I’m so stoked you’re here, and that you’re considering an elopement day in one of the raddest places to get married on earth. My couples aren’t coming to Colorado just for pretty views. They’re coming here to say fuck THEIR traditions and what the wedding industry has decided they “should” do, to have the freedom and privacy to have a wedding their own way, in a gorgeous place that becomes a special memento to their relationship that they can come back to visit. This is your non-traditional Colorado elopement guide. As a local, non-traditional Colorado Elopement Photographer and planning assistant that has lived here for over 10 years (and came straight out of the Midwest like most of you, too ;’)), got married here myself, and considers this state the closest thing to heaven that I can muster in my mind, you’re in the right place.

Planning your dream Colorado elopement with me will be much more involved than this guide, as I’ll select hand-picked locations for you based on how funky or adventurous (or not adventurous) you want to get, pull specific wedding vendors that you can trust (and don’t suck), explain in detail how to get your marriage license, give specific ideas for your day to make it fun and unique…but in the meantime, this guide is meant to be a starting place for envisioning a wedding day that’s as punk rock as you, without all the fluff you don’t need.

The best part? There are no rules. You can elope by yourselves, or invite guests if you want to; you can hike a mountain, or elope in a rad spot right off the road; you can wear a white dress (or black like your emo hearts); you can drink Colorado craft beer instead of pop champagne; you can eat THC cupcakes instead of cut a cake; you can dance to Sleeping with Sirens instead of some country banger for your first dance (or not have one at all); it’s your day, I’m just your ride or die planning assistant to deliver you bad ass photos.

If standing in front of 100+ people to read intimate vows makes your tummy rumble with anxiety, if your future plans are more important than going in to debt by feeding your entire extended family, if it’s hard to imagine having your family with you because of complicated past traumas or family structures or grief, if planning a huge event feels like literally suffocating misery, planning your non-traditional Colorado elopement with me might just be your jam.

Step One: What will your Colorado Elopement day feel like?

The hard part? I actually can’t do this step for you. The way you choose to get married is both a deeply personal and intention decision, and it needs to be made on your terms. But I CAN give you some rad ideas on what it could look like.

It’s hard to not just jump on pinterest, check out the latest trends, and decide you want cool wedding photos that look like that; I get it. Your photos are going to be bomb, but what’s important is that the memories behind them really stand out and feel like YOU. If you look back on these moments and say, “I wish we had done X like we wanted”, then you might just be doing it wrong.

Most of my couples will come to me and say: “We don’t care where we are! We trust you to find us an amazing spot. We just want a beautiful view and to say our vows intentionally.” I can find you an epic location in Colorado, with or without a hike, but this location is also determined by how you want to experience the rest of your day. So here’s some thoughts:

Is there a bucket list location or activity you’d love to incorporate into your day?

This could mean kayaking the Poudre River after your vows, a picnic watching the sunrise in a place you’d always imagined (hello, Maroon Bells), snowboarding down our mountainside, getting matching tattoos after your ceremony, or driving to the top of a mountain that is now “your mountain”. The location we choose will be based on how you want to spend your day.

Is there a NEW tradition that you’d love to create and incorporate?

You’re starting a new chapter, and this means you can start your own family traditions. Fuck their traditions; what do YOU want your legacy to say? Some ideas could be planting a tree on this anniversary, saving a favorite beer each year to drink on your anniversary, eating a special meal each year, going camping, going to a concert, or just taking a trip back to Colorado–what feels right to you? How can we incorporate your new tradition into your day?

Is there a favorite activity you already love to do together, that you want to incorporate?

For my couples, this has looked like playing dnd or videogames with friends during their reception / after party (yep, that’s right), sharing a unity beer or joint, playing with their dogs at a park for downtime during the day, going to grab ice cream, pizza, or coffee right in the am!, 4×4 through the mountains, getting matching tattoos after their ceremony, going skating, etc. When you look back on your wedding day, what is going to make you say, “Damn, I’m so glad we _____ for our wedding day, that feels so authentic to us.”?

Dare to be yourselves and dream big. No idea is off the table, and these ideas will be the basis on how we choose your location (it’s not location-first, trust me!). Need more ideas? Check out my Alternative Wedding Ideas blog post.

Step Two: Is a Colorado Elopement right for you?

You’ve decided on alternative ideas to make your elopement day unique AF to you and your relationship. Now we’ll need to turn them into reality. Because this step is heavily dependent on what you’ll be doing for your elopement day, the information given here will be generic and strictly a starting point. Here’s the real kicker–we could do this anywhere, and I’m down to clown no matter where you want to elope (I travel all over the US and help plan elopements everywhere, and all over the world, so if you decide Colorado isn’t exactly what you’re looking for after all, holla at your girl and we’ll make it work).

So why choose Colorado?

Self-Solemnization: You can marry yourself in Colorado

Yep–you heard that right. You can legally marry yourselves here, meaning you are not required to have an officiant OR any witnesses, can sign your own marriage license by yourselves, and have a legally binding marriage. Colorado allows you the freedom to do what feels right to you (especially if that means a marriage with just the two of you, as many states otherwise require a witness), and that in itself is a very beautiful thing.

Freedom allows us a lot of things; the ability to choose almost anywhere to elope (although there are lots of permitting requirements in the state, but I can help you navigate these!) because you don’t have to hire an officiant or worry about travel or logistics for someone to accompany you to officiate your ceremony; the ability to split your celebrations into multiple days without being on a time limit; the ability to incorporate fun activities into your day, because you’re not restricted.

It also means you’ll save money. The cost to get your marriage license is a whopping $30, and because you aren’t required to have an officiant or witnesses, you can save money on having to hire folks to do this for you.

