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Contemporary and Traditional Catholic Weddings

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5.0
(70)best-of-weddings

Virginia, Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey

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About This Vendor

Compassionately Presiding Over Diverse Unions

Contemporary and Traditional Catholic Wedding is a wedding officiant and marriage counselor based in Centreville, VA. As the founder, Father Jason Lody is devoted to providing happy couples with non-judgmental services in Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. With a compassionate approach, he aspires to help soon-to-be spouses feel comfortable and empowered throughout their ceremony. Father Jason is focused on breaking down some of the barriers associated with traditional Catholic wedding services. This kind and welcoming officiant is more than happy to preside over LGBTQ+ unions and second weddings. His priority is ensuring that contemporary Catholics can receive a ceremony that aligns with their spiritual beliefs and identities. This individual is highly educated, having received a bachelor’s degree in theology from LaSalle University and a master’s degree in school administration from The Catholic University of America. Additionally, he also finished his doctoral studies where he focused on education policy and effective administrative practices. Now, Father Jason serves as the pastor of St. Anthony of Padua. This officiant is happy to customize your ceremony. You can meet with Father Jason to discuss any personalized elements that you wish to include. These may be readings from scriptures or other sources, traditional or hand-written vows, and cultural traditions. Contemporary and Traditional Catholic Wedding offers bilingual services, premarital counseling, and marriage counseling.

Details

Business Attributes
LGBTQ+-owned Business
Ceremony Types
Commitment Ceremony, Interfaith Ceremony, Non-Religious Ceremony, Religious Ceremony, Second Wedding , Vow Renewal Ceremony
Planning
Se Habla Español
Religious Affiliations
Christian, Catholic, Protestant, Interfaith, Spiritual
Wedding Activities
After The Wedding, Newlywed Life, Premarital Counseling, Wedding, Ceremony
Awards and Affiliations
Hall of Fame2021 Best of Weddings Winner2020 Best of Weddings Winner2019 Best of Weddings Winner2018 Best of Weddings Winner

Contemporary and Traditional Catholic Weddings Reviews

Share your thoughts with other couples
Reviewed On 11/17/2020 by Zack M
We knew we made the right choice with Father Jason several months ago when we were looking for a way to balance our desire for a progressive wedding ceremony while still respecting and honoring our family's faith. However, the true surprise of...
our wedding was how almost every single one of our guests came up to us after the ceremony and said "I don't know how or where you lucked out in finding your officiant, but he was the perfect choice" Jason was able to be flexible and deliver exactly what we were looking for, even as our plans were changing (pandemic related) right up until the last minute. As the bride and groom, that was plenty for our 5 star review here. But then even more than that, he also made sure our guests had an enjoyable and memorable time as well! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Reviewed On 11/16/2020 by Mary S
Father Jason was great to work with and we cannot imagine our ceremony without him! We were so thankful to be able to include Catholic traditions in our outdoor wedding. Father Jason is so kind and welcoming and made us feel so comfortable th...
roughout the process. So many of our guests commented on how personable he was during the ceremony and said it was one of the best wedding ceremonies they have been to!
Reviewed On 11/15/2020 by Rachelle B
We are so happy we found Father Jason and the St. Anthony’s parish! As an LGBT couple, we were so excited to be able to include not only Catholic traditions in our ceremony, but also Filipino Catholic traditions that are very special to my fami...
ly. From our first meeting, Father Jason was so kind and welcoming. With the ongoing pandemic, my now wife and I weren’t certain we would still have our fall wedding, but once we made the decision to continue with a small ceremony, Father Jason helped keep us excited leading up to our big day. He was very thoughtful during our planning sessions, making sure our ceremony flowed together well. We had so many of our guests comment on how beautiful our ceremony was, it was so much better than we ever imagined and it’s all thanks to Father J!
Reviewed On 11/04/2020 by Maggie S
Father Jason is AMAZING! We got complaints all night about how amazing our ceremony was. I could not imagine my wedding ceremony without him. Father Jason gave wonderful recommendation on how to personalize our ceremony and about reading.
Reviewed On 11/03/2020 by Savannah N
We chose Father Jason for our wedding ceremony on November 1, 2020 and we had such an amazing experience. He was so attentive, down to earth, available for FaceTime call check ins about ceremony planning and he even gave our guests a few laughs...
! He was all around our favorite person to work with! Before the wedding, he even took the time to look over our self written vows and ceremony program. We wanted to do handfasting as our unity ceremony and Father Jason was so supportive and offered great advice on how to perfectly perform this special part of our ceremony. We are so thankful Father Jason was a part of our big day and we’ll be recommending him to all our friends.
Reviewed On 10/13/2020 by Lauren B
Father Jason provided us with the ideal elopement ceremony. We had two conversations with him prior to our ceremony to describe exactly what we would like and he certainly delivered! He is fun, thoughtful, creative, and incredibly kind. Fathe...
r Jason provided us with modern, spiritual ceremony focused on love that was not heavily religious which is what we were looking for. We found his suggestions and guidance to tremendously helpful as well. We highly recommend hiring him!
Reviewed On 10/12/2020 by Pat O
Father Jason provided us with an excellent service. We planned our wedding in the middle of the COVID restrictions and Father Jason was very helpful in planning the ceremony. At the very least, we knew that we could count on him to be our off...
iciant, even if it turned out we couldn't have any guests. Fortunately, that turned out to not be the case. :) Father Jason worked with us to tailor the ceremony as we desired, and gave a beautiful homily. We couldn't be happier with how the ceremony went!
Reviewed On 9/29/2020 by Chelsea K
I cannot say enough good things about Fr. Jason!! As a COVID bride, nothing seemed easy or fair but Fr. Jason worked with us when we had to rearrange some plans. He was calming and reassuring through the entire process even when some of our oth...
er vendors were not. Our ceremony was everything we wanted it to be and more!
