Catherine Vionnet

Catherine Vionnet is a wedding planner and designer based in Lausanne who trades as Your Authentic Wedding and takes on high-end, made-to-measure celebrations in French-speaking Switzerland. Her Geneva page says she is 40 minutes from the city and works there regularly for Geneva and international couples, including diplomats, expatriates and staff of international organizations, which makes her one of the planners in the region who writes directly to the audience this guide is for.

Language and International Couples

The honest starting point for an English-speaking couple is the language of the service itself. The site is published in French only, and the Geneva page describes her coordinating multicultural weddings "en français, en m'appuyant sur un réseau de partenaires anglophones si nécessaire" (in French, drawing on a network of English-speaking partners where needed). So the planning conversation with her runs in French by default, and English is covered through the suppliers she brings in. A couple who needs every call and document in English should raise that in the first conversation rather than assume it.

What the site does make clear is that international weddings are a core part of her Geneva work. Her FAQ says she regularly works with couples from different origins and traditions, knows bilingual French/English suppliers and secular celebrants experienced with multicultural ceremonies, and adapts to the specific constraints of each tradition. For guests flying in, the same FAQ says she coordinates accommodation, chooses suppliers used to international events and handles multilingual communication where it is needed. The site frames Switzerland, and Geneva in particular, as neutral ground that guests from anywhere can reach.

The Three Formulas

Vionnet offers three formulas, each described as adapted to the couple's project rather than sold off a template.

Full made-to-measure organization covers everything from the choice of suppliers to coordination on the day. The homepage lists what that includes: suppliers, budget, design, logistics and day-of coordination, from the first meeting through to the last dance. The Geneva FAQ puts this formula between CHF 8,000 and CHF 15,000 depending on the size and complexity of the event.

Coaching is for couples who want to run the planning themselves with an expert alongside. She validates choices, analyzes supplier contracts and structures the preparations, and the homepage pitches it as a way to avoid costly mistakes. The FAQ gives a starting figure of CHF 2,000 for coaching.

Design and scenography is the third formula: from mood board to installation on the day, covering scenography, flowers, furniture and table settings. That is a genuine design service, not just a logistics one, and it suits couples who have a venue and a caterer in hand but want the visual side handled.

The FAQ adds that a personalized quote is always drawn up after a first consultation, so these figures are ranges and starting points rather than a fixed rate card.

Geneva Venues She Names

One of the more useful parts of the site for a couple planning from abroad is that she names the Geneva venues she works with rather than speaking in generalities. By the lake, she lists the Four Seasons Hôtel des Bergues and the Parc des Eaux-Vives, with views of the Jet d'Eau and Mont-Blanc. For a country estate, she names the Domaine du Grand Malagny, described as a green, discreet setting in the Geneva countryside for intimate or large receptions. For something less conventional, she points to the BFM (Bâtiment des Forces Motrices), a building her page describes as full of history with striking architecture.

Her FAQ adds a second list of popular high-end addresses: the Beau-Rivage Genève and the Hôtel des Bergues for lake-view receptions, the Château de Penthes for a historic green setting, the Domaine de Châteauvieux for a wedding among Geneva's vineyards and the Villa La Grange for outdoor ceremonies. These are venues she works with or recommends; she does not own or run any of them, and each has its own booking terms. She offers to help choose among them according to the couple's style and guest count.

Training and Approach

The homepage says she was trained by the Swiss Wedding Masterclass and describes her approach as resting on three pillars: sincere listening to what the couple wants, faultless organization and a strong sense of aesthetics. Her stated style is refined and timeless, mixing modern and traditional elements, for anything from an intimate ceremony to a large reception. She also writes that she works with a limited number of couples each year, and invites couples to contact her to check availability.

The first step is always a conversation, held in person in Geneva or Lausanne or by video call, which the site describes as without commitment and without pressure. For a couple still living abroad, the video option is the practical one.

What the Site Does Not Settle

The price figures are ranges and starting points, and the site does not itemize what sits inside each one or what would be billed on top, such as travel for a wedding outside the Lake Geneva area. The FAQ also notes that a wedding budget in Geneva generally runs higher than elsewhere in Switzerland because of venue and local supplier costs, so the planner's fee is one line in a larger bill.

The site is written in the first person throughout and names no team, so it does not say whether anyone else works on the day alongside her. A couple with a large guest list might ask how coordination on the day is staffed.

Guest transport is not described, and the site offers no guidance on civil formalities. Anything about the registry office belongs with the authorities, not with this listing. The accommodation help is stated, but not what it involves or whether it sits inside every formula.

Where She Works and Who It Suits

The homepage says she works mainly in the canton of Vaud (Montreux, Vevey, Nyon, Morges, Rolle and the Lavaux vineyards), also across French-speaking Switzerland in Geneva, Fribourg and Valais, and offers destination weddings in the south of France in Provence, the Luberon and the Côte d'Azur. On whether a Geneva couple needs a Geneva-based planner, her FAQ answers that "la proximité géographique est plus importante que la domiciliation exacte" (geographic proximity matters more than the exact address).

She fits international couples with a large or mixed-culture guest list who want a Lake Geneva wedding at a high-end venue and are comfortable with French as the working language, backed by English-speaking partners. The price range places her at the upper end, and the limited number of couples per year means booking early. Couples who need a planner who works natively in English, or who want a budget-conscious option, will find the fit less natural. For a couple who wants a strong design hand and a planner who already knows the Geneva luxury venues by name, she is a clear candidate.