Hochzeitsknipser

Hochzeitsknipser is the wedding photography of José Ruano, who works from Uzwil in the canton of St. Gallen and covers eastern Switzerland. His home page introduces him as a wedding photographer for St. Gallen whose pictures are made in a natural reportage style, with real emotion at the center. Two things make him worth a look for couples from abroad: he states that he speaks five languages fluently, and the page is unusually open about prices, deposit, cancellation and delivery.

Five languages

The language line is specific: "Fünf fliessend gesprochene Sprachen (Deutsch, Spanisch, Italienisch, Französisch und Englisch) erleichtern unsere Planung" (five fluently spoken languages, German, Spanish, Italian, French and English, make our planning easier). He adds that this multilingualism helps a couple's international guests at the ceremony and that all important details can be settled without language barriers. For a mixed Swiss-Spanish or Swiss-Italian family, or an English-speaking couple, that removes a common worry. The site itself is in German.

The style: natural reportage and the moments in between

His wedding description focuses on the big highlights and on "die vielen kleinen, liebevollen Momente" (the many small, loving moments), and says the pictures tell an authentic, dramaturgically structured story of the day. A section headed "Eure wertvollen Zwischenmomente" (your precious in-between moments) explains that he records the atmosphere unobtrusively from the background. He works with available light, plans to catch warm sunsets in the evening with the couple, and uses a drone for aerial pictures on request, if the location and the weather allow the flight.

The page walks through a wedding day in five stages: getting ready, with details like the dress and rings; the ceremony, with relaxed portraits usually taken right after the couple walks out, and classic family photos; the party in the evening; careful editing afterward; and handover.

Three services

• Verlobung (engagement): a shoot to take away the early nerves in front of the camera and get to know his way of working, with pictures suited to save-the-date cards.
• Hochzeit (wedding): the full reportage described above.
• Trash the dress: an unconventional shoot after the wedding in which the couple put their wedding clothes back on and are allowed to get them dirty, relaxed pictures at a place of their choice, described as "knallige Bilder der etwas anderen Art" (bold pictures of a different kind).

The site's menu also has a blog section on the photo booth, and one client review mentions booking a photo booth through him, with no setup or teardown to worry about.

Prices and terms

The page states that there are no hidden costs. Packages start at CHF 800 for three hours of coverage. Fair travel costs are part of every offer: a number of kilometers from Uzwil is included, and each further kilometer costs CHF 1.10. A 30 percent deposit secures the booking, and the rest is paid on the wedding day. Cancellation is free up to four weeks before the wedding date. A printed wedding album is available at extra cost. Prices for longer packages are on the site's separate prices page.

What couples receive

Every photo is edited individually, without batch filters. All images come in color, with some selected shots also in black and white. The high-resolution files are handed over within 30 days through a password-protected online gallery, and a USB stick is available on request. All photos are free of watermarks, and the private usage rights pass entirely to the couple. On numbers, the FAQ says he delivers from experience about 50 images per hour, depending on the mood and the schedule.

How many photographers

The FAQ gives clear advice. He recommends a second photographer from 50 to 60 guests, because one photographer cannot possibly record every moment in parallel, and the number of parallel moments rises with each guest. From 100 guests, two photographers become urgently necessary.

Planning and booking

Booking starts with a personal meeting to discuss details, and he adds a phone call five to ten days before the wedding for final coordination. He says he will help find the best locations in the St. Gallen region. On timing, the FAQ advises booking right after fixing the date, since summer weddings often need six to twelve months' lead time; the exact location does not have to be settled at the first inquiry, and he can suggest places. If he is already booked, he recommends professional colleagues. Inquiries go through the contact form, by email to info@hochzeitsknipser.ch or by phone on +41 79 695 01 41.

What couples say

The page shows seven Google reviews rated "Ausgezeichnet" (excellent). Flavio, married in summer 2025, writes that José has a talent for catching people at exactly the right moment, that he directed the group photos well, and that the couple shoot, drone pictures and photo booth were highlights; he also prepared them in two planning meetings in Uzwil. Chiara Peter describes him visiting their location the day before the ceremony at no extra cost, and being present without being intrusive. Raphael Niederer notes that even the cheapest offer included a preliminary meeting, and that all photos also came in black and white. Christoph Zumbühl calls him professional and says he fitted into the day well.

What the site leaves open

The home page gives only the starting price, so longer packages need a look at the prices page or a quote. It does not say how many kilometers are included from Uzwil, what a second photographer or the photo booth costs, or whether video is offered. His main area is St. Gallen, Lake Constance and Thurgau, and he says he is happy to travel to Appenzell or Zurich; a wedding elsewhere in Switzerland is a question to ask, along with the resulting kilometer charge. The page presents Swiss nature and the mountains of the region as the natural backdrop for unposed pictures, and the footer shows the business trading as Hochzeitsknipser by FOTORUANO.

Who it suits

Hochzeitsknipser suits couples marrying in eastern Switzerland who want natural reportage, clear terms, and a photographer they can talk to in English, Spanish, Italian or French as well as German. The four-week free cancellation and payment of the balance on the day are friendly terms for couples planning from abroad. The caveats are the kilometer charge beyond the included distance and the advice to budget a second photographer for larger weddings.