Reviewed On 8/26/2020 by Josh B
Our goal was to have an out-of-church catholic ceremony and God brought us Father Jason Lody! We couldn't have been happier with this choice, even from our first Facetime meeting (due to COVID) we knew this was the path we wanted to take. Fat...
her Jason truly grasped what we wanted from a ceremony, how we wanted things to tie together, and he was able to incorporate great ideas that captured the essence of God and his Word. The ceremony was everything we could've asked for. Father Jason was able to direct us step by step through the ceremony. We never felt lost or unsure of what to do, we were able to focus on each other and embrace the moment. Father Jason's passion, conviction, and connection with God shined during the ceremony and we truly don't think there is anyone else who would've been a better fit for us. I highly recommend you meet with Father Jason to discuss your vision and how he can be a part of it.
Reviewed On 8/14/2020 by Emily M
Father Lody was awesome! He provided us with an out-of-church Catholic wedding ceremony which is hard to find! Our families loved him! He’s easy to talk to, and we found many nonreligious guests enjoying his company. “That priest was cool!” p...
er many guests. Father Lody was flexible, punctual, and performed a ceremony we will never forget! We highly recommend him to other Catholics looking for an intimate contemporary ceremony!
Reviewed On 7/23/2020 by Nonnie W
Father Jason Lody is amazing! I grew-up Catholic and my fiance (now husband) did not. Fr. Jason kept some Catholic flair to our beautiful ceremony. Due to COVID-19 we decided to get married now and have our big wedding with all our friends and ...
family at a later time. Fr. Jason is very warm, kind, understanding, and very personable. We will be having him again for the big wedding. All of our close family that tuned in on Zoom to watch us say "I do" mentioned how lovely and personable Fr. Jason is. He is very responsive to calls and emails.
Reviewed On 6/25/2020 by Linda P
Father Jason Lody is the perfect wedding officiant! He is very warm and personable, and we felt at ease from our very first meeting via Facetime. Originally, a close family friend was slated to perform our ceremony but due to Covid19 health c...
oncerns, was no longer able to perform our wedding. Father Jason graciously agreed to use the ceremony we had created with our family friend. He responded to questions promptly which helped us feel confident and supported. During the ceremony he was amazing. He made the ceremony meaningful and personal, as well as entertaining. We smiled, laughed, and even shed a few tears – and it was beautiful in every way.
Reviewed On 4/18/2020 by Geordie B
We were slated for a June wedding with Fr. Jason on the docket as our officiant. With the state of things (i.e., Covid-19 and the the CDC recommendation), we decided to alter our plans and get married in a small ceremony in April. We absolute...
ly wanted Fr. Jason to be a part of the event and did everything he could to help make it a day to remember. Considering the circumstances, he was flexible, communicative, understanding, and without much guidance from us, made it a wonderful event. We cannot wait for him to do it again on our official "one-year" ceremony and reception, and more importantly, join his congregation for weekly services.
Reviewed On 1/11/2020 by Kristen K
Father Jason was a phenomenal wedding officiant! He is a very warm, caring, and welcoming person, which made us feel comfortable with him immediately. We had a meeting in person as well as Facetime meetings to assist in planning our ceremony, a...
nd getting to know each other better. Our ceremony was incredibly moving, and we loved all of the beautiful words Fr. Jason chose for us. Many guests commented on our beautiful ceremony, and how engaging and friendly Fr. Jason was before and during our ceremony. Thank you so much Fr. Jason!!
Reviewed On 10/31/2019 by Emily T
Father Jason is an excellent choice to have for officiating your wedding ceremony! We cannot say enough positive qualities about him and highly recommend him. We wanted someone who was invested in us along the way and not simply an officiant ...
who showed up. We had a few facetime sessions (for scheduling reasons made easier) where he got to know my husband and I a little better. He made the ceremony inviting and personal, not to mention entertaining. He made us laugh, smile, and even tear up with his words. The ceremony flowed beautifully with his guidance and many of our family and guests commented on how personable he was.
Reviewed On 10/23/2019 by Elaina D
Father Jason made our wedding service so special. He brought the perfect combination of thoughtfulness, faith, love and humor to the service. I was pleased, but certainly not surprised, by how many guests came up to us afterwards to express h...
ow much they found the service both moving and meaningful. It was a true pleasure to have him as our officiant. I am so glad I chose Fr. Jason to be our officiant!!!
Reviewed On 9/23/2019 by Katherine K
We were looking for someone to officiate our intercultural wedding, and we are so glad we found this church. I was raised in a white Protestant family, and my husband was raised in a Salvadoran Catholic household. We looked into getting married...
at his church, but they would not allow our dog to be in the wedding, which was a deal breaker for us. Since Roman Catholic churches won't let dogs in ceremonies in the church, and rarely make exceptions to have their priests perform marriages outside of a physical church, I had pretty much given up on finding a Catholic officiant, and decided all I could do was st least find an officiant that speaks Spanish. I searched on the Knot, and was so excited to see this. Although Father Jason Lody was not available for our date, he connected us with his colleague, Father Julian Garcia. Father Julian was the best fit we could have asked for. A native Spanish speaker who is fluent in English, non-judgmental, willing to go to our venue, open to our ideas and what we wanted to include in our ceremony, and even if he is not Roman Catholic, the American National Catholic Church uses the same prayers, etc. Father Julian let us go as traditional or non-traditional as we wanted, and was happy to deliver the bible readings in both English and Spanish at our request. He was welcoming and kind every time we met him, and told us he would be there for us if we needed him before or after the wedding. I highly recommend this church!
