn about us as a couple. I was a detail-oriented bride and I had very specific ideas about how I wanted the wedding to proceed. Rev. Burns listened to every idea I had and was diligent about incorporating my wishes into the ceremony. For those of you who may not be as anal-retentive as me, fear not! Rev. Burns comes prepared with an array of ideas and sample wedding services that you can adapt to your specific needs. Whether you are a spiritual, but non-practicing couple as we are, an interfaith couple, a God-fearing couple who hasn't found the right place of worship, Rev. Burns will respect your tradition and beliefs. She will provide you with a wedding ceremony that will honor who you are as individuals and a couple. I cannot say enough positive things about Rev. Burns! We think highly of her and we highly recommend her services!

Mrs. Darlington

Rev. Burns was a wonderful officiant for our wedding. She took the time to carefully walk us through our options and to learn about us as a couple to ensure she met our wishes for our ceremony. Upon meeting her you can tell that she is genuinely interested in collaborating with you to personalize your ceremony. She is also very organized and came prepared with materials that helped us better determine our ceremony style. We were truly happy that we had the opportunity to work with her!!

Reverend Burns did a wonderful job of making us feel comfortable and giving us easy options for a customized ceremony.

She is a very wonderful, kind, respectful and caring person. She listens to what you want. I would refer her services to anyone that i know that's getting married. She is just excellent!!!!!

Reverend Burns gave us a beautiful ceremony. The way she spoke to us, I feel like I have known her for years. She was extremely helpful beforehand, answering any questions or requests we had in a prompt, professional, yet down to earth manner. She helped to make our day as perfect as it was. I would highly recommend her to anyone in the future.

We had a fantastic experience with Rev. Burns.

At first, Rev. Burns is very professional and detail oriented. After the formalities are confirmed, she is warm, thoughtful, funny and very accommodating. Our ceremony was personal. She spoke to us--to our hearts--which means she really took the time to see "us" and who we are together. We received many compliments from our family and friend who had never been to a wedding ceremony that was so personal. It wasn't the same words and phrases you always hear. Rev Burns spoke complete love over us and even advised us on what being the right partner means. We not only appreciate her as our Officiant but we count her as someone we can call on for spiritual advise in ANY aspect of our lives. We were blessed to meet her and would recommend her over and over again to anyone seeking an Officiant for their special day.

Everything was wonderful!!!!!!!!!

She was pretty organized and pretty responsive to emails. For example, she provided us with a booklet that helped us a great deal when it came to organizing the ceremony.
I thought she was a little abrupt at times during our rehearsal (e.g. when folks asked questions) so my wedding party was somewhat taken back and thought she could have been more patient. But overrall, she did a really good job at the ceremony.

Reverant Starlene Joyner Burns performed our wedding for us, and we have been very happy with the result! We located Starlene online, and were a little nervous. She talked to us over the skype, and we could see right away that she was a sincere and trustworthy person.
Even though we only spent a little bit of time with Starlene, I am so glad I got to know her. I appeciate her ministry and would recommend her to any prospective couple.

Reverend Burns was wonderful!! We had recently lost our son and were very emotional, probably a little difficult and undecisive. She patiently walked us through finding a beautiful spot for our wedding and was very professional with our wishes to make the ceremony non-denominational. We really picked the first person who responded to do our wedding and we were very fortunate. I loved that she is up-to-date with technology it made the process smoother as we live a good distance from Maryland. Thank-you very much!

Rev Burns was a wonderful asset to our Same Sex marraige. She is willing to go the extra mile, right up to changing some of the wording at the last minute so that our daughters could participate over the phone at the last minute.

Rev Burns has incredable energy. She has a way of always feeling warm and fuzzy.

We have already, and will again in the future, recoment Rev Burns to our friends as the perfict person to go to for the wedding of your dreams.

Reverand Burns was extremely professional! We enjoyed working with her, and we will refer her with glowing reviews.

Rev Burns was amazing. She created the perfect ceremony for me and my partner, even including our wonderful 6 month old son. She responded to our immediate request because we were visiting from Tennessee. We couldn't have been luckier to have found her!!

