Colorado Elopement Guide

Everything you need to know for how to plan an elopement in Colorado.

There are so many reasons to elope in Colorado

So, you think you want to elope in Colorado, huh? Well this is a step-by-step guide to help you through the process of getting married here with everything from choosing a location, the best time of year to elope, the logistics of marriage licenses in Colorado, and the best vendors to help with everything for your day. I have much more in-depth info for couples that hire me that lists specific and exact locations in every region that are good spots to say “I do”, but for those in the beginning stages just trying to figure out where the heck to start, this goes everything you need to begin.

Colorado is home to mountains, plains, deserts, forests, lakes, waterfalls, cliffs, and some of the most majestic ecology and geology out there, so it’s hard to choose just one place. Luckily, as someone who was born and raised in Colorado and has traversed all throughout the state, I’ve got lots of recommendations and local tips to share.

 

Table of Contents:

  • Marriage laws in Colorado

  • Cost of eloping in Colorado

  • What to wear for an adventure elopement

  • Elopement planning checklist

  • The best time of year to elope in Colorado

  • The best places to elope in Colorado

  • Elopement galleries

Marriage laws in Colorado

A couple important details to know beforehand

One reason so many couples choose to elope in Colorado (other than the stunning landscape, obvi) is because it’s so easy to get married here- easier than Vegas, actually. Since every state has different rules regarding marriage, it’s good to know before you decide a location.

1. Self-solemnization

You do not need a witness or officiant to marry you- you can marry yourselves! Just sign your own name as the officiant. You don’t need to bring anyone along that you don’t want to, or pay a professional officiant to officiate your wedding, you can just keep it simple with the two of you if that’s what you want.

2. Your dog can can sign as witness to your marriage

Since you don’t actually need a witness, your dog (or cat, or whatever) can claim witness instead- just bring an ink pad for their paw!

3. Marriage licenses are very simple

You can just pick up a license at one of the county clerk offices in Colorado, and when you’re finished, just mail it back or drop it off in person- just make sure you do so within 30 days of receiving the license- I can help if you’re flying out after your ceremony!

4. No waiting period

There’s no waiting period in Colorado, so that means you can receive your license, sign it, and turn it back in all within the same day if you want.

5. Minimal fee

The fee for a license is $35. So, in total, your whole wedding could cost just $35 if you really wanna keep it that simple.

Cost of Eloping in Colorado

Technically, the only required cost for eloping in Colorado is the $35 marriage license fee. However, you’re probably here reading this because you want a little more than that.

Even at their most expensive, the most boujee, most luxurious destination elopement will probably still cost significantly less than the average traditional wedding. The average traditional wedding in Colorado costs around $35k- and I’d go as far as to say that’s still on the lower end: $40k is a more reasonable budget without skimping out on anything. So whether you’re looking for a very simple, easy, no frills elopement, or a luxury elopement where you still go all out, you’ll likely still end up saving much more money than you would going the traditional route.

Since elopements can vary so widely between each couple and what they want to do, I’m going to show two different examples of the extremes of budgets that would accommodate an elopement with just the couple with no guests with the typical vendors often involved in the day:

Luxury Elopement Budget

  • $35- Marriage license

  • $4500- 3 nights at high-end luxury hotel/Airbnb

  • $10,000- Photographer

  • $650- Helicopter ride to elopement location

  • $500- private chef

  • $2000- Florals: Bouquet, boutonnière, floral arch

  • $1200- Makeup and hair on location

  • $5000- Wedding dress

  • $1500- Tailored suit

Total Elopement Cost: $25, 385

Affordable Elopement Budget

  • $35- Marriage license

  • $600- 3 nights at a cabin or hotel

  • $3000- Photographer

  • $60- Picnic dinner with drinks

  • $200- Florals: bouquet & boutonnière

  • $250- Makeup and hair at a salon

  • $500- Wedding dress

  • $200- Suit rental

Total Elopement Cost: $4,845

These budgets can obviously vary, and don’t include plane or car rental pricing to actually get to the locations, but this gives a good idea of what a weekend spent in the mountains for your elopement might look like, financially.