Reviewed On 9/03/2019 by Sevonnah D
Fr. Jason was a pleasure to work with, he was very responsive through out the planning process. We found St. Anthony’s because my husband and I are both from catholic families but really wanted an outdoor ceremony. Father Jason and St. Anthony’...
s made it possible to have the best of both worlds.
Reviewed On 8/21/2019 by Brittany R
Father Jason Lody is INCREDIBLE!!! He made our ceremony so special and sentimental, we absolutely loved it. We both grew up catholic, but do not regularly practice. We did not want a church wedding, but wanted to incorporate religion into our w...
edding. Fr. Jason listened to what we wanted, he sat down and spoke with us on a couple occasions and really made us feel comfortable. We received SO many comments on how wonderful the ceremony was. We 100% recommend Father Jason Lody!
Reviewed On 8/04/2019 by Tom C
My wife and I feel truly lucky to have worked with Father Jason for our wedding. From the moment we began the planning process, he was thoughtful, kind, and flexible, partnering with us to craft a ceremony that both honored my family's Catholic...
traditions as well as our more progressive values. Among the elements we were able to incorporate were secular and Biblical readings, personalized vows, and a handfasting ceremony. The ceremony was also held in an outdoor venue that allowed us to be surrounded by nature's beauty (something my wife and I hold dear). Fr. Jason truly embodies a spirit of "meeting people where they are at," and led us through the process with a sincere interest in where we as a couple were coming from. What's more, he has a calm presence and a great sense of humor, which was much appreciated on the day of, when the ceremony was delayed by weather and a snafu with the shuttle company. At the end of the day, our ceremony was unique and beautiful, and we received tons of compliments from friends and family from a wide array of faith backgrounds and perspectives. Thank you Fr. Jason!
Reviewed On 8/03/2019 by Jacqueline L
AMAZING! We had a contemporary wedding ceremony and Father Jason's words had the perfect balance of eloquence and hilarity. The ceremony was personal, thoughtful and had the exact amount of religion that we wanted. The wedding guests (and bri...
de and groom) were laughing and crying. We really couldn't imagine it going any better. We had multiple guests ask how we met Father Jason because their reaction to the ceremony was that we'd known him for a long time. Guests were also asking how they could connect with Father Jason to book him for their own ceremony. WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND FATHER JASON!!!!
Reviewed On 7/14/2019 by Erin D
We are so grateful to Fr. Jason for working with us for almost a year leading up to our wedding and officiating such a beautiful, personalized, and memorable wedding ceremony. In planning our wedding, we knew we wanted to get married outside bu...
t have a ceremony that respected my Catholic upbringing. Fr. Jason turned what started out as a stressful experience with our families to the most meaningful wedding ceremony imaginable. From the beginning, Fr. Jason helped us feel comfortable, heard, positive, and truly excited about planning our ceremony together. He helped guide us in picking readings, songs, and personal touches to help the ceremony feel like us; it was the perfect blend of sentimental, personalized, and traditional. Fr. Jason cared about getting to know us and met with us a few times in person and additionally over the phone to not just prepare for our ceremony but, more importantly, our marriage. He helped us with marriage license questions, and was fantastic the day of - arriving early and checking in on us that day. The biggest endorsement was just how many people complimented us on such a beautiful, meaningful, heartfelt ceremony -- many of the same people that felt unease when hearing we wouldn't be having a Catholic mass. I can't recommend Fr. Jason highly enough and am so grateful for the beautiful memories he helped us create.
Reviewed On 6/24/2019 by Caitlin O
Father Jason was an absolute pleasure to work with! In the planning process, he was so responsive and organized. We also really appreciated that he was laid back and put us at ease. My family is Catholic and religion was an important part of...
our ceremony but he did not pressure us into making our ceremony overly religious. He allowed the ceremony to focus on us and who we are as a couple. At our wedding all of our guests commented that the ceremony was the perfect length and touching but at the same time funny. Father Jason did an amazing job and we could not have been happier.
Reviewed On 6/17/2019 by Genie C
Father Jason was an amazing officiant for our wedding. Professional, caring, and approachable. We were very happy that he was aware of traditional Filipino Catholic practices and incorporated these elements in our ceremony. He had an excellent ...
homily and made our wedding truly memorable and perfect. Highly recommended!
Reviewed On 6/03/2019 by Bryan S
Simply put, Father Jason was the perfect officiant for our special day. I reached out to him because I wanted as much of a traditional Catholic ceremony as possible, but one that would also work with our venue and reflecting contemporary attitu...
des. We were able to experience an amazing Sunday mass with him when we met for the first time, and he immediately made it clear that you can personalize the ceremony to your liking. We had two unique aspects of our ceremony that he was totally on board with. He was incredibly enthusiastic to learn about my fiance and I, and our relationship, and that dedication came through during the ceremony. Nearly every guest complimented Father Jason's poise, personality, and genuine connection to the day and to us. I would highly recommend that couples take advantage of Father Jason's pre-marital questionnaire and follow-up meetings with him. In fact, he was able to FaceTime with us only a few days before the wedding when we wanted to go over the timeline one last time. He did this standing in his backyard even as he was experiencing some problems with his house and property. We can't say enough wonderful things about Father Jason and his approach to being an officiant, to marriage, to the Church, and to life. When you select him to preside over your special day, you are truly valued every step of the way. Our wedding would not have been as perfect as it was without Father Jason.
Reviewed On 6/03/2019 by Kristina P
Father Jason did an excellent job at our ceremony. We attended mass first and then met with him and we instantly felt so aligned with his church and their mission. We were running late that day as we were coming from Maryland and he was waiting...
outside the church waiting to welcome us / start until we got there! He is very kind and was very helpful in guiding me through how to plan the ceremony and decide what elements I wanted to include so that it was as personal as possible. My in-laws were adamant about a catholic church wedding but my fiance and I wanted to get married outside at our reception venue, something most roman catholic dioceses will not allow. Father Jason was able to provide a traditional catholic ceremony at the location we'd been hoping for. He did an excellent job and I feel so lucky that he performed our ceremony. Highly recommend!
