Swiss Wedding Information
There is a bit of paperwork but it’s not complicated. You can easily do it yourself. But give yourself plenty of time. You will have to book months ahead if you would like to be married at one of the ten official special locations in the Canton of Bern. Probably the same for a civil wedding in other parts of Switzerland.
Documents required – read here
Swiss Wedding Information – Getting Married in Switzerland
The wedding ceremony is conducted by an official from the Registry Office. Not a priest in a church! Normally it’s in the Registry Office (Zivilstandtamt) but the swissinfo.ch website states that in the Canton of Bern, couples can be married at TEN specific scenic locations.
Read more here →
However, you will have to contact the nearest Registry Office (Zivilstandsamt) to submit the paperwork and organize an official to conduct the legal wedding ceremony.
Documentation
You will have to obtain copies of documents like a birth certificate, etc. from your local government. They cannot be older than six months! I have written some information regarding the documentation required here →
Gay couples win partnership rights →
Scenic Wedding Locations in Switzerland
The Swiss authorities and tourism officials in the Canton of Bern permit legal weddings in the following scenic locations:
— The historic restaurant on the shore of the Blue Lake near Kandersteg.
— Grand Hotel Giessbach. A Swiss historic hotel on the shores of Lake Brienz. Enjoy a boat trip on Brienz lake to the hotel.
— Eiger Ambassador Express. One of the original electric trains that operated on top of the Kleine Scheidegg mountain pass.
— Harder Kulm mountain restaurant overlooking Interlaken. Only on special days each year listed here.
— Spiez castle on the shores of Thun Lake.
— The panoramic restaurant, Alpen Tower, at the top of the Meiringen-Hasliberg ski resort.
— The Leiterli mountain hotel in the alpine resort of Lenk-Betelberg.
— The mountain restaurant Rellerli, near Gstaad.
— A renovated ship – MS Spiez, anchored offshore from the Schadau villa on the outskirts of the city of Thun.
Registry Office, Interlaken
The Registry office in Interlaken, Switzerland is known as the Zivilstandsamt Oberland Ost.
More information →
The office is only open from Monday to Friday 08.30–11.30 / 13.30–16.30.
It is closed in the morning on the first Thursday in each month.
The address is:
Zivilstandskreis Oberland Ost
Schloss 8, 3800 Interlaken
Tel: 0041 (0)31 635 43 40
Fax: 0041 (0)31 635 43 49
It is normal to be married in the Zivilstandsamt Interlaken and organize a “blessing” ceremony in a church, on a ship or by the lake afterwards. This can be after the ceremony or the next day or whenever! It’s possible to book a priest but they can be expensive. The captain of the ship on the lake can also bless your marriage.
