Massachusetts Justice of the Peace Stoddard Melhado

ter the big day!). He was able to make the ceremony feel formal yet very personal and warm. 10/10 couldn’t have had a better officiant!

s. When it was time for us to tell him our story, he listened attentively and took notes. From the time of that meeting through to our wedding, Stoddard was always quick to respond to messages, which was much appreciated by a stressed-out bride-to-be. He made the process of crafting our ceremony fun and easy, and the remarks that he put together were both funny and sentimental. The day of our wedding, several guests commented on how much they had liked our ceremony and our choice of JP! Stoddard is a true professional who takes his role seriously, in addition to being an all-around good person. We highly recommend him!

he was as the JP. He did a fantastic job telling our love story in a way that made it seem like he’s known us forever. When we think back on our wedding, we will always reflect on Stoddard’s (and Ky’s!) crucial role in making the day perfect.

dard took the time to get to know us and to create a personalized ceremony that captured our relationship - we received so many compliments on our ceremony! The day of the wedding Stoddard handled any challenges with grace and dignity and delivered a wonderful and special ceremony. We are so glad to have had Stoddard as part of our wedding day and couldn't imagine having had it any other way!

extremely organized and helped us with each step in the process - all the way down to ensuring we had a copy of our marriage certificate to bring with us on our honeymoon. We had several family members tell us how much they enjoyed the ceremony and truly thought Stoddard was a family friend or someone we had known for quite some time. Highly recommend!

ell-spoken, and really cared to get to know my daughter and her husband. This isn’t a job for him, it is a vocation. I highly recommend Stoddard. He is just the best there is.

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sonalize his words for our ceremony. He had loads of examples of vows, readings, and ceremony ideas for us to take inspiration from, drawn from his many years of experience. He was incredibly organized every step of the way, and helped make our ceremony perfect. He was very professional, extremely responsive by e-mail, and was well known by the venue we used. We'd give him 6 stars if we could! We have joked about having a vow renewal ceremony just so we have an excuse to work with him again. Thank you for everything, Stoddard!

uple and your love story. He was wonderful with helping build the ceremony as well, with plenty of assistance when it came to writing vows, including readings, and adding those personal touches. Stoddard went above and beyond in guiding us through our wedding ceremony and what to expect the day of. On top of being a wonderful officiant, he truly is just such an amazing person with the most calming presence. He led our ceremony beautifully and we could not be happier with his service.

(He even rescues grey hounds, what a guy!). We had many questions- all of which Stoddard answered. We were nervous about the ceremony- Stoddard did a run through and told exactly what to do- this made us both feel at ease. Planning was easy and we were able to put in our input every step of the way. Our ceremony could not have been any better- it was personalized to us, it was sweet, it was funny - in the crowd there were tears, smiles, laughs...it was perfect!

were as a couple and then he incorporated the personal details we discussed into a beautiful ceremony. All of our guests loved how personal and heartfelt it was and even thought he was a close longtime friend of ours. It was that perfect! 11/10 recommend Stoddard for anyone looking for an officiant!

From that one conversation, Stoddard picked up the vibe and story of how my husband and I met and began dating... During the actual ceremony, he kept it short and sweet (as we wanted), while also bringing both reflection and humor to the event. So many of our guests came up to us afterwards to comment on how well he did and how much he brought to the ceremony. If I could go back in time, I would hire Stoddard again in an instant.