Reviewed On 5/26/2019 by Kristen G
Fr. Jason was an amazing officiant for our wedding. My fiance and I are both Catholic so it was nice to have a priest officiate our wedding at our venue. Fr Jason was very professional and friendly and offers free pre-marital sessions as freque...
nt as you would like leading up to the wedding. He was also flexible and very responsive. He made our wedding so special and personal and we received a lot of compliments.
Reviewed On 4/05/2019 by Tara C
We were so glad to have met Fr. Jason. My husband is divorced so we had to look outside of our church for a priest to marry us. Fr. Jason was easy to contact via e-mail, convenient to meet with and made the planning and execution of our weddi...
ng ceremony totally stress free. More importantly, our wedding ceremony was beautiful and meaningful. I would highly recommend contacting Fr. Jason to officiate your wedding ceremony.
Reviewed On 2/22/2019 by Katherine R
Father Jason was great. Everything was straightforward and simple. He arrived early. Everything was a select what you want- perfect when the coupe had no idea where to start! We didn't do a first look so he had the groom stand with his back to ...
me, only to turn around as I walked down the isle. It was a nice touch! He brought humor to the ceremony, which was exactly what we wanted.
Reviewed On 2/06/2019 by Erin M
Father Jason was INCREDIBLE to work with. He took the time to understand who we are as individuals, as a couple and who our families are. He worked perfectly with our other half of our ceremony. We are so lucky to have found and worked with hi...
m. If you are looking for an officiant he is the person you want to work with. He has a wonderful personality, a great balance between serious and humorous which was perfect for what we needed. I would give him 10 stars- Such an amazing experience.
Reviewed On 1/14/2019 by Monica B
There is none better then Father Jason. He officiated my brother's wedding several years earlier and ours in Dec. 2018. His presence and humor put you at ease. He is so respectful and genuine about his desire to make your ceremony special. My s...
pouse and I were looking for a ceremony that reflected both of our distinct cultures and upbringings while still being respectful of my Catholic roots. Fr. Jason was able to do this so beautifully and we received so many compliments about or ceremony from guests. He was very willing to work with you and customize your ceremony if you were looking for a specific prayer(s) or ritual. In sum, please do yourself a favor and have Fr. Jason as your officiant. You won't regret it!
Reviewed On 1/02/2019 by Hannah S
We were very happy to find Fr. Jason for our wedding in September of 2018. He was so generous with his time - allowing for in-person and FaceTime pre-marriage counseling meetings as often as we would like. He gave great advice and helped us to ...
prepare for marriage. We were hoping for a marriage ceremony that allowed us to combine our faiths and get married outside. Fr. Jason was so understanding and worked with us to make the ceremony unique to our love, family, and faiths. Additionally, we really enjoyed learning about the American National Catholic Church and expanding our views. We would highly recommend Fr. Jason to any couple!
Reviewed On 12/11/2018 by Ashlea P
Father Jason Lody created a ceremony that went above and beyond my expectations! Regarding the first meeting with Father Jason, my husband and I noticed immediately the kind and light-hearted mannerisms Father Jason had, putting both of us at e...
ase. He is extremely easy to talk to and truly listens to what is being said. We decided to book him and liked the fact that his fee goes straight to the church. We opted for the counseling sessions, and he was extremely open and allowed us to discuss what we felt were areas that were strongest and those that could use improvement in a safe space. He allows us, for the most part, to determine how many sessions we want, what the topics of discussion will be, and advice/previous experiences. I was concerned when he said he doesn’t attend rehearsal dinners and he simply responded, “don’t think just repeat after me on that day and you’ll be fine!”. Sure enough, he was right! For the day of, he came an hour early to help set up and to meet the wedding party. His ceremony – including two readings, a unity candle lighting, blessings, a short homily, exchange of rings and vows, etc – was about 30 minutes; that was the perfect amount of time and allowed the ceremony to be short, sweet, and to the point without a dry eye in the room! Guests afterwards praised his ceremony and thought it was “perfectly us” and “the right blend of romantic and religious”. We enjoyed his presence and what he taught us that now we attend his church! If in the area, I would highly recommend Father Jason for a truly customizable ceremony that will fit any vision for the big day!
Reviewed On 10/23/2018 by Brian H
We cannot picture our wedding ceremony without Father Jason. He made what seemed like a daunting process to find a priest who would marry us outside at a winery very easy for us. He was unbelievably approachable, genuine, and transparent with...
us, not to mention super flexible with how we envisioned our ceremony proceedings. Day of, Father Jason was so professional and calm, which helped us immensely! Afterwards, we got SO many compliments from our guests and family on how amazing our wedding ceremony was, so a huge THANK YOU to Father Jason Lody and a full recommendation on his behalf!
Reviewed On 10/23/2018 by Kim W
Fr. Jason Lody was a perfect fit for the type of ceremony we wanted for our wedding. He completely understood and embraced our style and our views and could relate to us on levels we never expected. He took the time to chat with us over facetim...
e since we were not local to the VA area working around our crazy schedules. He offered premarital counseling also with his day of services which is helpful insight to your partner before moving forward. He was warm and welcoming and we immediately felt we had made the right decision the first time we spoke to him. We loved that he was open and completely non-judgmental to our ways of doing things. He gave us good feedback into learning more about each other and growing with each other. He gave us the religious aspect we wanted but wasn't in your face about it. He did an incredible job at the ceremony, giving such a loving and meaningful homily and even some laughs throughout to completely make it ours. We were both so pleased with the decision we made to use Fr Jason, we'd wish every priest would lead the type of path he leads. He was the perfect choice to preform this sacrament for us. You will love him, just like we do!
