Contemporary and Traditional Catholic Weddings

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

job with the hand-fasting portion of the ceremony! Thank you Friar Jason for making our day that much more special :)

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.

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!

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.

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.

ing process.

have him to thank for making our wedding an effortless and wonderful event. We HIGHLY RECOMMEND Father Jason!

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.

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!

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.

! Thank you, Father Jason for making my wedding day a beautiful and memorable one!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!!

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!

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!

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!!

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!

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.

ficiant!

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!

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.

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!

emony. Finally, he is reliable. He arrived an hour prior to the ceremony and made sure everything was in order.

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 !!

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!