Switzerland Wedding Videographer – Destination Wedding in Villa Orselina Ticino

Some relationships feel like fate, just waiting for the right timing to blossom. Never have I seen this more than with the beautiful union of Laura and Simon, who reconnected serendipitously after 10 years apart. When it came time to plan their fairy tale destination wedding in Switzerland they decided on a small elegant gathering with close friends and family from around the world and honoured their love by choosing to get married in beautiful Villa Orselina in Ticino, a Swiss Canton over the lake Maggiore that nodded back to the beginnings of their relationship. When Laura and Simon were looking for a Switzerland wedding videographer and inquired with me, we quickly connected on their love story, and our shared value in the documentary approach and capturing true emotions in their wedding film. They are both very easy going and lovely people, and it was such a pleasure to work with them to capture the celebration of their love in the picturesque mountains of Switzerland.  

If you are planning a destination wedding in Switzerland or lake Maggiore you may also be interested to check out my other wedding videos in Umbria, and Puglia. But I really suggest that you first dedicate a few minutes of your time and press the play button right above and watch the beautiful story of this destination wedding in Villa Orselina, Switzerland.

Destination Wedding in Switzerland

The refined luxury of Switzerland makes it one of the top desired destination wedding locations in the world. Its diverse geography ranges from the Alps in the south, to the Central Plateau and the Jura Mountains in the north, offering a variety of stunning locations and beautiful lakes year round, and all within a relatively close distance, in the heart of Europe. There is plenty of flexibility for hosting grand occasions or intimate elopements with an emphasis on elegance, yet surrounded by the beauty of nature.

You’ll find wedding venues in Switzerland ranging from stunning churches and sprawling vineyards, to historic hotels and castles, chartered luxury boats, lakeside villas, mountain top chateaux’s or rustic fairy tale farm houses. If you do choose to get married in Switzerland your wedding film is bound to be beautiful – I can promise you that!

Along with Switzerland’s natural beauty it also has much to offer in the ways of stunning architecture and fine dining  (Swiss chocolates or cheese anyone), yet it is still very well connected to the modern world, making wedding planning and travel a breeze.

Laura and Simon chose the canton of Ticino for their destination wedding, which is in the southern region of the country, and is the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. A place where everything is well organized, as in the rest of Switzerland, but life is a bit more easygoing, like in Italy. Combining this aspect with the breathtaking location of Orselina, overlooking the lake and the city of Locarno created a perfect backdrop for Simon and Laura’s beautiful story. They both felt connected with the region, but it is also one of the most beautiful regions with iconic views and lovely Italian food.

Although I‘ve filmed a pre-wedding taking place in several cities of Switzerland previously, this was my first time visiting Ticino for a wedding film in Switzerland. It was a real pleasure working with such a lovely couple in this breathtaking location. I definitely look forward to telling more beautiful stories of elegant and bohemian couples that plan to get married in Switzerland.

A Story made in Ticino

Laura is known to her friends and family as a kind and empathetic person, with a love for sports and good food, along with a lovely glass of wine and a beautiful sunset. Simon is a very kind and intelligent man, with a great sense of humour and a deep love of sports, who makes Laura feel like she can be ‘unapologetically herself’. Their love for each other has been an incredibly positive influence for them both, noted by friends as ‘the harmony of two souls that belong together’.

“Because home is not a place, home is you.” – Laura

Laura and Simon first met in university in St. Gallen, in the northeastern region of Switzerland. Simon already had a crush on Laura when they first met, but Laura had no intentions, and it wasn’t the right time for them to be together. After 10 years apart, they rekindled their connection when they unexpectedly happened to find each other again through a sports app (Strava), as they both shared a common passion for sports. As the story goes, the rest was history, and they now live happily ever after in Zurich.

It was clear to me that they have a true bond based on being best friends and partners in life and that they complete each other – something very important in a couple’s relationship. To honour their story they chose to host their wedding in Ticino where it all started; the perfect location in Switzerland for their romantic and sentimental destination wedding. Moreover, a truly unique backdrop for every wedding videographer filming in Switzerland.

Tying the Knot in Ticino Switzerland: Villa Orselina Wedding Venue

“Your love for me has made me a better person” – Laura

Simon and Laura discovered my wedding videography portfolio online and loved the documentary approach of my videos. When they contacted me shortly after to be their wedding Videographer in Switzerland they said they loved the emotional aspect of my films. We both agreed that what is most important in a wedding film is capturing true emotions – something I consider a moto in my work.

