Carolyn Burke STL Blog

While many couples prefer the traditional feel of a church ceremony, a growing number are choosing a more personalized vow exchange. This shift has created plenty of opportunity for Carolyn Burke - Wedding Officiant , an ordained non-religious minister based in the St. Louis Metro Area. Since 2005, Burke has specialized in officiating at non-religious or secular weddings , specifically those that do not mention a deity. Over the years, she has seen a steady growth for such ceremonies which she calls, "Short, Sweet and Simple". St Louis Wedding Officiant  Burke enjoys working with clients who seek the path less traveled on their wedding day. They find out about her unique services from using internet search engines, vendor referrals, and word-of-mouth. "You put the words ' Elope St. Louis ' and I am number one in the search engines", states Burke. “Planning a wedding can be great fun if it's done in the spirit of joy rather than the spirit of follo...

Everybody LOVES my Pinterest Boards View hundreds of images, tips, and more... CarolynBurke STL BOARDS Couple / Client Testimonials Elope at Kaldi's Coffee Elope in Kirkwood Elope in Forest Park Elope in St Louis Elope in Tower Grove Park Elopement Bouquets Jewel Box Weddings LGBT Marriage STL My Couples St Louis Ceremonies St Louis Venues St Louis Weddings St Louis Wedding Blog and Tips What is Pinterest? The world’s catalog of ideas. A virtual inspiration board. Find and save wedding venues, style inspiration, photography shots and more. Don't blame me if you become addicted.   Carolyn Burke | Officiant | 314.821.4844

St Louis City Hall has a beautiful rotunda that allows couples to elope AFTER HOURS (after 6pm on weekdays or on weekends) for a fee.  If you are having more than six guests with you, you need to clear the date and time with the Special Events Department at 314-589-6640. Bride Gets Back To Her Roots With Sweet St. Louis City Hall Wedding Erin and Luke live together in New Orleans, but when it came time to choose a wedding location, they opted to tie the knot in the bride’s hometown of St. Louis instead. They said their “I dos” in the marble rotunda of St. Louis City Hall surrounded by only their families and wedding officiant Carolyn Burke. The Marble Rotunda of St Louis City Hall Carolyn Burke Wedding Officiant The couple first met online while they were both busy grad students, bonding over their shared sense of humor and love of traveling. Erin and Luke told HuffPost they couldn’t be happier with their decision to do a city hall wedding instead of a more elabor...

The word ELOPE used to mean "to run away with a lover, with the intention of getting married." Today it means having a small, quick, intimate wedding without the stigma of running away. ​Elope at any location like your hotel lobby, public park, favorite restaurant. Sounds romantic, right? But why Kirkwood , Missouri? Carolyn Burke - Wedding Officiant  has been performing elopement ceremonies since 2005.  She charges a nominal fee ($75) in Kirkwood because she lives and works there and considers her town to be the PERFECT place for a small and intimate ceremony. "We have beautiful parks, a train station, bandstands, gazebos, restaurants, and even a bed and breakfast for the honeymoon night," says Burke. Hazel Nichols, from Potosi, Missouri had the perfect plan. She called Carolyn Burke the morning of July 3rd wondering if she is available to perform an elopement ceremony for her and her soon-to-be-husband, Danny Goodson that same day. There are many reas...

Fun photographs from a Summer Elopement at Busch Stadium for Kelsie and Chris. Photo Credit : Jaimie Nicole Krause with ModernSTLPhoto.com Ceremony on the Baseball Field Exchanging Vows You May Share Your First Kiss As Husband and Wife We Eloped in St Louis Kisses in the Dug Out CLICK HERE To Learn More About Elopement Packages at Busch Stadium See Also ElopeInStLouis.com Tristan+Jeff = Busch Stadium Hilary+Daniel Elope at Busch Stadium

The Artful Affair This City Hall Soiree The Backyard Gathering The Hotel Lobby Or the Woods A Rooftop This Courthouse Couple A Party of Four A Family Gathering A Park Pavilion The Downtown Loft Two Grooms Two Brides The Old Courthouse A Sign-worthy Pair Forest Park Tower Grove Park Lafayette Square Bee Tree When it comes to getting married . . .  You don't always need a long guest list or a lavish location. Or even an expensive suit and gown. To make a day that two people will always remember, all you need is  LOVE Plus an officiant and the legal document. But mostly - just LOVE Contact Carolyn Burke - Wedding Officiant 314.821.4844 www.carolyn-burke.com

Let Us Help You Find A Venue for Your Elopement Do you want the thrill of eloping, but don't know where to start? Let Elope In St Louis provide an officiant, flowers, photographer and advice on locations. Terms and Conditions Must Book the Deluxe Elopement Package that includes officiant and may include flowers, photographer and more.  Venue rental fees may apply. Follow Carolyn Burke - Wedding Liaison's board Elope in St Louis on Pinterest.

