As a Zurich-based wedding and couple photographer, my work takes me across Switzerland for civil weddings, pre-wedding sessions, engagements and couple photography. This time, my camera brought me to the beautiful baroque city of Solothurn for the civil wedding of Renil and Reda — a wonderful international couple who were finally, after everything, ready to begin their life together.
It was my first time visiting Solothurn, so I arrived an hour early to scout the ceremony room and the surrounding streets, getting a feel for the light inside the Palais and identifying the best spots for the newlywed portraits afterwards. Standing by the Aare in the morning quiet, I already knew this was going to be a special day.
The Wedding Ceremony
Renil and Reda are one of those couples you feel immediately comfortable around. Sweet, warm, and genuinely excited about each other and their soon-to-be life together.
Coming from a similar background myself, having moved to Switzerland for love, I felt a particular closeness to their story from the very first message they sent through my website. They had navigated the complexities of an international relationship, different countries, different cultures, and different timelines, and their wedding day was the beautiful culmination of all of it. They were finally moving in together, and the joy in the room was completely palpable.
The ceremony was held in English so that the couple, their family and friends could all participate and understand every word, which gave the whole celebration a wonderfully inclusive and intimate atmosphere. It was short and sweet, and everyone in that room was completely over the moon.
My favourite detail of the entire day? Renil had actually proposed to Reda not once, but twice. Which means Reda has two engagement rings!! I think that says everything you need to know about these two and the love story that brought them to Solothurn. What a dream!
The Location - Palais Le Besenval, Solothurn
The civil wedding ceremony took place at the magnificent Palais Le Besenval, one of Solothurn's most historically significant and beautiful buildings. Built between 1703 and 1706 alongside the Aare river, it was originally constructed as a hotel entre cour et jardin, modelled on the grand French noble townhouses of the era. Its baroque architecture, symmetrical facades and beautifully kept gardens make it one of the most elegant settings for a civil wedding ceremony in all of Switzerland and it also happens to be home to the Little Prince Museum, which feels somehow fitting for a love story this romantic.
The ceremony room itself is wonderfully modern inside, with generous natural light flooding through the windows - something I always appreciate as a photographer, because it means the moments feel alive and warm rather than flat and artificial. The space was also generous enough that every guest felt comfortable and present without the room ever feeling crowded. It was the perfect setting for an intimate international wedding.
A Stroll Through Solothurn's Old Town
After the ceremony, Renil, Reda, the bridesmaids and I set off on a relaxed walk through Solothurn's stunning old town for the couple portraits and it turned into one of my favourite parts of the entire day.
We started at Palais Le Besenval and made our way through the city organically, stopping wherever the light or the architecture called for it. Our first stop was the magnificent St. Ursus Cathedral, where both Renil and Reda paused to light a few candles and quietly wish upon a good marriage together. It was a completely spontaneous and deeply personal moment that I felt incredibly privileged to witness and photograph.
From there we walked under the Basel Tower, one of Solothurn's iconic medieval gates, and by some wonderful stroke of luck, the street was completely empty as we passed through, which gave me the chance to capture the couple walking beneath it in complete stillness. Those are the moments you can never plan for and always treasure.
Next came the Museums Park, where the trees behind it created a beautiful natural canopy of dappled light filtering through the leaves; the kind of soft, organic light that is impossible to replicate artificially and absolutely magical to shoot in. And finally, the Kunstmuseum, where the bridesmaids had a brilliant idea: a few K-Pop drama inspired photos. The couple threw themselves into it completely, laughing and performing for the camera, and those images ended up being some of the most joyful and alive of the entire day.
I was kindly invited to join the aperitif celebration afterwards along the Landhausquai, where the couple and their friends exchanged the most wonderful stories over drinks by the river. It was a beautiful way to end the day, and a reminder of something I genuinely believe: that the best wedding photography happens when you feel like part of the celebration rather than just an observer of it. With Renil and Reda, that feeling was there from the very first message. Thank you both for trusting me with your day.
A note on Civil Weddings in Switzerland
For international couples getting married in Switzerland, the civil wedding date is sometimes assigned to you without much flexibility, and these ceremonies most often take place during the week rather than on weekends. I completely understand how that can feel logistically complicated, especially when you are coordinating family and friends from different countries.
For this reason, I make a conscious effort to keep my weekday calendar open for civil wedding bookings, including last minute ones. If you are getting married in Switzerland soon, whether your celebration is an intimate ceremony for two or a gathering of your closest people, please do reach out for a personalised quote. Every civil wedding is different, and every one of them deserves to be beautifully documented.
Civil wedding photography is one of my favourite things to do as a Zurich-based photographer. There is something incredibly moving about the simplicity and honesty of a civil ceremony, no grand productions, just two people choosing each other in front of the people they love most.
Reach out to me at 📩 hello@sofiammann.com, or fill out the form below.
FAQ - frequently asked questions
Do you photograph civil weddings in Switzerland?
Yes, civil wedding photography is one of my specialities as a Zurich-based wedding photographer.
I shoot civil ceremonies across Switzerland including Zurich, Solothurn, Basel, Bern and beyond, and I keep my weekday calendar open for last minute bookings.
What does your civil wedding photography package include?
Every session includes a pre-shoot consultation, natural posing direction, and a minimum of 50 edited images per hour delivered within one week in three versions: web-sized for sharing, high resolution for printing, and a film edit.
Do you travel outside of Zurich for weddings?
Absolutely. I travel across Switzerland and Europe for civil weddings, elopements and intimate celebrations. Travel costs outside of Kanton Zurich are invoiced separately at cost.
Can you accommodate last minute civil wedding bookings?
Yes, I specifically keep my weekday calendar flexible for last minute civil wedding bookings, since Swiss civil ceremony dates are often assigned without much notice for international couples.
Yes, I work in English, Spanish, German and Italian, which makes me particularly well suited to international couples and mixed-nationality weddings across Switzerland.
Do you speak multiple languages?
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