When compared to the price of a regular wedding where the majority of the budget is just spent on a venue, alcohol, and feeding guests and not even spent on the actual couple who are marrying, eloping (even a very expensive elopement) is a lot more cost effective- and, the budget is spent on YOU and the things YOU find meaningful.

What to Wear for an Adventure Elopement

What shoes to wear for your elopement

Leave the heels at home! Having shoes that are uncomfortable is gonna make for a bad time. If you’re hiking, or even just walking around a bunch on unpaved trails and fields, wear hiking boots. If there’s snow, wear waterproof and well insulated snow boots. This applies to the men, too! Wear dress shoes that are comfy, or opt for hiking or snow boots when necessary dress shoes don’t have much grip and can be very slippery, especially when it comes to snow and wet surfaces

Wedding Dresses you can hike in

If you’re planning on hiking in your dress, be sure to choose something movable. Heavy dresses will making going up a mountain more difficult, a hem that catches on your feet will make you trip, and corsets will make you feel stiff. Be sure to move around, sit down, and dance around when you’re trying on your dress, so you know how it will fare on your elopement day. My favorite dress designers for breathable, movable, beautiful gowns are Linyage and Daci.

Suits you can hike in

Make sure when you’re trying on your suit, you can move around and sit down. Pay attention to the fabric, too- you don’t want to be wearing a wool or tween suit on a hike in summer, be sure to look for seersucker, cotton, and linen fabrics. Wear the shoes you’ll be wearing for the elopement to your sitting so that the pant legs can be tailored to fit with your shoes.

Warm clothes for winter elopements

Even in summer it can get very cold at night. Always come prepared, no matter the season, with a jacket or coat. Denim jackets, fur coats, long wool coats, sweaters, and shawls all look great with dresses. Wear fleece lined tan leggings under your dress For suits, wool, tweed, and corduroy are going to be warmer fabrics to choose from, and you can get a wool underlining for the inside of your jacket as well. Warm socks (preferable wool, so they will be waterproof as well) and mittens or gloves will be important to wear as well.

Other gear for your elopement

Anything else you think you might need for your elopement- backpacks, micro spikes, headlamps, or anything related to your other adventures! I’ve had couples brings lightweight cooking gear, a pop up tent for changing in, climbing gear, blow up floats for floating in lakes, things with sentimental value, and a whole plethora of other stuff. Whatever you might be doing, just think about the logistics of what you might need to wear or bring to stay comfortable.

The best time of year to elope in Colorado

Colorado has a year full of all four seasons, and what those look like can depend greatly on where in the state you are! The plains and front range (where Denver and most major cities are) are more standard seasons, with more temperate weather, so you’ll experience a blooming spring, and little snow throughout the winter. The mountains have quickly changing and unpredictable weather, lots of snow (esp. on the western slope), temperate summers, and afternoon summer showers. And then there are random places like Palisade that have warmer California-like weather most of the year, good for growing peaches, vineyards, and sunflowers. Some locations are open all year round, but many are not. So when you decide to elope will affect where you can go and what you can do quite a bit!

2. Summer

This is, in my biased opinion, the BEST time to see Colorado in all her beauty. Early summer on the front range is temperate, green, lush, and beautiful- think “Sound of Music” vibes. Summer in the mountains is full of wildflowers, wildlife, ice cold lakes for plunging in, and any location you might want to elope at will be accessible to the most stunning views, so anywhere you want to hike or jeep will be accessible by late June to early July. Summer in Colorado is my personal paradise. The only drawback would be tourists and crowds, but a little hike or choosing to locate at more secluded areas will fix that.