Reviewed On 9/24/2018 by Megan K
I'm so thankful that I found Father Jason to officiate our ceremony on Sept. 22, 2018 on the rooftop of The Watergate Hotel. My husband Adam and I were both raised Catholic and wanted something close to a traditional ceremony while taking place...
at our venue. He created the perfect balance of religion, personalization, and humor to make it uniquely ours. Aside from the actual wedding day, he was wonderful to talk to leading up to the ceremony. We live in Florida so we spoke with him via FaceTime and it felt like we had known him for years. His insight, advice, and confidence in us as a couple was really valuable and appreciated. Adam and I give him our highest recommendation for anyone in need of an officiant. Thanks, Father J!
Reviewed On 9/21/2018 by Sara V
Father Jason was an excellent choice as officiant for our wedding ceremony at my parent's home. My husband and I grew up Catholic but have been somewhat distant from the Church while living abroad for the last 10+ years. Father Jason's brand ...
of Catholicism truly resonated with both myself and Pete. He is open, warm, educated, enlightened, passionate, professional and accommodating. Whether scheduling phone calls with us based on time zone restrictions, sending emails that addressed our questions and seeking to understand us as a couple, Father Jason proved himself to be the perfect celebrant for our ceremony. He understood our priorities and adapted those to his sermon. Highly recommend Father Jason if you are looking for an inclusive figure that truly embodies the spirit of being a good Catholic.
Reviewed On 9/12/2018 by Anjuli B
Friar Jason was a true professional and a great orator during our ceremony. He made us feel at ease during a day when your nerves can get the best of you. The Catholic Ceremony went better than we could have imagined and he also did an amazing ...
job with the hand-fasting portion of the ceremony! Thank you Friar Jason for making our day that much more special :)
Reviewed On 7/12/2018 by knottied92d30541ff8f5d6
Father Jason did an amazing, meaningful ceremony for us. He was extremely responsive and provided a ton of helpful resources. Most of our friends and family who attended are not religious and I was afraid they would feel out of place during the...
ceremony, but I got a lot of comments afterwards about how much they loved the homily and the message about love. Father Jason brought a lot of warmth and personality, and I can't thank him enough for giving us the best part of our wedding day.
Reviewed On 7/03/2018 by Sara S
Father Jason was AMAZING to work with and our ceremony was exactly what we imagined for ourselves! We met with Father Jason twice before our wedding (once to meet and another time to chit chat) and right away we knew he was our guy! He was so p...
ersonable and easy to talk to. It was important to our families that we had a Catholic ceremony but we really wanted to get married outside at our venue. Father Jason was able to do this for us and it made the ceremony equally about us as a couple and the Catholic faith. He had us look at our guests twice to really take in the love that was around us. It was amazing and we are thrilled he was part of our day!
Reviewed On 6/25/2018 by Ron K
Father Jason was absolutely wonderful as our officiant. My bride is Roman Catholic and I trend more toward non-specific spiritual. The ceremony he provided was simple, meaningful, elegant, and full of warmth. When you first talk with Father Ja...
son, you will feel that warmth and an undertone of humor. Beyond that warmth, he also is extraordinarily organized as our consultation for the service went so smoothly that we stopped worrying immediately. I’d give him ten out of ten stars if possible. Father Jason is highly recommended.
Reviewed On 6/20/2018 by Heather A
Fr. Jason did the most amazing job officiating our ceremony! We could not have asked for more! He was extremely responsive throughout the entire process to questions and requests. In one instance, we had to reschedule a meeting to discuss the ...
ceremony format because my grandmother was ill. Not only was Fr. Jason extremely accommodating and willing to reschedule, he also told me during our meeting that he and his congregation had prayed for my grandmother's health. This meant the world to me, to know that my wedding officiant truly had my family's best interests at heart! During the day of the wedding, he was timely and eloquent, and he provided a little comic relief at all the right moments. We asked for a handfasting ceremony in addition to the abbreviated Catholic ceremony, which he practiced for us and delivered beautifully! Everything was absolutely perfect and we are so grateful to have had Fr. Jason officiate our wedding.
Reviewed On 6/12/2018 by Jessica S
Father Jason made our ceremony feel special. We were able to have whatever readings we desired, he gave a great homily and our family was ecstatic about bring God into our outdoor ceremony.
Reviewed On 6/08/2018 by Allison S
Father Jason is an absolutely wonderful officiant. He lead our ceremony with a great mix of joy, seriousness, humor, and grace, especially given that we had a rain delay. He was also very responsive, open, and helpful during the entire pre-wedd...
ing process.
Reviewed On 5/31/2018 by Jillian G
Father Jason was absolutely amazing! We had so many compliments from our wedding guests on what an amazing ceremony it was because of Father Jason.He is very flexible to work with and tailors the ceremony to meet your individual preferences.
Reviewed On 12/16/2017 by Melanie S
Father Jason was fantastic! We highly recommend him!! He was kind, thoughtful and gracious throughout the entire process. His humor (not too much, not too little) and spot on for the ceremony delighted our guests and brightened our evening. We ...
have him to thank for making our wedding an effortless and wonderful event. We HIGHLY RECOMMEND Father Jason!
Reviewed On 12/07/2017 by Tara L
Father Lody was amazing from pre-wedding to day of! We were so lucky to find him and click from the first meeting. Having a Catholic wedding outside was important to me and who would marry us even more so. Father Lody was everything we could...
ask for and more! Our guests laughed, cried and treasured all the moments of our ceremony. After, we received numerous emails about Father Jason and where they could attend mass. He was a huge hit with our guests and our families. To have almost 200 people witness a ceremony and feel intimate is no small task and he did it. You felt the emotion as he included everyone and made the ceremony what it should be- togetherness. We are thrilled we found Father Jason.
