Jasmin Vifian

Jasmin Vifian is a family and wedding photographer based in the Emmental, in the canton of Bern, where she moved for love ten years ago. Weddings are one strand of a practice that also covers families, babies, pregnancies and couples, and her wedding work leans toward the feelings of the day rather than formal posed groups. Her own framing is simple: a wedding day is over far too quickly, one lovely moment follows the next, and what remains afterwards is the love and the memories she records in pictures.

How she approaches a wedding

On her wedding page Vifian writes that she mostly works in the canton of Bern and sometimes travels across the whole of Switzerland. She treats every wedding as unique while pointing out what they all share, namely that the day passes in the blink of an eye. Her closing line on that page, in the original German, is "Und damit die Erinnerungen für immer bleiben und nicht verblassen, halte ich als Hochzeitsfotografin diese für euch in Bilder fest." In English: so that the memories stay forever and do not fade, she holds them for the couple in pictures as a wedding photographer.

The site shows four wedding galleries. One is a farm wedding in Reutigen near Thun, one a spring wedding at Restaurant Schöngrün in Bern, one a castle wedding at Schloss Oberhofen on Lake Thun, and one a couple shoot on a wedding day in the Emmental. All four are in the canton of Bern, which matches what she says about where she usually works.

A castle wedding in detail

The most useful page for a couple judging her style is a written account of a civil ceremony at Schloss Trachselwald in the Emmental. The bride contacted her two months before the date, when her calendar was in fact already booked out, but there was a small window left and the castle setting persuaded her to squeeze the wedding in. That is worth noting for anyone planning at short notice: she can sometimes fit a date in, but her calendar does fill up.

The day was a bright one in early September. Photographer and couple met in the castle park shortly after noon for portraits before the ceremony. She writes openly that midday sun is not a photographer's best friend, and describes using the many shaded spots around the castle, then stepping out into the sun for the last frames so the castle would show in the background. After the guests were welcomed, the civil ceremony took place inside the castle, which she calls a beautiful place to marry, indoors as well as out.

What moved her most were the couple's emotions during the ceremony; she admits to blinking back a tear behind the camera. When the grandfather hugged his granddaughter with pride afterwards, she writes, no eye stayed dry. An aperitif in the castle courtyard followed, with an apéro buffet and, in her words, "eine grossartige Stimmung" (a great atmosphere). The page credits the venue, Schloss Trachselwald, and the caterer, VCJ Catering. It is a clear picture of how she works: an eye on light, and a focus on people.

Background

Vifian is 34 and grew up in the Schwyz valley basin, mostly in Brunnen, before a short spell in the Knonaueramt and then the move to the Emmental. She has been married to her husband Roland since 2014, and they have two children. Photography took hold of her in 2013 on a trip through the USA and Canada. She began, like many hobby photographers, in automatic mode, then taught herself photography and image editing through courses, magazines and YouTube. Landscapes came first, with the occasional portrait shoot.

After becoming a mother she discovered family photography, and she decided at the end of 2019 to go self-employed. Since January 1, 2020 she has worked officially as a family photographer, alongside what she calls her main job as a mom. Couples should read the site with that in mind: her about page presents her primarily as a family photographer, and weddings sit within that wider practice.

Prices and what is included

The offer page lists fixed prices for most session types. Family photography is CHF 450 for an hour outdoors with members of one household. Baby photography is CHF 520 for about 2 hours at the family's home. Pregnancy sessions cost CHF 450 for an hour outdoors or at home. A couple or engagement shoot, called "Du & Ich" on the page, is CHF 390 for an hour outdoors for two people.

Weddings and christenings fall under "Reportagen", starting at CHF 900 for a minimum of 2 hours, with the exact price on request. Every booking includes preparation tips by email, all successful images (at least 50) as high-resolution JPG files, an online gallery for downloading them, and travel of up to 30 km within the price, with longer distances on request.

What the site leaves open

The page gives a starting price for weddings but no breakdown of what a full day costs, how many hours a typical wedding runs, or whether evening coverage is available. It does not state a delivery time for the finished images, and it does not mention albums, prints, a second photographer or video. The travel rule is clear in kilometers, but the site does not say how travel beyond 30 km is charged, which matters to any couple marrying outside the Emmental.

For a couple from abroad the larger point is language. The whole site is in German, and it does not say whether she works in English. Inquiries go through the "anfragen" (inquire) buttons and the contact page. It is worth asking early about language, the wedding-day hours you need, the travel supplement and how far ahead she books.

Who she suits

Vifian suits couples marrying in the canton of Bern, especially in the Emmental or around Thun, who want a warm, personal photographer and relaxed, emotional pictures rather than a heavily styled production. The published entry price makes budgeting easier than with many photographers who give no numbers at all. Couples who want the same photographer for an engagement shoot, and later perhaps for family pictures, will find all of that on one price list.

The caveats are the German-only website, the absence of detail on full-day wedding coverage, and a practice built mainly around family photography. For a small civil wedding or an intimate celebration in the Bernese countryside, her Schloss Trachselwald account shows exactly the kind of day she photographs well.