Making the decision to get married is not something to take lightly.  The words that I speak during the Opening Words are clear, "Marriage is a partnership freely chosen and founded on friendship, trust and respect.  A partnership that encourages open communication, self-expression, the sharing of knowledge, and a zest for life." Tiffany and Corey have this partnership and decided NOW was the time to make their love LEGAL in their eyes and the eyes of their family and friends - and the government - who, as we know make life easier for taxes, health insurance, and more. Tiffany saw my campaign on Pinterest  and she wanted to have the elopement in Forest Park at the World's Fair Pavilion at a Cakeway to the West . World's Fair Pavilion in Forest Park As you can see, this is a great location for an elopement or renewal of vows for any couple looking for a unique way to celebrate their love. TIP: Be careful when choosing a Cakeway to the West #stl250 because ...

I was out for some evening shopping and came back to find that I had three voice mail messages.  Inquiries after 5pm are not rare, but two out of three were from the same phone number.  Anita and Paul called from Milwaukee saying they were leaving at 4AM to drive to St. Louis to elope and would I be available. My calendar was clear as many Tuesdays are for the most part.  Good thing I called them back even though it was after 9pm.  Anita was so sweet on the phone.  She had already done all the research for Marriage Laws in Missouri.  There is no waiting period like there is in Wisconsin where the waiting period is 6 days. When a couple TRULY elopes - six days is too long! I estimated that if they left at 4am in Milwaukee they would be in St. Louis around 10am.  In downtown St. Louis there are many choices.  My favorites are the City Garden which is walking distance from City Hall or the infamous Gateway Arch . Anita and Paul a...

The Street Corner Where Sean Proposed I have never been asked to perform an elopement  ceremony for a couple on a street corner.  But that is exactly what I did for Michelle + Sean who asked to meet at Olive Street and Grand Boulevard in the heart of Grand Center  in St. Louis MO.  It was in the middle of the afternoon in September so the weather was hot. I parked my car on the closest side street.  We met in the shade since is was so hot.  I saw a quiet space off the sidewalk in the shade, but the couple was determined to do it at Olive and Grand.  Michelle asked two of her girl friends to witness and no one else was in attendance.  Unless you count the multitude of people getting on and off at the nearby bus stop.  While I was performing the ceremony, a loud conversation was going on between a small group of women walking by who did not even notice we were there, and why should they? We were literally at the street corner...

I had fun with a couple who love the number SEVEN !! Kelly and James 07-07-07 at 7:07am Kelly and James were unique and it was to be the EARLIEST ceremony I have ever performed. They liked the idea of getting married at St Louis' national monument, the Gateway Arch . So do I - many couples make this their choice of location.  As long as the guest count is less than 20 people, you do not have to notify them of the event.  No chairs, no music, just LOVE and DEVOTION. Well, Kelly and James wanted to keep their ceremony in the 'down low'.  They did not want to tell anyone about the ceremony - maybe they are shy - who knows!  Couples who elope like this do not need to know their witnesses.  But at 7:00 in the morning, I was not going to take any chances. They needed to provide their own witnesses or else stop someone RUNNING that early and the chances of finding two runners - pretty near impossible.  They asked their neighbors who were a bit older t...

I have performed ceremonies in many locations: a park, backyard, hall, poolside. But how many of you would consider a busy street corner? Michelle and Sean did just that. They chose Olive and Grand in the Grand Center neighborhood. During the ceremony people walked by, talking and moving quickly down the sidewalk. Cars drove by in wonder. Why get married at Olive and Grand? It was where Sean proposed to Michelle! Since they wanted something short and sweet, all they needed was two witnesses and a location. So there you have it......