Reviewed On 11/26/2017 by eva P
Fr. Jason Lody, was amazing. We, along with our friends and family really enjoyed his sense of humor! He made the ceremony prep painless and is awesome with communicating and making you feel prepared!
Reviewed On 10/31/2017 by Wendy P
Fr. Jason was exactly what my now husband and I were looking for. Very professional and punctual. He answered all our questions and had us ready to walk in to our ceremony with no doubts. We are very happy. Highly reccomend!!!
Reviewed On 10/30/2017 by An L
Father Jason was absolutely a pleasure to work with! As a Catholic marrying a Buddhist, my wife and I wanted an outdoor/offsite ceremony while still having a traditional ceremony/mass. We were very glad to find that Father Jason was able to acc...
ommodate both of our needs and was helpful through each step from martial counseling, availability for questions, wedding rehearsal and day of wedding. During counseling, Father Jason helped us by initiating various conversations and allowing us to work through various scenarios. He did not pressure or try to persuade one side or the other that something was right or wrong but observed, listened and guided us accordingly. Leading up to our big day, Father Jason was easily reachable by email when we had questions about readings, songs, day of logistics, etc. On the day of our wedding, Father Jason arrived early and our ceremony went without a hitch. The ceremony was beautiful, his homily was personable and the experience was oriented towards our love and our families. After our wedding, everyone commented on how much they enjoyed the ceremony and Father Jason! We highly recommend Father Jason!
Reviewed On 10/30/2017 by Meghan M
In short, Fr Jason Lody made our wedding ceremony incredibly personal and engaging, and we feel so very lucky to have had him officiate. If Fr. Jason is available for your wedding, I cannot imagine anyone better to officiate your ceremony and b...
e present as you begin your marriage. We cannot say enough about him and plan to visit him in Centreville as frequently as we can. THANK YOU, FATHER JASON! Background: My husband and I were both raised Catholic on Long Island- he was married once before and did not have an annulment, and neither of us ever became part of a local congregation (officially or otherwise). Additionally, we both wanted to hold our ceremony outdoors, while maintaining the tradition of a Catholic ceremony. The task of finding a religious officiant seemed slightly daunting, but after a few days of searching using various key words, we found Fr. Jason. Initial Communications: From the first communication, we wanted Fr. Jason to officiate our wedding. He was quick to respond to e-mails, and when we decided to meet him, he asked us to come after mass at St. Anthony’s. We decided to attend to get a feel for his style, and have never been part of a warmer, more personal service. A few of his future couples were in the audience – he remembered their wedding dates, names, and even cited the readings they chose. Our introductory meeting after the mass felt like meeting of old friends- his sense of humor meshed easily with ours and we were immediately comfortable. The process to confirm the date was simple with a donation to the church, and we were relieved he was available. Preparation/Rehearsal: Fr. Jason provides a very simple outline of the traditional Catholic ceremony, and allows each couple to select readings and a unity ceremony that speak to them. When we sent him our readings he provided great feedback, as well as tips/tricks for executing the unity candle ceremony outdoors. He does not attend the rehearsal when there’s no mass, which was no problem for us. We had a prep call the week of the wedding, where he walked us through each and every detail, more so than any other rehearsal. Wedding Ceremony: Fr. Jason arrived to the ceremony site an hour early and worked directly with our wedding coordinator to confirm the details, timing, placement, etc., all of which aligned directly to our previous discussion. Fr. Jason made it so that my husband and I didn’t have to think about anything but the moment and each other. For each part of the ceremony, he told us exactly what to do and how to do it. His homily and blessing were funny, sweet, and poignant. Our absolute favorite part was when he paused and encouraged us to look out at our family and friends smiling back at us. It allowed us to truly absorb the moment and for me, see everyone for the first time, since my laser focus all the way up the aisle was on my groom. Post Wedding: After a sweet moment with just my husband and I just after the ceremony, Fr. Jason took a selfie with us and confirmed his plan to send out the signed marriage license (which he did the following day). So many guests asked if he was our parish priest, and how long we knew him. Every guest felt that the mass was simply “us,” which is all we could’ve hoped for.
Reviewed On 10/30/2017 by Naomi C
Father Jason Lody was a pleasure to work with! He was flexible throughout the entire process and allowed my father and uncle to be a part of the ceremony; my father sang "Hallelujah" while my uncle played the guitar. It was really quite special...
! Thank you, Father Jason for making my wedding day a beautiful and memorable one!
Reviewed On 10/29/2017 by Gina Z
Fr. Jason Lody did a wonderful job officiating our wedding! I am Catholic and my fiance is a non-practicing Methodist. We also were getting married outside. While other Catholic churchs would not bless our marriage because of our "nontradition...
al" relationship, Fr. Jason did so beautifully. He made our ceremony personal, even though he did not know us personally. I highly recommend Fr. Jason if you want to have a Catholic ceremony but aren't having a traditionally Catholic wedding.
Reviewed On 10/26/2017 by jos j
Father Jason Lody is a compassionate, caring celebrant whose gentle smile and calm demeanor reassure those who come to him. He is a wedding officiate whose passion is serving as a conduit for those seeking to receive the graces a marriage cere...
mony bestows. Ours was an intimate celebration for a mature, divorced couple seeking to bless their union within the norms of Catholic tradition. Father Jason guided us in structuring an event suitable for the ten witnesses we selected. Our invitees included members of the Buddhist tradition, the Jewish faith, and those whose attendance at a house of worship was less than occasional. Father Lody ensured our readings and vows were tailored and unique to our shared experiences, the sequence of events embraced the intimate chapel surroundings, and that he, as celebrant, remained flexible and fully committed to ensuring our union was a blessing for all involved. We attribute our memorable, stress free, and consecrated event to the sprit filled, joyful, and practical insights of Father Jason Lody. We highly recommend Father Lody to any couple seeking a contemporary and traditional Catholic wedding officiate as well as those seeking to merely bestow blessings upon their union.
