Jessica Grieder

About Jessica Grieder

Jessica Grieder is a wedding photographer from the Basel region who covers weddings across Switzerland and Europe. She photographed her first wedding in 2016 and writes that she has since accompanied more than 100 couples on their wedding day. Her work spans full-day weddings, civil ceremonies, elopements and couple shoots, and outside weddings she also photographs pregnancies, newborns and families. Her homepage sums up who she is for: couples who do not want to stage their wedding day but to experience it exactly as it really is.

She introduces herself with a light touch, as a matcha lover, a dog mom and probably the person at your wedding who notices far too many small details. The self-description fits the work she promises: attentive, quiet, and always looking for the moments the couple may not notice themselves.

The approach

Grieder's central line is that a wedding should not feel like a photo shoot; it should feel like the couple. On her wedding page she writes that there are no posed setups with her, only real, lively moments, with a lot of laughter along the way. The aim, as she puts it, is that when the couple looks at the pictures in 20 years, they recognize themselves and the butterflies and feelings of the day come back just as they were.

She describes herself less as a photographer than as a friend at the couple's side, one who gives reassurance when they do not know what to do in front of the camera and steps back when real moments happen. The offer page adds a reassuring figure for nervous couples: 90% of her couples have no experience in front of a camera either. She gives small prompts when needed and holds back otherwise, so that the camera eventually feels like a familiar part of the day. On the day itself she follows the couple through getting ready, the ceremony, the hugs and congratulations, dinner and the dance floor. The testimonials on her homepage echo this. Sina and Joshua praise her calm, empathetic and warm manner, and Janick and Aline write that it felt as if a good friend were sharing their day, without her presence ever feeling intrusive.

What a reportage includes

The offer page is more detailed than most. A reportage starts with a personal meeting, which she suggests having over coffee, to talk through wishes, plans and the day. Couples receive her Wedding Guide, a physical booklet that helps them plan the photography and the wedding day in a relaxed way. There is an individual timeline consultation to find where the schedule leaves room for pictures; she says plainly that she is not a wedding planner and does not want to replace one, but can pass on tips from past weddings.

With a booking of 8 hours or more, a pre-wedding or get-to-know-you shoot is included, so the couple can gain some experience in front of the camera beforehand. The wedding page lists what comes with a wedding: photographic coverage, the get-to-know-you shoot, the personal meeting, the Wedding Guide magazine, the timeline consultation, professional editing of all good images, and a personal online gallery protected by a password for the couple and their family. Travel costs anywhere in Switzerland are included, and a spontaneous extension on the day is possible for a surcharge. Handmade albums or fine art prints can be added on request.

Prices and add-ons

For full wedding reportages Grieder prepares a personal quote rather than publishing a price. Civil ceremony coverage starts at CHF 590, and the exact scope is agreed personally according to the couple's story and priorities. She adapts the coverage to anything from an intimate civil ceremony to a full-day reportage or an elopement in the Swiss mountains.

The add-ons listed are a photo box, albums and prints, a second shooter, express image editing, an engagement shoot and a pre-wedding shoot. The second shooter option is useful for a larger wedding where the couple wants two perspectives covered, and express editing for couples who cannot wait the usual delivery time.

Delivery and booking

The finished, edited images arrive in an online gallery after about 4 to 6 weeks, where the couple, family and friends can view, share and download them. Booking runs in four steps on her page: the first meeting, the time in between (she is available for questions while the couple plans), the wedding day itself, and then the delivery.

To inquire, couples use the contact form, which asks for the service, the date, how they found her and a message; she notes that the more detailed the message, the more precisely she can respond. The contact page lists the phone number +41 76 336 90 59 and an email address written as info(at)jessicagrieder-fotografie.ch. If there is no reply within 24 hours, she asks couples to check their spam folder.

What the site does not answer

The site does not state how many final images a full reportage produces, the price of a full-day wedding, or the cost of each add-on. It does not describe her editing look in words, so the galleries are the guide there. Lead times and how far ahead she books up are not given either. Her travel is included within Switzerland; for weddings elsewhere in Europe the page does not say how travel is charged.

For a couple from abroad, language is the main open question. The site is written in German, with a few English headings such as "More than photography", and her testimonials are mostly in Swiss German. It does not say whether she works in English, so that is the first thing to ask.

Who she suits

Grieder suits couples in the Basel region and across Switzerland who want relaxed, natural pictures and a photographer who feels like part of the day rather than a director. Couples who are nervous in front of a camera will find the included pre-wedding shoot and her guidance a real help, and the Wedding Guide and timeline advice make planning easier for couples organizing a wedding for the first time. Small civil weddings have a published starting price, which helps with budgeting. The caveats are the lack of a published price for full-day coverage and a German-language website that leaves the language question for the first conversation.