Patrizia Brosi

Patrizia Brosi is a freie Traurednerin (independent wedding celebrant) in Zurich who writes and leads personal, non-religious wedding ceremonies. She is also a self-employed communication trainer and lecturer in communication, which she says has her searching every day for words that touch people and land. Her FAQ answers the first question most couples from abroad have: she marries couples in Swiss German, standard German or English, and can translate parts of a ceremony into Italian or French on request.

Her approach

Her wedding page is headed "Freie Trauungen mit Herz und Tiefgang" (free ceremonies with heart and depth). She describes herself as communicative with a feeling for silence, reliable and humorous, curious about life and solution-minded, and she treats turning a couple's love story into a dignified ceremony as her great pleasure.

The shape of the ceremony is up to the couple. In her words: "Ob klassisch oder wild romantisch, erfrischend frech oder urchig erdig, ob tiefgründig, extravagant, schlicht oder märchenhaft, durchgeplant oder überraschend" (whether classic or wildly romantic, refreshingly cheeky or rustic and earthy, deep, extravagant, simple or fairy-tale, fully planned or surprising), they create what fits. Her role, as she puts it, is to hold and shape the frame in which the couple can say yes wholeheartedly.

The process in 5 steps

1. Getting to know each other. A meeting in a café or by video call, to chat and see whether the chemistry is there. This first meeting is free.
2. The documents. Once the couple decides and the date is available, she posts them her 40-page Ceremony Guide, full of ideas, with a questionnaire to fill in before the planning meeting.
3. The planning meeting. At the second meeting, about 3 to 4 months before the wedding, she wants to learn as much as possible about the couple, their shared path and their picture of the ceremony, and they take plenty of time for it. They also settle the running order: whether to include the classic vows, ring exchange and kiss, whether to write personal promises, and whether songs, poems or contributions from friends and family should be part of it. She acknowledges that the freedom of a freie Trauung can be overwhelming and offers advice and experience.
4. Preparation. They stay in touch throughout to settle details and answer questions. If friends or family are contributing, she contacts them directly to make sure the ceremony runs smoothly, and she will build in a surprise or two if the couple wants.
5. The wedding day. She arrives early to set up, checks that everything is prepared as planned, and has a last word with everyone involved.

A typical running order, according to her page: music to start, a welcome, the couple's love story, an individual ritual, a piece of music, the couple's declarations of love, vows, ring exchange and kiss, and a closing and exit with music. Witnesses, ring bearers and other key people can be included, as can surprise moments or even a naming ritual for the couple's baby within the wedding.

Price and what it includes

Unlike many Swiss celebrants, she publishes a fee: "Der Grundpreis für eine freie Trauung im 2027 beträgt 2'700 Franken" (the base price for a freie Trauung in 2027 is 2,700 francs). Included:

• all introductory and preparation meetings
• the 40-page Ceremony Guide
• all exchanges by email, phone and WhatsApp with the couple and anyone else involved, such as witnesses and musicians
• her own headset and a handheld microphone
• a stand-in for emergencies
• writing the ceremony speech
• leading the ceremony

Travel is extra at CHF 1 per kilometer to the couple's home and the ceremony location. The stand-in for emergencies is a useful detail for a couple flying guests in.

Length, language and the registry office

Length. Her FAQ says a ceremony lasts as long as the couple wants, and that most run between 30 and 60 minutes, longer with a lot of music or guest contributions, and shorter is possible.

Language. As above: Swiss German, standard German or English, with parts translatable into Italian or French. For an English-speaking couple with a Swiss family, or the reverse, that covers most combinations.

Registry office. Her FAQ addresses the civil side head on and describes the freie Trauung as separate from the Standesamt (civil registry office) wedding. She adds that the registry official can also attend the freie Trauung, or that she can come along to the Standesamt.

Friends as officiants. If someone the couple knows is leading the ceremony, that person can book individual training with her.

Weddings she has led

Her "Impressionen" page lists past weddings with dates and places, which gives a real picture of her range: an intimate family wedding at The Chedi Andermatt in December; Jasmin and Konni on the Werdinsel on 30 August 2024; Sarah and Yair under the chuppah at Weingut Davaz, framed by the Graubünden and Glarus Alps, on 3 August 2024; a mountain wedding in the Calfeisental in July 2024; a ceremony in the willow temple of a garden on 19 August 2023; Ashley and Lukas from Texas at a private villa above Lake Zurich in July 2023; Anna and Jan facing the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau on 24 June 2023; and Annegret and Niklas at Lake Constance in June 2023.

Anna and Jan's testimonial on the wedding page says they felt in the best hands from the first meeting, and that her creative ideas and empathy turned their words and feelings into a heart-warming ceremony that moved them and their guests alike.

She also leads Willkommensfeiern, secular welcome ceremonies for babies and older children, which can be built into a wedding if the couple already has a child.

What the site does not settle

• The deposit and booking terms are not on these pages (the footer links to AGB, her terms and conditions).
• There is no stated minimum lead time. A couple planning at short notice should check the date first.
• The planning meeting is described as a meeting, and only the first get-to-know is explicitly offered by video. Couples abroad should ask whether the planning meeting can also be online.

Contact: post@patriziabrosi.com, +41 79 777 74 27, with a Zurich postcode on the page, and a form for arranging the free first meeting.

Who it suits

Patrizia Brosi suits international and mixed couples who want a ceremony in English or in English and German, led by someone whose day job is communication, anywhere from a Zurich lakeside villa to a mountain valley. The published fee and the itemized inclusions make budgeting straightforward. Couples marrying far from Zurich should add travel at the per-kilometer rate, and couples who need a ceremony mainly in French or Italian should note that she offers those languages only for parts of the ceremony.