alles. schöne. leben.

alles. schöne. leben. is the one-woman business of Martina Holdener, a freie Traurednerin (independent wedding celebrant) based in Unteriberg in canton Schwyz. She writes and leads non-religious ceremonies built around a couple's own story, and her site describes her as rooted in the Ybriger Bergregion, the mountain area around Unteriberg in central Switzerland. Ceremonies sit alongside two other lines of work under the same name: interior and home styling (Wohnberatung) and text writing (Textflow). The site is published in German only.

What she offers couples

The wedding page opens with a line that sums up the tone: "Emotionen begleitet von Intuition und Humor - Worte und Momente, die in Erinnerung bleiben" (emotions accompanied by intuition and humor, words and moments that stay in the memory). Three words sit underneath as her working values: authentisch, emotional, intuitiv.

The pitch is that a couple's own values, shared experiences and bond form the basis of the ceremony, and that nothing is prescribed. Her short version is "Alles darf – nichts muss" (anything goes, nothing is required). She also writes that the running order and the place are entirely up to the couple, and that with her there are no limits, only endless possibilities. In practice that means she does not work from a fixed template and does not tie herself to a particular venue. She accompanies couples both through the preparation and on the day itself.

For a couple from abroad, the useful reading of this is simple. She describes herself as a freie Traurednerin, someone who writes and presents the ceremony. The site does not discuss the civil wedding or how her ceremony sits alongside it, so that belongs on the list for the first call.

The process, step by step

The page sets out the service as a sequence of steps, and it is one of the more concrete descriptions on a Swiss celebrant's site.

1. Does it feel right? Everything starts with a no-obligation conversation by phone or Zoom. The point, she writes, is to take time to get to know each other and see whether the connection is there, for the couple and for her. For a couple abroad, the Zoom option matters: the first contact does not require a trip to Schwyz.
2. Detailed get-to-know meeting and planning. A longer conversation follows in which they go through all the details and wishes for the ceremony. From that she develops a concept matched to the couple's ideas and values.
3. Personal questionnaire. A questionnaire gives her deeper insight into the couple's story and wishes.
4. Interviews with the people closest to them. She holds relaxed conversations with the couple's "Herzensmenschen" (the people dearest to them) to collect their stories and memories, on the reasoning that those closest to a couple often know best what defines them. This is the step that turns a speech about a couple into one that sounds like the people who know them.
5. Writing the ceremony speech. From all of this she writes the Traurede, the ceremony speech that tells the couple's shared story, aiming for a balanced mix of honesty, emotion and depth.
6. Final polish. Close to the date they go through the day once more and check the last details, so that nothing comes as a surprise.
7. The ceremony. On the day she takes charge of leading and presenting the whole ceremony. She coordinates with the musicians and with the Tätschmeister (the Swiss German term for the master of ceremonies at a wedding) so that the running order is smooth and the couple and their guests can relax.

The page does not put a timescale on any of these steps: it gives no length for the planning meeting, no lead time before the wedding, and no arrival time on the day. Couples who want to know how early to book, or when the drafts will arrive, should ask.

What a past couple wrote

One testimonial is on the page, from a couple named Martina and Bruno. They write that many of their guests afterwards praised the beautiful and authentic design of the ceremony, that the ceremony was very personal, warm and shaped with great sensitivity, and that the caring support beforehand was excellent. It is a single review, which is typical for a small celebrant's site, but it speaks to exactly the parts of her process the page emphasizes: the preparation and the personal tone.

The rest of the business

Her other services explain the name. The Wohnberatung page describes a home styling process that runs in a similar pattern (an introductory call, a first visit, an intuitive planning phase, implementation and a final polish), and the footer describes her as a personal home consultant, independent celebrant and copywriter in one. The shared line across all three is that she brings aesthetics, love and liveliness "in Räume, Worte und besondere Momente" (into rooms, words and special moments). For a wedding couple this is mainly context: a celebrant with an eye for how a space looks, who also writes for a living.

What the site does not settle

The site publishes a good deal about process and very little about logistics, so a couple planning from another country has several questions to put in that first call:

• Language. Every page is in German, and the site says nothing about English, French or Italian ceremonies. Whether she can lead a ceremony in English, or in two languages for a mixed family, is not stated. Ask directly.
• Price. The site publishes no fees or packages. The contact form is the route to a quote.
• Travel. She describes herself as rooted in the Ybrig region, and says the place is up to the couple, but the site names no travel area and no travel costs. Couples marrying elsewhere in Switzerland should ask how far she goes and what that adds.
• Timing and availability. There is no booking lead time and no calendar on the site.
• Type of ceremony. The wedding page describes weddings only. It does not mention vow renewals or other celebrations, so a couple after something other than a first wedding should ask.

How to get in touch

Booking starts through the contact form on the Kontakt page. It asks for first name, last name and email (phone is optional), a choice of what the inquiry is about, with "Traurede" as the ceremony option, and a free-text message where she suggests including wishes, the event date and the couple's story. The page names no phone number or postal address, and the footer links to an e-mail option. The site does not mention a deposit or a contract.

Who it suits

This is a good match for a couple who wants a German-language ceremony written around their own relationship, with the stories of friends and family worked in, and who likes the idea of a celebrant who is closely involved in the preparation. The questionnaire and the interviews with loved ones make it well suited to couples with a close circle who want to be part of the speech. Couples marrying in the Ybrig mountains of canton Schwyz are on her home ground.

It is a harder fit for a couple who needs an English ceremony, since the site does not say she offers one, or for anyone who wants a published price before making contact. Both are worth raising in the no-obligation first call, which can happen on Zoom from anywhere.