From Vevey to Lavaux: An Intimate Swiss Civil Wedding
Before celebrating their destination wedding on the beaches of Corsica a few months later, Margot and Yacine officially married in Vevey, Switzerland, with an intimate civil ceremony followed by an apéritif overlooking Lake Geneva.
It was a smaller celebration, but certainly not a simple one. From portraits through the streets of Vevey before the ceremony to an apéritif filled with personal touches, live music, signature cocktails and some very clever surprises for their guests, they made their civil wedding feel entirely their own.
Wedding Photos in Vevey Old Town and Along Lake Geneva
We began before the ceremony with a relaxed couple's session around Vevey's old town and along the shores of Lake Geneva.
Scheduling portraits before a civil ceremony can work particularly well for a wedding in Vevey. It gave Margot and Yacine some time together before meeting their guests and meant we could make the most of both sides of the town: its historic streets and architecture, as well as the lake and mountains that make this part of Switzerland so distinctive.
Rather than treating it as a formal pre-wedding photoshoot, we wandered through town together, stopping wherever the light, architecture or view caught my eye. It kept the photographs relaxed while still creating some beautiful portraits of the two of them before the celebrations began.
A Civil Wedding at the Hôtel de Ville de Vevey
From the lakefront, we made our way to the Hôtel de Ville de Vevey, where Margot and Yacine's friends and family joined them for their civil ceremony.
Swiss civil ceremonies are often relatively short, but that doesn't make them any less meaningful to photograph. The anticipation outside, guests greeting one another, the ceremony itself and those first moments afterwards all become part of the story.
And in Margot and Yacine's case, their civil wedding was only the beginning. A few months later, I would join them again — this time in Calvi, Corsica, for a completely different celebration beside the Mediterranean.
An Apéritif at Le Baron Tavernier
After the ceremony in Vevey, everyone continued to Le Baron Tavernier, perched above the vineyards of Lavaux and Lake Geneva, for an afternoon apéritif.
This was where so much of Margot and Yacine's personality came through. Rather than simply organizing drinks after the ceremony, they had created an experience for their guests, with thoughtful details and playful touches everywhere you looked.
There was live music, a perfume bar, signature cocktails and engraved hand fans for guests. A cigar bar added another gathering point, while food was prepared in front of everyone, including a risotto stand serving it freshly made throughout the apéritif.
Even their wedding gazette had a sense of humour. Alongside details about the couple and celebration, they had created a personalized singles section featuring their eligible friends — exactly the kind of detail that guests remember and that makes a wedding feel personal rather than prescribed.
Personal Wedding Details That Made the Celebration Their Own
What I loved about this celebration was that the details weren't there simply to make everything look beautiful.
They gave people something to experience. Guests could discover the perfume bar, order one of the couple's signature cocktails, listen to live music, gather around the cigar bar or watch their food being prepared. The personalized gazette gave everyone something to read — and undoubtedly prompted a few conversations thanks to that singles section.
As a photographer, these are some of my favorite details to document because they provide context for the people and personalities behind a wedding. Years later, photographs of an engraved fan, a handwritten menu or a friend laughing over the wedding gazette can bring back just as much of the atmosphere as a photograph of the venue itself.
Planning a Civil Wedding in Vevey or Lausanne?
The Lake Geneva region is particularly well suited to intimate civil weddings because a relatively short celebration can still incorporate several very different settings without requiring a complicated timeline.
In Vevey, couples can combine a ceremony at the town hall with portraits through the old town and along Lake Geneva, before continuing into the Lavaux vineyards or to one of the many hotels and restaurants overlooking the lake for an apéritif or dinner.
For couples planning a larger wedding elsewhere — whether in Switzerland or abroad — a civil ceremony can also be an opportunity to create something deliberately different: smaller, more intimate and focused on spending time with your closest people.
Civil Wedding Photography in Vevey and Switzerland
I photograph civil weddings and intimate celebrations throughout Vevey, Lausanne, Montreux, Lavaux and across Switzerland, combining documentary photography with relaxed direction for portraits.
My approach is to document the atmosphere and spontaneous moments as they happen while also making space for beautiful photographs of the two of you and the places you've chosen to celebrate — without turning a short civil wedding into an extended photoshoot.
If you're planning a civil wedding in Vevey, Lausanne or elsewhere in Switzerland, you can explore more of my wedding photography or get in touch to tell me what you're planning.
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