Federleicht Zeremonien

As a Zivilstandsbeamtin, a civil registrar, Nadine Schwizer has already accompanied more than 100 couples with her own words, and that work is what brought her to wedding ceremonies. Today she runs Federleicht Zeremonien from Baden in canton Aargau as a certified ceremony leader, and the graduate list of the ZeremonienSchule, a training school for ceremony leaders, names her. If you want your speech from someone who has already stood beside that many couples as they married, she is our pick, and for couples planning from abroad there is one more line that matters: she offers all her ceremonies in Swiss German, High German and English.

A registrar's eye, and English on every ceremony

The English offer covers every ceremony she leads, not a single package. The website itself is written in German only, so that offer is stated in one sentence rather than shown on an English page, which makes it worth a short email to confirm the details for your date. For families who speak different languages, one celebrant who moves between dialect, High German and English keeps every side of the room with you.

What "free" means in her wording

She separates a free ceremony from an official one. A free wedding ceremony is neither religious nor official, and unlike the official wedding at the registry it isn't bound by rules, so it can be shaped entirely around you. An open-air celebration or a boat are examples of places that are possible, and the planning has no fixed limits. Your vows can be spoken in the open air or on the water, in your own words, with nothing left out because a form doesn't allow it.

Her writing style is warm with a pinch of humor: authentic, honest and loving words, and a ceremony meant to feel light for the couple; Federleicht means feather-light. She likes hearing a couple's stories and reflecting them in the speech.

Six steps from first call to the vows

The process runs in order:

• a free first conversation with no obligation, to get to know each other
• a design conversation to plan the ceremony together
• shaping the individual ceremony, including a ritual
• writing the couple's story as the wedding speech
• coordination with witnesses, musicians and photographers
• leading and carrying out the ceremony itself

She is also happy to help with the organization around the ceremony, with a creative and helpful approach. For a couple abroad, having one person who coordinates with witnesses, musicians and photographers is a real relief before a wedding in another country.

The fee, read in November 2026

A free wedding ceremony costs CHF 2100 plus travel at CHF 0.75 per kilometer (November 2026). No free travel distance is named, so ask for a travel figure once you know your venue, and ask how many meetings are included beyond the first two conversations and whether VAT applies.

Other Swiss celebrants price differently (November 2026). Redewerk charges a flat CHF 2,200 with travel free up to 100 km and CHF 1 per km beyond, and Marylin Rebelo quotes ceremonies from CHF 2,500 plus travel and VAT. Federleicht has the lowest base fee of the three. For language, Gina Dörig tells couples' stories in standard German or in English, and BEZAUBERNDES offers High German, English or Bernese dialect; Federleicht lists Swiss German, High German and English together.

Child welcomes, farewells and vow renewals

A welcome ceremony or free baptism for a child is priced by effort between CHF 1000 and CHF 1400 plus the same travel rate (November 2026), including a formal naming and a ceremonial appointment of godparents. A farewell ceremony or funeral costs between CHF 900 and CHF 1400 (November 2026). Individual ceremonies are open for other turning points, including the renewal of wedding vows.

One couple's word

Céline and Thomas say she told their personal story in a beautiful, authentic way and helped make the wedding a rounded experience. Contact is by email through the form, with Baden as the only location given; the school's list places her in Wettingen, so ask where she starts from if the distance matters to your travel fee.

Writing to Nadine Schwizer from abroad

Registry experience, a warm speech and English on every ceremony are the reasons to write to her, and the first conversation can be arranged by email.