It was a pleasure working with Reverend Burns. Her professionalism, knowledge and experience made us feel at ease. Out of the dozens of details we had to worry about on our wedding day, worrying about the officiant and how the service would go was certainly not one of them! I would highly and unreservedly recommend her services.

Rev. Burns was a pleasure to work with. She gave us exactly what we asked for and did it beautifully. Although we had never met her before our initial meeting for the ceremony, the warmth we felt from her at the ceremony felt like she'd known us for a long time.

Rev. Burns was a pleasure to work with. She was prompt to respond to emails and answered all of our questions. We received many compliments on her ceremony. I would recommend her services. Thank you Rev. Burns!

Reverened Burns provided a wonderful ceremonie for us. She responded to our call very promptly. She ws very personable with us. Rev Burns made a great effort to customize our cermony the way we wanted it. The words of our ceremony was very unique, powerful, and meaningful. We highly reccomend Chapel of Love ceremonies.

My partner and I were visiting DC within a limited time frame. We were able to apply for the marriage certificate and learned that we wouldn't be able to pick it up until the day we were leaving. I contacted Reverend Burns and she was extremely flexible and personable on the phone. After some more conversation and emails we settled on a possible location. This changed a few times for us and Reverend Burns adapted to our crazy schedule. She created a written ceremony and vows that truly touched our heart and soul. When the day came and we meet Reverend Burns we felt truly comfortable and had made the right decision.

Wonderful, excellent, warm, loving and understanding!

I would recommend Rev. Burns to anyone who is looking for an Officiant....She was wonderful and her dog:))) what a treat to the event!!!!

Rev. Burns performed a wonderful ceremony for our wedding. I received positive feedback from my guests that they liked how the ceremony flowed and how Rev. Burns spoke very well during the ceremony. The ceremony was tailored to what we wanted to be said and it was beautiful. I would definitely recommend Rev. Burns to someone if needed.

Reverend Burns was very thoughtful and professional. I highly recommend her services to any couple looking for a classy service of any nature.

My wedding was absolutely fabulous and the professionalism and courtesy of Rev.Burns was felt during the entire ceremony, both from my husband and I to our guests. I would definetly recommend Rev. Burns to anyone getting married. I will be in close contact with her when I have future events (i.e baby).
Thank You for your all of your help!

Rev. Burns was very professional and made our wedding ceremony beautiful. She listened as I described our personalities and what we wanted for our ceremony, and by our first meeting she had the whole ceremony mapped out perfectly. All we did was add a few personal details and it was good to go. Rev. Burns is easy to talked to and was a great listener. I would HIGHLY recommend her to anyone in the VA/DC/MD area.

You were awesome! Many of our guests commented on how meaningful and moving the ceremony was. Alex and I enjoyed working with you!

Rev Burns was excellent. She really cared about what we wanted and made it happen. She is very straight to the point and no nonsense and warm, loving and caring at the same time. it has been almost two years since my wedding and Rev Burns has checked on me from time to time. I would recommend her service for sure!

Reverend Burns was absolutely wonderful. She was considerate, kind and beautifully dressed. We are so glad we found her to perform our wedding ceremony.

Rev. Joyner-Burns is very professional. She provides you with very helpful wedding information. She was on time to the wedding and rehersal. Just an excellent person to work with over all.

Wonderful would be the start of what Rev. Burns provided to us. She was kind in many ways most of all understanding and caring. My spouse and I would recommend her to any one that wants a wonderful person as well as an Offiant.

We has a GREAT Wedding! One that we will never forget!

Lovely service. Provided in a very caring manner.

My husband and I really enjoyed working with Reverend Burns. She is EXCEPTIONAL!!! She took the time to meet with us weeks in advance of our ceremony to customize a ceremony fit for us. She was very instrumental in providing us with ideas on implementing certain traditions into our ceremony (family hug, tasting of the elements). She was timely in showing up for our rehearsal -- not to mention she provided great direction during the rehearsal. On the day of our ceremony, everything went according to plan -- with many thanks to Reverend Burns.