The couple traveled to Ticino from Zurich for their destination wedding, which was hosted at the Villa Orselina. This was a perfect match for them as their wedding venue, because it is within walking distance of the iconic church of Madonna del Sasso, where their ceremony was to be held.

Villa Orselina was also the ideal wedding venue in Ticino for Laura and Simon as it offered a pool outdoors and many facilities at different levels, to help organize the different events of the two day celebration: a pre-wedding gathering, along with cocktails, dinner, and the party on the day of. It also offered accommodation for all their guests, as it could be booked exclusively for their private event, and it eliminated the need to drive between locations. Last, but not least, Villa Orselina offered breathtaking views over the lake Maggiore, the city of Locarno and the Madonna del Sasso Sanctuary. It can definitely be considered to be among the best venues for a destination wedding in Ticino.

Their two day celebration was both elegant and laid back, and allowed everyone the opportunity to gather and connect with each other before the big day, during a lovely sunny afternoon in the pool, followed by cocktails outdoors with a few speeches from friends of the couple. I believe this is such an important part in international destination weddings with guests coming from different parts of the world. It is also a great opportunity for guests and the couple to become more relaxed in front of the photographers’ and videographers’ cameras for the actual wedding day.

On the big day the mood was elegant, but relaxed, with an air of excitement to celebrate with loved ones and friends from all over the world after a long period of separation during the Pandemic. There was no stress for the bride and groom as everything was well organized, and Esther, the wedding coordinator of Villa Orselina, took care of every detail. Preparations took place in two different rooms of the Villa, both overlooking the beautiful lake Maggiore and the city of Locarno. Simon got ready and chilled out with his groomsmen, while Laura got ready with her bridesmaids in the Presidential Suite.

Their religious wedding ceremony was both catholic and protestant and took place at the iconic church of Madonna del Sasso, built on the rock of Locarno with a breathtaking view of the lake Maggiore. There was a particularly special moment in the ceremony when the pianist in the church played John Legend’s “All of Me” (a song which Laura also mentioned during her vows) and everyone began singing along.

After the ceremony there were cocktails outdoors with a live jazz band overlooking the lake, and then everything moved indoors for speeches, while guests could enjoy fresh mozzarella cheese prepared on the spot. Later in the evening, there was an elegant dinner with more heartfelt speeches from friends and family. Laura’s father gave a very emotional speech that moved everyone, and Simon’s parents entertained the room with their power point presentation going through Simon’s life, his first attempts into entrepreneurship and sports, and some milestones in the couple’s relationship. The beautiful night ended excitedly with a crazy dance party including a DJ and live violin.

The whole event from start to finish was incredible beautiful and emotional, and I feel honoured to have witnessed it, and to have been chosen as their wedding cinematographer in Switzerland.

Planning a Wedding in Switzerland

If you are planning a destination wedding in Switzerland then finding an amazing team of professionals to help you pull it off is very important, especially your photographer, videographer, and your wedding planner. Working with Esther, the wedding coordinator from Villa Orselina, was a breeze, and as a destination wedding videographer I was very grateful for this as Switzerland was somewhat new territory for me. She was very professional, polite and flexible and had everything organized as it should be.

When Vendors are also your friends

For this wedding, I also had the pleasure to be assisted by my good friend and acclaimed videographer Daniele Donati from Italy as my second shooter. We drove together from Milan to Locarno and this was a great opportunity to catch up and share our previous filming experiences in Switzerland. During this two day event, we coordinated perfectly as a team and this was actually very important in capturing some of the most demanding moments for Laura and Simon’s wedding film. I think that we were a great match working together and that we formed a dream team to be their wedding videographer in Switzerland!

I always like to use a combination of frame captures from my videos and pictures to tell the story. All the images featured in this post are part of Laura and Simon’s wedding video in Switzerland.

Wedding Videography in Ticino Switzerland

I feel really blessed to be a destination wedding videographer. To be able to travel to iconic places throughout Europe, including Switzerland, and to film ceremonies in breathtaking locations like Ticino overlooking the lakeside mountains is incredible. It is amazing to meet new people and to tell the love stories of adventurous couples that decide to get married in Switzerland or abroad. Be it in the Alps, a Swiss vineyard or even Aigle castle. Switzerland is full of amazing destination wedding locations!

Are you planning to get married in Switzerland or simply eloping there? I would love to be your wedding videographer in Switzerland. I am just a short flight away, as I have my base in Greece, but travel and film all over Europe regularly. Let’s create some magic for your wedding videography in Switzerland, together!