Ischhof

The Ischhof is a family farm at Britternstrasse 4 in Aetigkofen that hosts weddings in a converted hay and straw barn, with everything on the table cooked in its own kitchen. It suits couples who want a rural, food-first celebration run by the family itself, from a free ceremony through to the party. The business trades as Ischhof Genuss GmbH, and its site presents itself under the name Ischhof Genuss und Erlebnis.

How a brunch became a wedding venue

The farm's own history is short and specific. It all began in 1991 with the first "Brunch ufem Buurehof" (brunch on the farm). One visitor liked it so much that she held the apéro for her wedding at the Ischhof the following year, and step by step the straw and hay store turned into an event space. The site says the family has since hosted hundreds of wedding parties, wedding apéros, ceremonies, birthdays, anniversaries, company parties, meetings, panel events and even a Jass card tournament.

In April 2021 the farm passed to the second generation. Benjamin and Christoph Isch are now the contacts for any event, and the site says they run the Ischhof with active help from their parents, "mit der gleichen Hingabe, Bodenständigkeit und Flexibilität" (with the same dedication, down-to-earth manner and flexibility). For a couple planning from abroad, that means the people answering the email are the family that owns and runs the place, not an events agency.

Ceremony, apéro and dinner in one place

The site is explicit that couples can marry on the farm itself, or celebrate the whole day there, "von der Trauung bis zur Party" (from the ceremony to the party). Three pieces make up the wedding offer.

The free ceremony. The Ischhof offers two locations for a freie Trauung (a free ceremony). One spot is in the woods, which the site describes as beautifully set; the other is on the farm and is weatherproof. That second option matters: an outdoor ceremony in the woods is a gamble on the weather, and having a sheltered fallback on the same property removes the need for a plan B elsewhere. The farm points to its Instagram channel for photos of both spots.

The apéro. Whether a couple books only an apéro or has one after the ceremony, the farm handles food and drink for up to 200 people. Two apéro formats are described. The small apéro brings farm sausage, the farm's own cheese garnished with fruit, bread and Züpfe (the Swiss braided loaf). The more varied apéro adds ham croissants, apéro bread, vegetable dip, cheese and meat platters, assorted canapés and bacon-wrapped plums.

The festive dinner and party. The highlight, in the farm's words, is a festive meal in its own setting for up to 120 people, with the party following in the same place. The gap between 200 for the apéro and 120 for dinner is useful in practice: a couple can invite a wider circle of neighbors, colleagues and friends to the apéro and keep the seated dinner to family and close friends.

A kitchen that makes everything itself

The kitchen is the core of the Ischhof's pitch. The site says everything that reaches the table is homemade, from the bread and the salads to the main course, the side dishes and every dessert. Ingredients are bought, wherever possible, in or around the Bucheggberg, and the family calls regional sourcing its top principle.

The menu suggestions follow the seasons. In summer there is a grill buffet with beef, horse, pork, lamb and chicken, served with potato gratin, fried potatoes and a vegetable selection. In winter the same meats come as a table grill, where guests cook at their own table. Also winter-only is "Suure Mocke", a marinated pot roast served with Spätzli or mashed potatoes, red cabbage, pickled plums and stuffed pears. A mixed roast (larded beef and pork neck stuffed with plums, with gratin and vegetables) is listed without a season.

For daytime events there is a farmhouse brunch with bacon Rösti, meat and sausage platters, cheese, Birchermüesli, yogurt, Züpfe, bread, butter, jam, honey, coffee, tea, Ovomaltine, hot chocolate and waffles, optionally with a dessert buffet of fruit tarts and cakes. Ham with potato salad and a salad buffet is another option. The dessert buffet is put together to the couple's wishes, with coffee and tea included and homemade Brätzeli (thin Swiss wafer cookies) alongside, and a board of regional cheeses with homemade fruit bread can be added. Homemade cakes are offered too.

The site also says the family is open to individual wishes and can serve an entirely vegetarian menu.

Prices, contact and the practical questions

The site links to a document of complete menu suggestions, "inklusive Getränke und Preise" (including drinks and prices), so costs are published in that document rather than on the page itself. What the site does not publish is anything about deposits, payment terms, hire fees for the space, or minimum spend. Those are questions for the family.

Contact is by email or by phone on 032 526 81 00, and the site says both work at any time. There is no booking form. For detailed questions about the dinner, the family asks couples to write by email, which suits anyone planning from another time zone.

The site is published only in German, and it says nothing about whether the family works in English. A couple who does not speak German should write early and see how the reply comes back. The same goes for a ceremony: the Ischhof provides the setting for a free ceremony, and the site does not say it supplies a celebrant, so the language of the ceremony depends on who the couple brings.

Several things a couple from abroad would need are simply not on the site: any accommodation on the farm or nearby, parking, how guests reach Aetigkofen by public transport, a closing time for the party, and whether the space is booked exclusively. For an international guest list, overnight stays and transport are the first things to raise.

Who the Ischhof suits

The Ischhof fits couples who want a relaxed farm wedding with serious home cooking, a guest list of up to 120 at dinner, and hosts who have run this kind of day many times. It works especially well for a day that moves from a ceremony in the woods to an apéro for a bigger crowd and then a long dinner in the barn, all without moving guests between venues.

It suits less well a couple who wants a polished hotel package with rooms upstairs, a fixed price per head on the web page, or an English-speaking coordinator confirmed in advance. The seasonal menu is a strength but also a constraint: the summer grill is not on offer in winter, and the table grill and Suure Mocke are winter dishes. Couples choosing a date should ask the family which menus go with it before settling on a plan.

The site currently lists no public events, so there is no open day on the calendar; a couple who wants to see the barn and the two ceremony spots should ask Benjamin or Christoph Isch for a visit.