Reverend Burns was a blessing. After all the planning and the realization of the wedding day expense; we decided not to follow through with our original plans. So my husband and I opted for a private wedding at a cute little lake in Bowie, Maryland.

We saved a lot of money doing this, and it still turned out to be my dream wedding with the help of Rev. Burns. She allowed us to bring in the essential elements of our lives that made our wedding unique and beautiful. Even though only our parents, best man, matron of honor, and baby girl (flower girl) were there (photographer and videographer); we still had a day that we will always cherish.

Our family and friends were able to enjoy the video and pictures at the reception. The reception was held at our house in Mitchellville, MD. And it was catered by family and very close friends (very cost effective); who did a beautiful job, because the food was great. The music was provided by all those who love us, because there was more than one ipod ready for the dock (jazz, hip hop, and oldies).

We are glad we went this route with our wedding. And Rev. Burns is the greatest.

Dave and I LOVED Rev. Burns, she is outstanding. Rev. Burns is sensitive and open, our ceremony was customized to reflect Dave and I. She talked me through some very emotional issues and calmed me. Several words to describe Rev. Burns are on time, organized, great communication, great listener and advisor, flexiable. Several wedding guest raved about how much they enjoyed her performing our ceremony. I would highly recommend Rev. Burns. :)

Rev. Burns was fantastic, and we are happy that we selected her. Many of our relatives who are ministers spoke well of her; and how well she performed our ceremony.

Their compliments made us feel even better about choosing her, especially since we had to find someone outside of our families. Her guidance from beginning to end helped to enrich our special day. And she made it easy for us to bring our ideas to her and talk with her.

She is very professional and cool.

Tiffany and Malik

My husband and I enjoyed working with Reverend Burns, who counseled and married us. She was very direct with us, and made sure that we understood what we were committing to. She had the process of a complete ceremony from beginning to end, and I was very impressed with that. It took a lot of time & commitment to put all that together.... and I knew that she was the one. She rehearsed with us and made sure that all of us were during our part, and even showed us how to do it. During the ceremony she assisted my event planner, and made sure that everything was in place. She made us very happy. I was so please to know that she had our backs.

Rev. Burns is wonderful. She really fit in and became a part of the family while planning our wedding. She is very easy to work with and responsive to email and phone calls.

Rev. Burns created a specialized ceremony just for us based on our initial meeting. I loved the personal vows she used for us and she was very easy to talk to as well.

Reverend Burns provided us with a lot of choices to plan our wedding ceremony. We ended up with a unique and very personal ceremony that was thoroughly enjoyed by our guests. Kacey and I received extremely positive feedback about our ceremony.

Mrs. Joyner was WONDERFUL! What can I say?? She helped keep me calm and was a true blessing, I was more than grateful for the unique ceremony that I had.

I think she is great.. She did everything we asked for and even did some of her own touches and they went great with what we had..

I received numerous compliments from our guests about Reverend Starlene Burns. So many of our guests mentioned how much they truly enjoyed the ceremony. I couldn't have asked for a better ceremony. It was truly a wonderfully spiritual experience. Starlene did a perfect job officiating the ceremony- giving it the right amount of personal touch and relating it to my husband and I.

I have done countless weddings with Ms. Burns over the years. She is an absolute delight and easy to work with. I recommend her to everyone!

Had the opportunity to be the wedding entertainment for a commitment ceremony that Rev Burns was the officiant of. She organized the couple's entrance with their attendees and made the guests feel like family. She was absolutely great fun and personable. I look forward to working with her in future ceremonies.

I recommend the services of Chapel of Love Ceremonies to make your Wedding Day a one-of-a-kind event that will be remembered and cherished by you and all your guests for years to come. ~~ Angela www.calligraphybyangela.com 214 957 2155
Dallas...

I want to personally recommend the "Chapel of Love Ceremonies" located in Bowie, MD for their professionalism, courtesy and promptness. Their staff are personable and such a joy to work with. You will not be disappointed... their service is Excellent!

~Summark Faces