. He was able to help us personalize our ceremony to reflect our values. Stoddard helped make our ceremony incredibly special and memorable. Our guests commented throughout the night that our ceremony was beautiful.

and our guests kept commenting on how much they enjoyed him. Thank you Stoddard!! He is the best out there, we cannot recommend him enough.

how we met and fell in love beforehand. His words at our wedding were so lovely and personalized, and he was extremely helpful and responsive leading up to the wedding day. Our guests commented on how well he led the ceremony and how beautiful it was. I highly recommend Stoddard as a JP!

e along with his lovely wife and well behaved rescued greyhounds, to the moment of our ceremony, Stoddard evoked a sense of calmness and trust within us. He made an overwhelming process become a true project of love for us with his experience, offerings, direction, and openness, enveloped by a unique warmth and charm that connects to your soul. He took all of the pressure off of us so that we could be present for each other. Our guests were brought to tears and embraced the true love and joy that we hold between us. Thank you Stoddard for our meaningful and intimate ceremony and for becoming a cherished part of our community!

xtra special. All of our guests couldn't stop talking about how great the ceremony because of Stoddard. He was able to keep all of our guests engaged as well as create the best memories for my husband and me. I cannot say enough about him! He walked us through the entire process and removed any stress that comes with planning a ceremony. He was extremely professional and easy to get in contact with. If you are looking for someone to officiate your wedding who will go above and beyond to make it special, Stoddard is the right choice!

hters in our wedding. Our ceremony was so much more memorable because of Stoddard. I highly recommend him as your officiant.

opinions on important pieces of the day and delivered a very kind message to my Husband and I. The ceremony was our favorite part of the day!

thanks to his guidance. Being from out of state, he also graciously went above and beyond and picked up our marriage certificate for us so we didn’t have to add another thing on our to-do list. Highly recommend!

f our wedding planning process. He was very professional and made us feel comfortable reciting our vows. Our guests raved about our ceremony and we are so grateful he could help make it so memorable.

nd loved his approach to getting to know us as a couple to build our ceremony. He had a wide range of readings, blessings, and options for different parts of the ceremony like introducing our vows and the exchange of rings. Using Stoddard’s resources, we were able to build a ceremony that fit us as a couple. Stoddard ran our rehearsal and was very efficient on a hot day. He worked well with our wedding party, parents, the venue coordinator, and the DJ to make sure everything was running smoothly. Our wedding was on another very hot day and Stoddard kept the ceremony moving, but not rushed, so that we could appreciate the moment but get out of the heat swiftly. We received so many compliments from our guests about the ceremony, and Stoddard specifically. Our ceremony was a very special part of our wedding and it was Stoddard’s style and guidance that helped it to be the best it could be. We highly recommend Stoddard to officiate your wedding!

tiful ceremony for us. Stoddard helped me include my step daughter with personalized vows to her. The wedding planning process is overwhelming, Stoddard eased all our fears and anxieties allowing us to focus on us. Thank you Stoddard from the bottom of our hearts for your beautiful words to blend our family.

questions about how we met, and spent some time getting to know us. He then used this information to incorporate into the ceremony, which was a lovely surprise. You can tell he really enjoys what he does, and working with couples.

know us. He provided us with everything we needed to help create a memorable ceremony. 10 out of 10!

ogs, making it feel so personable and comfortable. He took the time to listen to our story, our wishes for our big day, and gave his (well respected) advice from his own marriage of 50+ years. With a reputable background in guidance, he made sure to check in on our personal well-being, and offered advice throughout the entire planning process. We always felt heard and cared about, and that is truly something special! Our ceremony was nothing less than perfect. Thanks to Stoddard, it was personable, beautiful, and way more than what we could’ve imagined. Stoddard is one of a kind, and anyone who has him making their marriage “official” is very very luck. Cheers!

onnect with. That person for us was Stoddard. We received so many kind words about our ceremony. Simply, we trusted him with our special day and we were able to work on creating a ceremony that was personalized for us and we are so happy. We were blessed to work with amazing vendors for our wedding. Stoddard was a blessing to work with. He is professional, friendly, and down-to-earth. We are grateful to TheKnot.com for introducing us to such a great person. The reviews were excellent and so helpful in making our decision. The decision to choose Stoddard was easy and hands down the best. We were happy to work with vendors via TheKnot.com. The communication process is user-friendly via TheKnot.com. We consider Stoddard not only our wedding officiant but a friend. Thank you!

