ACOR, Association des célébrant·e·s et officiant·e·s romand·e·s

ACOR, the Association des célébrant·e·s et officiant·e·s romand·e·s, is an association of independent professional celebrants in French-speaking Switzerland, registered at 1 rue Fendt in Geneva. Its members write and lead personalized, non-religious ceremonies for weddings, funerals and other life events. For a couple looking for a secular or mixed-background wedding ceremony in Romandie, it is a directory of celebrants bound by a shared charter and, unusually, a published guide to what such a ceremony should cost.

What the association is

The homepage introduces its members as «Professionnel·le·s indépendant·e·s» whose vocation is to create personalized and authentic ceremonies. It frames ceremonies as a way to mark the key stages of a life: birth, coming of age, love and unions, the arrival of children, separation, retirement and death. It also names its audience directly: more and more people want celebrations outside religious institutions that reflect their emotional, cultural and spiritual diversity.

Under the heading "Trois raisons de choisir un.e célébrant.e de l'ACOR" (three reasons to choose an ACOR celebrant) the association gives:

• Recognized expertise. It has been active for more than 15 years and brings together qualified, experienced celebrants, each committed to designing ceremonies around the values, traditions and expectations of the families concerned.
• An ethical framework. Members sign an ethics charter that commits them to «une approche humaine, respectueuse, inclusive et non confessionnelle» (a humane, respectful, inclusive and non-denominational approach), and to sincere, professional support whatever the emotional context.
• A network. Hiring an ACOR celebrant means drawing on a Romandie-wide network that values exchanging practice and mutual help, so each member can keep improving.

The charter is linked from the homepage and the tariffs page, and the association's statutes can be requested through the contact form. The menu also has a "Formation" (training) section and a members' area. The articles section shows a little of the association's life: a portrait of one of its celebrants, a report on a collective ceremony in Geneva and a notice of an ACOR open day, the kind of event where a couple could meet several celebrants before choosing.

The wedding page

The "Mariages" page invites couples to imagine a made-to-measure ceremony in which they choose the place, the running order and the atmosphere. The celebrants, it says, accompany the couple at each step, «de la rédaction de vos vœux à la sélection des musiques et des gestes» (from writing your vows to choosing the music and the gestures). The homepage adds that personalization takes time, listening and tailored support, and puts it this way: «Loin des formules standardisées, nous prenons le temps d'échanger avec vous» (far from standardized formulas, we take the time to talk with you).

The page then lists the celebrants trained to lead weddings, with their base town and canton: Edith Germanier (Lens, VS), Luciano Musitelli (La Chaux-de-Fonds, NE), Lucie Donzé (Les Emibois, JU), Marianne Guéroult (La Grande Béroche, NE), Nathalie Michlig (Blonay, VD), Fabienne Mark (Clarens, VD), Diane Agatha Schaefer (Lutry, VD), Sonia Duc, Sonia Iodice, Julien Abegglen Verazzi, Andrés Allemand and Thibaut Lamunière (all Geneva) and Matthias Neri (Grand-Saconnex, GE). Geneva has the largest group, with the rest spread across Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura and Valais.

What a ceremony costs

The "Charte & Tarifs" page is the most useful part of the site for a couple budgeting from abroad. ACOR recommends that its members charge at least CHF 80 an hour, covering every stage from the first meetings to the ceremony itself, and gives indicative flat rates:

• Weddings and other unions: about 35 hours of work, from CHF 2,500.
• Funerals: about 15 hours of work, from CHF 1,200.
• Welcoming a child: about 15 hours of work, from CHF 1,200.

The homepage explains what the fee covers: meetings with the couple and their families, writing a unique ceremony text, handling logistics, and presence and support on the day. The amounts can vary with the complexity of the ceremony, the number of participants and specific requests, and the association promises «un devis clair et transparent» (a clear, transparent quote). Travel costs may be included in the flat fee or charged separately depending on where the ceremony takes place.

These are recommendations to members, not fixed prices. Each celebrant is independent and sets their own fee, so the published figures are the association's guideline rather than a quote. The wedding rate is labeled "Mariages et autres unions", so it applies to other forms of union as well as marriage.

Language and booking

The site is written in French, and its language switcher offers English alongside French. The pages do not say which members lead ceremonies in English or other languages. A couple who need an English or bilingual ceremony should ask when making contact, or ask each celebrant directly.

The homepage points to "Infos et réservations" and a contact form ("Contactez-nous pour discuter de vos besoins"), and the celebrants page lists the members. The pages do not describe how a request is passed on: whether the association suggests a celebrant or the couple contacts one directly. The site gives the postal address in Geneva but no phone number or email on these pages.

What the site does not settle

The site does not publish each celebrant's own fee, languages or availability. It does not say how far in advance to book, how many meetings are included, or whether a rehearsal is part of the flat fee. The site presents these ceremonies as personalized celebrations and does not mention the civil registry office or civil marriage at all, so how the ceremony fits alongside the civil side is a question to put to the celebrant.

Who it suits

ACOR suits couples marrying in Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Jura or Valais who want a secular, personal ceremony and like the reassurance of a public ethics charter and published guideline fees. The recommended CHF 2,500 starting point and 35-hour estimate make it easy to compare members, and the network spreads from Geneva to the Jura. Because the guideline is built on an hourly minimum, a couple comparing quotes can ask each celebrant how many hours of meetings and writing the fee assumes, and check it against the 35-hour benchmark.

It is less useful for a couple marrying in German- or Italian-speaking Switzerland, since every listed member is in Romandie, and for anyone who needs English confirmed before making contact.