Reviewed On 10/25/2017 by Emily G
Father Jason was great! I'm a (lapsed) Catholic and my now-husband is (lapsed) Baptist, plus my father's side of the family is Jewish and several of our guests are LGBT. We wanted everyone to feel included, but still have a touch of the religio...
us background we both grew up with. Father Jason to the rescue! Our initial meeting with him went much longer than expected as he explained his practice to us and we felt it was a really great fit. Unfortunately we did not get a chance to do the pre-marital counseling, but even without it many people asked us afterwards how long we had known Father Jason. They could not believe that we had only met with him twice! He puts everyone at ease and is extremely accommodating. Everything was perfectly timed and was formal enough to satisfy traditionalists (like my mother) while still having a touch of fun. Matt and I had my aunt do a reading, wrote our own vows, and did a knot-tying in lieu of a unity candle or sand. Father Jason rolled with whatever we decided and got in on the jokes when appropriate (like our ringbearer forgetting to take back the football and baseball our rings were tied to). Overall, a wonderful experience for both us and our guests. Highly recommend!
Reviewed On 10/24/2017 by Victoria C
Father Lody is AMAZING! We wanted to still have a Catholic wedding, but outside. Father Lody met with us, and let us run with our ideas for the ceremony. He did the traditional Catholic vows, and allowed my husband to give a vow to my daughter ...
as well. It was a beautiful day, and many of my guests commented on how beautiful the ceremony was, thanks to Father Lody. You won't find a more thoughtful and kind pastor. He was a wonderful and integral part of our wedding.
Reviewed On 10/18/2017 by Katie Y
Father Jason Lody is the best! We grew up Catholic, but have always dreamed of having an outdoor wedding, so when we informed us that he could perform a "spiritual" Catholic wedding outside, we were thrilled. He even offers an included pre-mari...
tal counseling session. He had both me and my husband fill out a pre-marital questionnaire before coming in to meet him and we talked to him for over an hour like he had known us for years! The ceremony was beautiful. He kept it the exact length we wanted, incorporated the exact prayers we wanted, and coordinated with the rest of our vendors before the ceremony to make sure everything went smoothly. He had all of guests crying tears of joy at certain parts and laughing at others. People even came up to us immediately following the ceremony to say how beautiful it was. We highly recommend Father Jason!!
Reviewed On 10/05/2017 by Jasmin J
We feel very blessed to have found Father Jason Lody. Me and my husband are both Catholic and wanted a Catholic wedding in a beautiful vineyard that we both fell in love with. Father Jason was so supportive and wonderful to work with. He was fa...
miliar with Filipino wedding traditions and was very helpful throughout the planning processes. We met through FaceTime and we instantly felt comfortable working with him. He drove far (twice!) for the rehearsal and for the wedding day. He coordinated our rehearsal and was very accommodating. The wedding ceremony was just perfect! The sermon was beautiful and was tailored to us and the setting. Everybody, including our families who are strict Catholic and our guests who are not Catholic, enjoyed the ceremony and was still raving about him after the wedding. Thank you Father Jason for making our dream wedding come to life...it was very memorable. We definitely recommend Father Jason Lody!
Reviewed On 10/03/2017 by Lauren C
Father Jason Lody was a delight to work with! My husband and I are both Catholic but had fallen out of regular practice. Fr. Jason made us feel so comfortable when we first met with him and walked us through our ceremony and readings. He was al...
ways very responsive whenever we emailed him with questions or guidance on what readings to choose. All our guests kept complimenting us on what a wonderful job Father Jason did. Our wedding was a beautiful day and made even more special by having him join us in marriage!
Reviewed On 9/26/2017 by Shawn B
I am a Catholic convert and my wife is a non-practicing Christian and we both wanted a religious ceremony for our big day. Church wasn’t a desired location for my wife so I began the search for a Catholic Deacon, Priest, Bishop etc. that would ...
do a ceremony outside of the Church. As you can imagine that is almost no one… Cue Father Jason! We meet with Fr. Jason and conversed several times via phone and email. Fr. Jason was always prompt in responding and answering questions. The ceremony was perfectly handled, his presentation was polished and timed perfectly. For those that want a religious feel to the wedding without the usual politics of church requirements Fr. Jason should be you go to. He is professional, respectful, and attuned to the traditional aspects of religious ceremonies. We highly recommend Fr. Jason whole heartedly for your wedding, you will not be disappointed!!
Reviewed On 8/14/2017 by Brittany F
We had a great experience with Fr. Jason Lody! I was raised Catholic and my husband was not, and we both wanted something spiritual that would also appease our families. With my family being strict Catholics, I had to find an option that would ...
allow us to have a Catholic ceremony outside of the church as my venue was at a historic manor house with a beautiful outside ceremony location. Fr. Jason was the answer to our problem, he served as a great "happy medium" between having a religious ceremony without it being overly long, and it did not have to be inside of a church. We met with him once before the wedding at his church one evening after work. He was very pleasant and open to discussing anything and everything with us regarding our religious views and our idea of the ceremony. You are able to decide how many readings you want to do (if any), if you would like a unity candle/sand etc or not, and he tells you from the beginning that the ceremony will be between 20-25min which is a perfect length in my opinion. Throughout the process he was responsive and easily communicated via email. The only reason I did not give 5 stars is because I wish he attended the wedding rehearsal. He lets you know that his standard practice is to not attend the rehearsal because he views it as something for the coordinator/wedding party. Being a planner/ type A like myself, it bothered me that he was not at the rehearsal just to quickly run through the vows and order of events. However, he showed up as promised right on time for the wedding and did a wonderful job! The only snafu is that my father and I assumed he would ask the standard "who gives this bride in marriage" once we got to the altar, so that my father could say her mother and I. That did not happen, and my father was awkwardly lingering for a bit before he took his seat. This was really no big deal, its just that it could have been easily worked out had he been there for the rehearsal. Just one of the very small details that you do not think about until the day of! Overall he really did a wonderful job and we were happy with his homily/wording on the day of. The ceremony was to the point and a perfect length of time. I would highly recommend him, especially to someone of a Catholic faith who's spouse may not be!! Thank you!
