Self Solemnization Colorado | Colorado Elopement Photographer

Can you marry yourself in Colorado? YES, it’s called Self-Solemnization!

So what is Self-Solemnization? It’s the ability to marry yourself in Colorado, and that means there is no witness or officiant requirement. That means the self solemnization Colorado option opens up a ton of fucking doors for us, and my clients are using them to the fullest to have rad, even hike-free adventures all over the state.

If I’m being honest, the majority of my couples’ have started planning a larger, more traditional wedding and then adjusted along in the process to something that feels a lot more authentic to them, and I’m here to support you 10000% in whatever you choose. Sometimes that means cutting the guest list down, sometimes that means eliminating some more traditional aspects (bouquet toss? ew), and sometimes that means running off into the Rockies, just the two of you, to elope and have your choice in exactly where and how you’d like the get married. The theme here? It’s your day, your choice, and Colorado actually gives you the freedom to decide what the best option is for you. Self solemnization Colorado = freedom.

And this self solemnization is actually legal?

YES, and Colorado is one of the only states that legally recognizes your self-solemnization without any additional conditions. You’ll find that some other states have a similar option (like my hometown state of IL), but there’s some additional paperwork or conditions attached. Colorado, on the other hand, will let you marry yourself, anywhere you’d like (although we DO have many rules and permits per location, for good reason, and that’s why hiring an experienced Colorado elopement photographer will be extremely helpful), however you’d like, with no one else required to be involved.

Okay, but we’re awkward – what do we actually DO if there’s no officiant for our ceremony?

Sometimes too much freedom can be overwhelming, and I totally get that! You’ve just been handed a ton of options to consider, and while this is rad as hell, it also can feel like you’re swimming through a never-ending pool of possibility. The good news is, I can help you navigate all of it, as your Colorado elopement or wedding photographer and planning assistant Gandalf (yeah, that means I won’t leave you on the side of the mountain alone like Frodo & Sam, figuring all of this out by yourself).

So here’s some of the freedom you’ve just been handed:

✶ You can write your own vows, and your entire ceremony. This can sound overwhelming, but there are a ton of templates online to get you started. The best part about it, is that it’s not centered around someone having to “perform” it for you. You can separate your ceremony into sections where each of you read letters to each other, where you tell a story about your relationship and room for each of you to write personal vows.

✶ You can have a friend or family member officiate, instead of some random stranger. If you DO still want some sort of officiating party, this is a great way to personalize the experience without it having to be weird and awkward.

✶ You can have your dog sign your marriage license in Colorado :’) YEAH, as a dog-mom of two, this is a big fucking deal to me, and should be for you, too. It’s a super special way to incorporate your fur kids into your day, and is pretty special for Colorado, too.

✶ You can have… anyone else sign your marriage license, too! Not just your dogs, but anyone you’d like to incorporate CAN also sign your license as witness, if you want. Or, you could invite no one at all (can have them sign it later), because they don’t physically have to be present.

✶ You can get married wherever you’d like. A skate park… a national park… in your backyard…

✶ You can have a ceremony during any activity you want. You can do ANYTHING YOU WANT.

✶ Get out of a fucking box. It’s hard sometimes to imagine that you can do anything, go anywhere, and get married however you’d like, but it’s completely possible and I need you to use that inner child imagination to determine exactly what feels the most like you, and how we can celebrate you doing just that. Some ways my clients have gotten married? Try, in Rocky Mountain National Park during sunset, in a skate park, in a tattoo shop while getting matching tattoos, in a forest with a Game of Thrones themed wedding, in an art museum, at the courthouse (and then ran off to get wed in Italy), while enjoying their favorite meal in the wildflowers of Crested Butte, on a freaking ski slope, you name it.

No one is requiring you to make a big, showboat deal of the day… you have the freedom to be yourself, celebrate how you want, and marry yourselves in Colorado doing whatever your dream day is to you.

I’m here to support you along the way, however you’d like–whether that’s just the two of you, together on a mountain-side with beautiful views, at one of my favorite no-hike locations (that’s right, you can elope here, have rad as hell views and NOT hike, if you hire the right photographer, wink, wink, again), or together with all of your friends and family (I photograph large weddings too, but there’s nothing traditional about them).