There’s no marriage license waiting period

Because you can marry yourselves, you can actually grab your license and get married same day (although I do recommend couples stay in the area at least 2-3 days total at minimum, to ensure a back-up date in case of emergency, getting acclimated to our altitude, as well as down time to enjoy yourselves!). Many states require you to apply for your license and wait (sometimes weeks!) before you can use it, but Colorado allows you the freedom to make this decision on a short term basis, and also saves you money by not requiring you to be in the state for weeks just to get your license itself.

Your doggo can sign your marriage license (fuck, yeah!)

When I say this little fact has stolen my heart… You are not required to have any witnesses to marry, but you CAN have your dog sign your marriage license (up to two of them!). Most couples choose to get an ink pad and press the paw onto the license itself, and it’s hella adorable. The other rad part? Colorado is a super dog-friendly state; most lodging allows dogs, as well as most restaurants and breweries, and they’re a huge part of our culture here!

You don’t have to be “adventurous”, fit a specific mold, or have to hike to elope here

A Colorado elopement is for everyone, and I mean, anyone. You are not required to hike or 4×4 to “epic” locations in order to have beautiful scenery as a backdrop for your vows. I have tons of locations right off the road that I can take you to, and many are within close distances to towns–which means planning activities for your elopement day can be expansive and as unique as your heart desires! You also don’t have to have a huge budget, use lots of trendy decorations, or look a certain way; there’s a culture here of rad, inclusive, accepting folks, and I’d love for you to be a part of it, too.

Did you say 4/20 friendly?

Yes, recreational marijuana is legal here, and it’s rad AF. Not only does this mean it’s accessible and easy to navigate within the state to use for celebration, but there’s a rich culture here! If cannabis culture is important to you, Colorado may be your flower heaven.

Skyrim-like scenery for the ideal setting

You’ve heard it before. “The Switzerland of the US” isn’t a nickname to be taken lightly. Colorado has raging rivers, rolling hills, wildflowers, and forest–as well as rad, grungy urban settings, too. Whatever your heart desires, you’ll have the freedom to dream big here.

Step Three: How to Pick your Colorado Elopement Date

In many cases, it’s important to pick your activities before we choose your date and location! Your choice on where and when to elope is heavily dependent on how you want to spend your time in Colorado, and that’s why this is step three, NOT step one! You’re not missing out on rad views in any season, so emphasizing the experience you want is extremely important before we move forward.

Picking a Season

The season you choose to elope will determine your ceremony location options and activities. Once we have nailed down what you’d like to do during your elopement, I can help guide you in this area. In the meantime, here’s some highlights of each season.

SUMMER

A great option due to the accessibility. Summer in Colorado is generally considered July-September (although we’re sometimes skiing until Independence Day–so it’s all relative!). The best part of eloping in the summer is the increase in options; in the fall and winter, many mountain passes close, so by eloping in the summer, you’ll have more access to more options, as well as more accessibility for you or your guests that need it. PS–wildflowers.

FALL

Fall color in Colorado is generally mid to late September, or first week into October dependent on where you are in the state. The best part of eloping in the fall, outside of the gorgeous fall color, is that it’s generally considered “mud season”, or “off season”. If a gorgeous landscape and privacy are important to you, this is a great option to cut down on the amount of other people that you may see on trails in some of the more remote locations in the state.

SPRING

Think = summer weather, with snow capped mountains. Spring in Colorado can be a bit unpredictable when it comes to weather (but this is true in all seasons), but it generally allows for gorgeous temperatures, with stunning snow-capped backdrops.

WINTER

The activity options are endless. Winter in Colorado is generally considered “play time” for both locals and tourists alike, and our mountain towns are alive with entertainment, festivals, and activities. If you want to experience mountain culture in our state, this is the best time to be here. Expect a true winter wonderland.

PICKING A DATE

CHOOSE A WEEKDAY

This is not because I don’t want to work weekends; it’s because I prioritize the experience you will have here. Especially in our higher traffic seasons, summer and winter, it’s just so important to the level of privacy, booking options, and flexibility that it will allow for you. Destination weddings are so popular in Colorado, and eloping on a week day will give you access to elopement-specific vendors that have more availability during the week. In addition to this, the level of traffic on trails, in town for parking, and for reservations (for dinner, breakfast, activities and tourist activities, etc) will be much lower.

AVOID SCHOOL BREAKS AND HOLIDAYS

I know this is helpful when planning for days off work or when the kids are available to come with you, but if you can avoid it, try. This will cut down on traffic in town and on trails, for activities and options, but will also save you money–expenses for everything goes up during these dates, from vendors charging a premium to work on holidays, to lodging and flights being more expensive, it’s a better experience overall to avoid these timeframes.

Step Four: Best Places to Elope in Colorado

Want in on a little secret? Every “Best Place to Elope in Colorado” blog post you’ll come across actually also includes the worst places to elope in Colorado. I know, yikes. Why is that? Because the best places to elope here, as photographers, we keep to ourselves. We do not do this because we want to trick you into hiring us; we do this because the best places to elope here are less known, less traveled, and less trampled by the public, and we’d like to keep it that way for the longevity and preservation of these places. A lot of the places I’ll list below are easy, accessible, and gorgeous; but they come with their own set of cons. If you like any of the below options, we can talk through those pros and cons together, but likely I’ll offer a similar option in a better location. I got you covered.

Step Five: Choose your Elopement Photographer and Planning Assistant

Maybe I’m biased, but this is the fun part–because this means, you’re doing the damn thing, and I’m so excited for you. This guide just brushes the surface of what we’ll go over together, and when we start planning, you’ll have someone by your side who is there to help you from beginning to end.

WHAT I OFFER AS YOUR COLORADO ELOPEMENT PHOTOGRAPHER AND EXPERIENCE PLANNING ASSISTANT

Ready to start planning your non-traditional Colorado Elopement with me?