Months: June-August

Activities: Hiking, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, off-roading, fishing, biking, mushroom hunting, horseback riding, camping

1. Spring

I will not lie to you, spring can be a hell of a time to elope in Colorado. Spring probably has the most unpredictable weather of any season in Colorado. Spring doesn’t really start in most of the state until April or May, and a freak blizzard is always a possibility- March is the most snowy month of the year! There aren’t many blooming trees in the mountains, but along the front range, blossoms usually pop up somewhere between April and May, depending on how cold the winter was. In the mountains, May and Early June are considered spring, and are what’s called “mud season” from all the snow melting from the previous winter. Some roads might open back up, but most places remain inaccessible until late June. The upside is that there are less people out this time of year than, say, July.

Months: March-June

Activities: Hiking, skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling

 

4. Winter

As someone with seasonal depression, I gotta say, I’m not a fan of winter or the sun setting at 4pm. But! if you’re a snow bunny, the mountains provide a cozy winter escape for you and your love with hot springs, skiing, and warm cabins. Just be prepared with backup plans and a more flexible schedule, because this time of year, the weather can really impact travel with delayed flights, avalanches, crashes on major mountain highways, and white out conditions. If you’re looking for a winter wonderland, shoot for the western slope (where most ski resorts are), as it gets more snow than the eastern mountains and plains. Keep in mind not much snow falls in early winter, the snowiest months in Colorado will likely be January through March! Only major highways and roads will be accessible, many other roads and hiking trails will be closed this time of year, making many locations a no-go.

Months: November-April

Activities: Skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, dogsledding, snowmobiling, hot springs hunting

3. Autumn

The east coast is known for its striking fall colors, but if you’ve never seen the aspens change in the mountains of Colorado, you’re really missing out. The weather in Colorado is most predictably blue and sunny in September through October, and gold veins crawl up the peaks of mountains during the fall. It’s hard to accurately predict when the leaves will change, but the last week or two of September through the first week of October is usually the changing period in the mountains, and the front range is a little later than that. There are much less tourists during this time of year compared to the summer, and most roads remain accessible until late October.

Months: September-November

Activities: Hiking, biking, fishing, leaf peeping, hot springs hunting

The Best Places To Elope In Colorado

Snow-capped mountains, rugged 4x4 roads, wildflower meadows, blue alpine lakes, pine trees as far as you can see, and even some desert and dunes sprinkled in here and there is what Colorado is all about. If you’re into all the outdoor activities and want a little adventure and epic views packed into your day, Colorado is the perfect place for you to commit to your love. Below I have Colorado operated into 3 different categories- northern, central, and southern Colorado. Within those categories, I have various general locations listed for stunning places to say “I do” as well as relevant information related to each.

 

Northern Colorado

This is the stomping grounds I grew up inhabiting. This area of Colorado is closest to Fort Collins, Boulder, and Denver, and includes places like Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Lake, and Steamboat Springs. This portion of Colorado is especially populated with wildlife- you’re almost guaranteed to see some deer and elk, and if you’re on the western slope, it wouldn’t be a far reach to see a moose, either.

 

Central Colorado

This area of Colorado is closest to Denver, Colorado Springs, and Grand Junction. This portion of Colorado includes most of the renown ski resorts and boujee mountain towns like Aspen, Vail, and Breckenridge. There’s plenty of beautiful and diverse hiking trails, backcountry roads, and historic mining towns to explore near and far from civilization.

 

Southern Colorado

This is the far reaches of Colorado, not particularly close to any of the major cities, but by far the most picturesque part of the state (in my biased opinion). The closest major-ish cities are Pueblo and Durango. This area includes Great Sand Dunes National Park and the San Juan mountain range- referred to as the “Alps of Colorado”- which is by far my favorite place in the entire state. The drive is worth it, trust me.

Wanna Elope in Colorado?

If you want me to help you plan and photograph your adventure elopement in the Colorado wilderness, shoot me an email! You can find my pricing here, and you can contact me so we can talk more about what you’re looking for.