Contemporary and Traditional Catholic Weddings

Father Jason was a perfect officiant for our ceremony. He was able to blend in aspects of a Catholic ceremony while also keeping it very personal to us and our relationship. We met with him multiple times and he was very receptive to our wants and needs and crafted the most perfect ceremony.

Groom. 4/8/2022

When my wife and I first got engaged, we faced a discouraging anxiety what to do about our officiant. My family is Catholic, and sat me down to say "the only thing we ask of your wedding is that you get married in a church." My wife's family is non-religious, with some members adamantly opposing religion altogether. Already we were juggling heavy demands, and without even thinking about what we wanted as a couple. Personally, I was also torn, as someone who has the utmost respect for my family heritage, but who hopes for a more inclusive world in the idea of marriage. The point to all this backstory being: we were convinced that someone would walk away from our ceremony unhappy. And then combine this with a global pandemic which delayed our wedding 18 months, and the anxieties were fully brewed.

However, Fr. Jason is truly a pioneer ahead of his time, and he brought so much joy and calm to our big day. He listened to our perspectives, and somehow magically weaved together a script that did the impossible: everyone walked away from the ceremony happy. My family was beyond thankful that although it wasn't a church, we had chosen a priest. And my wife's family did not feel out of place with too many unrelatable references. Most of all, we could tell that Fr. Jason truly reflected on our story together as a couple, and reminded us to make room for our special memories as a couple too! He even helped me coordinate/announce a surprise vow reading that my wife had no idea was happening. And I mention again, all of this patience throughout an extended wedding timeline we, nor he, knew we signed up for.

My wish for other couples out there is that they find someone with the grace and peace of mind that Fr. Jason gave to us during the most important moment of our lives. If you're reading this, he is the real deal, and I hope that other communities around the world have a Jason-equivalent making these realities possible outside the DMV area too.

Father Jason was wonderful! We wanted to have a Catholic wedding ceremony but not a full mass, and one that allowed for a little more flexibility such as not having the ceremony in a church and adding readings that were not scripture. Father Jason was more than happy to accommodate our preferences into the ceremony and make it our own. He was very friendly, positive, and easy to work with. Absolutely recommend!