d his website. We had no idea about planning a wedding ceremony, and the information on his website really helped set the stage for us. We scheduled a consultation with him, which I believe was an hour long, but ended up staying over that time chatting with him and his lovely wife. After the consultation we knew we wanted to work with him; he was so pleasant, helpful, and understanding. He was super straightforward and clear with his process. He was willing to work with ideas and welcomed creativity but also guided us along when we needed help. Stoddard made this process so easy and simple for us, which was so appreciated! He was so responsive to emails and flexible when we had to change our rehearsal date. He was so unbelievably helpful the night of the rehearsal and really helped explain the process to us. The ceremony went seamlessly and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. We had so many guests compliment our ceremony and say how beautiful it was, which was all thanks to Stoddard as he has so many reading selections to accommodate every kind of couple. It’s clear he put so much time and effort into his offerings. We had so much fun putting our ceremony together. Working with Stoddard was the best decision we could have made and one of our very favorite parts of wedding planning. We highly recommend him.

flexible to meet our needs. We valued his time and input as well as we feel that he valued ours as well. He created a ceremony that was very intimate and personal and we couldn't be happier with how it all came together. We are so appreciative of our time with Stoddard and whole heartedly recommend him to future couples! You'll be lucky to have him.

meeting solidified that he was the best choice we could ask for. As animal lovers, we loved that Stoddard and his wife, Ky, rescue greyhounds, and meeting both of them was such a fun, easygoing experience. From our first meeting we felt at ease with Stoddard, and we could tell that he genuinely cares about his couples and the work he does. He was incredibly helpful, providing a framework for us to use to build our ceremony, and getting to know us so that he could make our ceremony feel personal. He was always accessible and responsive, and made the whole process easy. We could not have been happier with how our ceremony ended up!

ciously invited us to his house where we had the opportunity to get to know each other a bit better to determine whether it felt like the right fit. Stoddard was a true professional and walked us through the process in a way that was very reassuring. His organizational skills were top notch and we knew our ceremony would be in good hands under his guidance. After the ceremony, we received so many compliments from friends and family on the readings and the way it was structured, and this was all due to Stoddard's eloquence and insightful suggestions. Thank you Stoddard for being a part of the most magical day of our lives!

r questions. We really enjoyed meeting with him prior to the wedding to learn about the process and for us to get to know each other!! We felt like we had a lot of options to create a ceremony that really fit who we are as a couple. After the wedding, we have heard from so many guests that it was the best ceremony they have ever been to! We truly can't say enough good things about Stoddard. The ceremony was wonderful and he is wonderful as well!

l consultation at his home, where we were also about to meet and get to know his wife and adorable dogs), he was warm, inviting and so helpful. He spent time getting to know us both separately and us a couple, which he then used to personalize our ceremony - this was such a nice touch. He provided us with a template for our ceremony, that we then got to make our own; from blessings, readings, vows, order etc. the whole ceremony from start to finish (including marriage advice from Stoddard and his wife of 50+ years) was put together completely by my husband and I. This definitely made the process for intimate and special for the both of us. My husband and I eloped, with no guests, but having Stoddard and his wife there was the perfect addition to our day. We are so glad that we decided to record our ceremony at the last minute, as we have been watching it on repeat! Beyond creating such a beautiful ceremony, Stoddard was kind, timely, professional, and was great at following up with us on and walking us through all of the important details (marriage certificate, having copies of our vows, how to hold the rings, etc.). We would happily recommend him to any couple planning their wedding!

we were comfortable with our decision). Because he's been officiating for some time, he was able to provide us with a huge selection of readings, vows, and other ceremonial language he's accumulated over the years so that we could easily tailor the proceedings to our liking. Stoddard was accommodating with a quick check-in a week before the ceremony as an alternative to attending the venue's rehearsal. He had no trouble coordinating with the DJ and venue staff on the day of, and was extremely warm when chatting with the wedding parties before the ceremony. He's an excellent choice for an officiant — and be sure to say hi to his rescue greyhounds during the consultation!