Reviewed On 7/23/2017 by Christina A
We had a wonderful experience with Fr. Jason. My husband is Catholic and I am not, but he felt that it was important to be married by a man of the cloth. Fr. Jason was very understanding and listened closely to what we wanted out ceremony to ...
be like. It was the perfect balance of traditional and progressive. We didn't have a chance to attend pre-marriage counseling with Fr. Jason, as our timeline for the wedding and schedules were quite packed, but I have no doubt that his pre-marital counseling sessions would be just as wonderful and helpful as he was.
Reviewed On 7/06/2017 by Anne-Marie K
Father Jason was wonderful. He was incredibly responsive whenever we had questions about how our ceremony would go, and the ceremony itself turned out great. He's incredibly kind and I would certainly recommend him to anyone looking for an of...
ficiant!
Reviewed On 12/01/2016 by Camily B
Father Jason Lody was very friendly and accommodating and he did a great job officiating our ceremony. He even came out to Frederick, MD for the event. We were so glad to have him as our officiant!
Reviewed On 10/24/2016 by Danielle A
Father Jason Lody was incredible to work with! My husband and I were both raised Roman Catholic, but we wanted to be married outside at our wedding venue versus in the church. Father Jason made the whole process so easy for us with the planning...
documents, and really took the time to get to know my husband and I, leading up to the wedding. He worked with us to craft a ceremony that was perfect for us, and we received countless compliments. Father Jason was always available to answer our questions and made wonderful suggestions. We would highly recommend Father Jason to anyone in the DC area!
Reviewed On 10/21/2016 by Katie M
Fr. Jason was wonderful to work with. He’s so genuine and cared about us. We worked with him to personalize the ceremony and his homely tied in perfectly with us as a couple and our venue. We also really appreciated the reflection questionnaire...
exercise - it helped us get to know each other from new angles and share those discussions with Fr. Jason. He also did a great job of balancing the spiritual and religious aspects of the ceremony to make everyone feel included.
Reviewed On 10/07/2016 by Liliana Q
My husband and I got married on Sept 16th, and we have nothing but great things to say about Father Jason Lody! He is responsive and took his time to listen to any request we had for our ceremony. Our ceremony was beautiful! We really enjoyed ...
the readings and Father Jason kind words throughout it all. Our guest are still commenting on what a thoughtful and heart felt ceremony it was! Father Jason is very easy to talk to, made us feel very comfortable throughout the whole process and even provided guidance when we moved together as we where starting our life together at that very moment. We are truly grateful to have found him and we would recommend him to any couple! Thanks Father Jason! You made our day even better!
Reviewed On 7/24/2016 by Knottie1451244959
I am Catholic and my husband is not, however, we both wanted a spiritual ceremony. We got it. Jason is very personable and easy-going. We felt comfortable instantly. He responds to emails quickly and gave us the liberty to tailor make our cer...
emony. Finally, he is reliable. He arrived an hour prior to the ceremony and made sure everything was in order.
Reviewed On 7/22/2016 by Maddie M
My husband and I knew we wanted a religious ceremony, as both of us were raised Cathloic, but we also knew we didn't want to get married in a church, because we wanted to get married at our venue. We were so happy to find Fr. Lody who was able ...
to make our dreams come true! We met with him shortly after getting engaged. He was so easy to talk to and to get along with. He was easily reachable and helpful during the whole planning process. Our ceremony was absolutely perfect, everything we wanted! Our guests thought that Fr. Lody was a childhood priest of one of us, that's how personal and relevant our ceremony was to us and to our lives. We couldn't have been happier !!
Reviewed On 1/06/2016 by Christina P
I had always wanted to be married in the Catholic faith; however, I knew I was unable to be married in the Roman tradition. Then, I came across Fr. Jason Lody & his wedding ministry through the Franciscan Community of Mercy and the American Nat...
ional Catholic Church. It was an answer to my prayers! Fr. Jason was very friendly & accommodating to our requests and ensured that we had exactly the type of wedding we always dreamed of. Those in attendance said that it was the most romantic and sincerely spiritual wedding ceremony they had ever attended. Today, my wife & I are members of St. Anthony of Padua and enjoy attending mass there. It is so welcoming! If you were raised in the Roman faith and have become disenchanted, fear not! The American National Catholic Church is the answer to your prayers. I know it was for us!

Contact Info for Contemporary and Traditional Catholic Weddings

5649 Mount Gilead Road, Centreville, VA | Virginia, Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey
(703) 665-9730
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Meet the Team

meet the owner
Fr. Jason Lody, FCM
Owner
Fr. Jason was born and raised in Elizabeth, NJ. He is proud of his Italian heritage and credits the great faith of his parents for the gift of his vocation to the Franciscans. Fr. Jason received a Bachelor's Degree in Theology from LaSalle University in Philadelphia and a Master's Degree in School Administration from The Catholic University of America. Fr. Jason also received a dual certificate in Theology and Pastoral Counseling. Fr. Jason completed his doctoral studies, focusing on education policy and effective administrative practices and serves as pastor of St. Anthony's parish.

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