Redewerk

Redewerk is the business of Petra Siegenthaler, a freie Trau- und Trauerrednerin (independent celebrant for weddings and funerals) based in Thun, in the Bernese region. For weddings she offers one all-inclusive package at a published flat fee of CHF 2200, which covers everything from the first meeting to a copy of the speech after the ceremony. Her mother tongue is Bernese German, and she writes that she is happy to build sections in French or English into a ceremony.

The package

The wedding page calls the freie Trauung the centerpiece of the wedding, "das Pünktchen auf dem i" (the dot on the i), and describes the offer as a "Rundum-Sorglos-Paket" (an all-round, no-worries package). For "CHF 2200.- pauschal" (CHF 2200 flat), the page lists:

• a free get-to-know meeting in Thun or Bern
• a planning meeting at the couple's home
• advice on the running order, rituals, vows and so on
• coordination with the witnesses, parents and other suppliers such as musicians
• possibly a second conversation by phone or video call
• emails and phone calls between meetings
• organizing the materials for a ritual, if the couple wants one (the materials themselves are charged separately)
• a "toolkit" of practical tools for planning the ceremony
• writing, revising and rehearsing the speech
• arriving 1 hour before the ceremony begins
• leading the ceremony on the day
• travel costs for the first 100 km
• the ceremony speech as a gift afterward

Beyond 100 km, travel is charged at CHF 1 per km. For a couple, that means the fee is fixed and the only variables are ritual materials and long-distance travel, both of which are stated up front.

The planning meeting at the couple's own home is a notable detail: the celebrant comes to the couple. For couples living abroad, that meeting is the one to ask about, since the page only mentions a phone or video call as a possible second conversation.

The toolkit

The general wedding page explains the toolkit in more detail. It includes a "Ablauf- und Sitzplan" (running order and seating plan) and 2 dossiers: «Ja ich will. Das Eheversprechen» (Yes I do. The wedding vows) and «Mein Liebesbekenntnis und ich» (my declaration of love and me). The idea, she writes, is that anyone who likes having a sturdy tool in hand can help develop the elements of their own ceremony speech, with her support.

That structure suits couples who want to write their own vows but are not sure where to start, and couples who like a clear framework.

Who she is

The "Über mich" page is short and personal. She quotes a description of the meaning of her name, Petra, "der Fels" (the rock): ambitious, driven and creative at work, finding fulfillment in pleasing others, a family person, spontaneous, honest and "eine charmante Rednerin" (a charming speaker). She writes that she loves life in all its facets, loves traveling the world but is always glad to come home to Thun, that music runs through her daily life, from singing in the shower to playing guitar, and that she can talk with the people closest to her for hours. She goes through life, she says, "mit Leichtigkeit und der gewissen Prise Humor" (with lightness and a certain pinch of humor).

On the home page she adds that she has traveled and brought home the colors, smells, moments and above all the human encounters, and draws a lesson from it: there is no one culture or ideal way of life, and in the same way there is no perfect standard ceremony. She loves celebrating life, she writes, and that is what she does in her speeches, at happy times and sad ones.

Other services

Redewerk offers 3 services in all:

• Freie Trauungen, the wedding ceremonies described above.
• Freie Trauerreden, secular funeral speeches, which she describes as a dignified, individual and personal farewell.
• Reden schreiben, speech writing support. If a couple has asked a good friend to lead their ceremony, she will sit down with that person and help them write the speech.

The last option is useful for couples who want a friend to officiate but would like a professional to help shape the text.

Who is welcome

The wedding page opens with a banner reading "SIE & SIE ER & SIE ER & ER" (she and she, he and she, he and he), and the package page adds that she is glad to celebrate same-sex ceremonies, vow renewals, or simply a couple's love "ohne standesamtliche Hochzeit" (without a civil wedding). On tone, the page is just as open: whether the ceremony is relaxed, modern, unusual or funny, the main thing, she writes, is that it becomes the couple's goosebumps moment, and she describes a freie Trauung as offering unlimited possibilities with the couple's wishes in the foreground.

What the site does not settle

• English capability. She writes that she can include sections in French or English. Whether she can lead an entire ceremony in English is not stated, so an English-speaking couple should ask.
• Ceremony length. The site gives no typical duration.
• Lead time and booking terms. There is no stated deposit, contract or booking lead time.
• Planning meeting from abroad. The package assumes a planning meeting at the couple's home; the site does not say how this works for couples who live outside Switzerland.

Contact is through the form on the Kontakt page; she promises to reply within the next few days. The site publishes no phone number or email address. The home page credits wedding photographs to Hedrich Weddings, Martina Mühlemann and Lisa Ludwig (lilufotografie), and an "Inspirationen" page collects tips, ideas and reviews.

Who it suits

Redewerk suits couples marrying in the Bernese region who want a Swiss German ceremony with the certainty of a fixed price, and couples who value hands-on help with vows through the toolkit dossiers. With 100 km of travel included, couples should measure their venue's distance from Thun to see whether anything is added.

It is less suited to couples who need a ceremony mainly in English, since the site only promises English sections, or to couples who cannot host a planning meeting at home. For couples who want a friend to lead the ceremony, the speech writing service is a practical middle way.