derstanding, and that he would do his best to make our wedding ceremony personalized and special. He provided an incredibly helpful and extensive list of potential wedding readings, blessings, and vows, which alleviated a lot of our stress. He also had us tell him the story of how we met and about our relationship since then, and during our wedding ceremony he surprised us with a beautiful story about us, which added a nice personal touch. We have had multiple guests compliment us on the ceremony since our wedding day, several of whom said that ours was the most beautiful one they could remember, which we consider to be a testament to how great of a job Stoddard did.

e and his wonderful greyhounds. After telling them our story and going over the process for creating the ceremony we left feeling so happy and in love. Stoddard’s process of providing a template for the ceremony, and giving us the freedom to choose the readings, blessings, ring exchange, etc., was a wonderful way of letting us make it personal while keeping the ceremony feeling intact. He gives pages of examples for jumping off points, but encourages you to create the ceremony that is best for you. Rehearsal Dinner: We were so impressed by Stoddard at the rehearsal dinner. We could tell by his attention to small details that he is an expert. From how to hold our rings on each other’s fingers, to who to look at during different parts of the ceremony, those small details made a huge difference in our ceremony. Wedding Day: Our wedding was held up a mountain during a record-breaking snowstorm - over a foot of snow and blizzard conditions on the day of our wedding. While I wanted some snow on the ground, I think this was more than anyone planned for. Stoddard assured me that he would make it, and he was there with plenty of time to spare. However, I did appreciate his preparation in sending the full ceremony to our DJ in case he couldn’t make it. One of the best parts of Stoddard’s ceremony is his personal remarks - he takes your personal story and shares it as part of the ceremony. TIP: Don’t ask to see it beforehand, he does a wonderful job and it’s a lovely surprise to hear it for the first time. The ceremony felt so intimate and lovely and all of our guests were raving about how great of a job he did. Stoddard’s warmth and expertise really showed throughout the whole process, and we are so happy we chose him!

ussing various unique options to create a ceremony special and meaningful to the two of us. Stoddard presented completely “one-of-a-kind” ideas to us; as a result, we had an amazing ceremony. Our guests continuously complimented the ceremony in how detailed and unique it was, and how emotional they had become along with us. I would highly recommend Stoddard as the JP for your wedding ceremony! We guarantee you will not be disappointed.

appointed he was fantastic and I don’t have enough words to describe how fabulous he was!

very patient. He made it very easy for my husband and I to put together vows that were meaningful, and relevant to our relationship. I am very happy that my husband and I were able to find him!

wedding day he gave a beautiful service, that to this day we still get compliments on how beautiful and unique it was. You can certainly tell that he truly loves what he does because it really shows in his work. I would highly recommend working with him you will not regret it! My husband and I cannot thank him enough!!

a ceremony but he helped us understand what we wanted and didnt want in our ceremony. He also took the time to get to know us and our relationship and surprised us with a great personal touch in our ceremony. We would highly recommend him, he takes great care in his work. All of our guests really enjoyed his ceremony!

obvious he loves what he does. His experience is unmatched (over one thousand weddings??) and you truly get to customize your ceremony with his resources. Our guests said that our ceremony was so beautiful and meaningful and we were so glad we had Stoddard's help in making it perfect!

ting when Stoddard invited us into his home, introduced us to his wife and all of his rescued greyhounds, and listened intently to our love story, that he was a kind and genuine soul who truly loves what he does. He took the time to get to know us and ensured we were fully involved in the entire process. Stoddard was extremely communicative and responsive. He made what we had anticipated to be a daunting and overwhelming task incredibly easy! We were able to hand pick every component of our nuptials - from our readings, to our vows, even the phrasing of our “I-do’s”! If you’re looking for a personalized, truly magical ceremony that you and your guests will never forget, look no further! We can’t thank Stoddard enough for making our wedding day the best of our lives. Kate & Justin