How to Elope in Colorado
Want to elope but don’t know where to start?
There are a lot of places to start but I recommend starting by writing down what you want to do - plan your dream date. But not just any dream date, you’re going to look back on this date every year for the rest of your lives together, and you’re going to think about what you did. Think about what you love to do together and then feel free to * add some spice *.
If you like hiking, plan an epic backpacking wedding with your closest friends & family.
If you like exploring, book a Jeep rental up one of Colorado’s accessible mountain passes and say your vows amongst the giants.
If you like going out to eat and visiting new wineries, call around to find a vineyard to say your vows in, and then spend the day pedi-cabbing it around to different vineyards.
If you have a taste for some adrenaline, go skydiving and say your vows when you make it safely back to the ground.
If you like relaxing at home, invite your closest friends and family over and say your vows in your backyard, and then party the night away.
The options are endless, don’t settle on what matters to you and what makes you happy, especially on the day that will set the tone for the rest of your marriage.
What are some timeline examples?
These are some of my favorite custom timeline examples, they are all specific to locations on the western slope that I love!
Snowcat or Snowmobile Winter Timeline
8:00 am: Hair & MUA arrives
9:00 am: Photographer arrives
9:15 am: Couple gets dressed
9:45 am: First look on site
10:15 am: Breakfast with family
11:00 am: Leave for private snowcat or snowmobile tour
11:30 am: Arrive at tour location
12:00 am: Snowcat tour to Maroon Bells
1:00 pm: Arrive at Maroon Bells
1:30 pm: Explore, pick ceremony spot
2:00 pm: Ceremony
2:30 pm: Family/friends group photos
3:00 pm: Small picnic, champagne toast
3:30 pm: Sunset romantics with couple
5:00 pm: Snowcat back to tour site
6:00 pm: Arrive at tour site, head to Airbnb
6:30 pm: Party and dinner at Airbnb
7:00 pm: Cake cutting, group photos, first dance
7:30 pm: Photographer departs
Aspen Alpine Lake
Summer Timeline
We all camp together at the trailhead the night before
5:45 am: Wake up!
6:00 am: Start hike to secluded alpine lake
6:45 am: Arrive at alpine lake
6:45-7:30: Couples photos, explore area
7:30 am: I make us all breakfast
8:00 am: Jump into alpine lake (heck yeah it’s early, heck yeah I’ve done it before!)
8:30 am: Begin hike back down to car
9:15 am: Head back to tent, naps, cuddles, relax
11:00 am: Pack up camp
11:30 am: Head down to local lake
12:00 am: Arrive at lake, paddle board & swim
1:00 pm: Lunch
1:30 pm: Couple begins getting ready together
2:00 pm: Couple gets dressed, separately
2:15 pm: First look on site
2:30 pm: Guests begin arriving
3:00 pm: Ceremony
3:20 pm: Photos with guests
3:45 pm: Small picnic, champagne toast
4:00 pm: Head into town to Airbnb
5:00 pm: Party & food starts at Airbnb
6:00 pm: First dance, group photos, toasts
6:30 pm: Couple and photographer depart for romantics off site
8:00 pm: Couple and photographer arrive back at Airbnb
8:30 pm: Star photos with couple
9:00 pm: Photographer departs
Yankee Boy Basin
Fall Timeline
10:00 am: Hair and makeup stylists arrive
11:15 pm: Photographer arrives, captures details
11:45 pm: Hair and makeup finishes
12:00 pm: Couple dress, getting ready photos
12:30 pm: Couple leaves separately for first look
1:00 pm: First look photos at Cascade Falls
1:30 pm: Leave for Yankee Boy Basin
2:00 pm: Pull over for lunch
3:30 pm: Arrive at top of YBB
3:40 pm: Wander around, pick ceremony spot
4:00 pm: Ceremony and vows
4:30 pm: Photos with friends and family
4:50 pm: Champagne toast, small picnic
5:30 pm: Romantics on Imogene Pass
7:00 pm: Begin drive back to Airbnb
8:00 pm: Arrive at AirBnb
8:15 pm: First dance
8:30 pm: Private chef catered meal, toasts
9:30 pm: Cake cutting
10:00 pm: Star photos with couple
10:30 pm: Photographer leaves
Who officiates the ceremony?
Colorado is THE BEST for eloping, not just saying that because I’m biased and live here. In Colorado you can self solemnize your marriage which means you don’t need an officiate for your ceremony!
Every couple is different, but my couples usually
Ask a friend or family member to act as an officiate
Hire an officiate
Go to the County Courthouse for a Judicial Officer (Judge or Magistrate)
Forgo the officiate and self solemnize
What do you do during the ceremony?
Your wedding ceremony can also go a million different ways: you can say your vows, exchange rings, kiss, and call it a day. Or you can include family, religious, personal, etc traditions into your ceremony!
Some wedding traditions
Where do you get dressed when you elope?
Depending on what your elopement looks like, you have a few options.
You can rent an Airbnb or hotel room and get dressed there, together or separately
You can get dressed at the trailhead, or at the destination
You can get dressed in or outside of the car
How do you get a Colorado marriage certificate?
You can obtain your marriage license at any County & Clerk office in Colorado. I recommend going to the county you are closest to, or getting married in. However, Denver County is currently offering online video conferencing to obtain your marriage license.
If you are applying in person you will need to:
Make an appointment if required
BOTH parties appear in person
Arrive with a form of ID or passport
$30 cash only
Marriage certificate is valid for 35 days
Some counties do not issue marriage licenses after certain hours, so double check the requirements and hours for your local county before!
How do you decide on a location?
If you’ve decided that you want to elope in Colorado, there are an endless amount of locations available to do. Some locations are time restrictive, some require permits, long story short, there are a lot of variables when it comes to your location.
I recommend narrowing down what exactly you want in your location. Some things to think about:
Do you want it to be a certain number of hours from a specific airport?
Do you want it to be a specific drive time from your Airbnb or hotel?
Do you prefer privacy, or accessibility?
Are you okay with hiking to your location, or using some other form of transportation like renting Jeeps, snowmobiles, etc.
Do you want a venue, or somewhere more casual and outdoors?
Do you have a few weeks to a month to apply and wait for a permit?
How many guests will you have?
From there, it is helpful to do a Google deep dive into photographer, planner, videographer, and venue galleries, or to reach out to your photographer. Elopement photographers specifically help source and find locations for elopements, and will be one of the best resources when planning your Colorado elopement. Your photographer can also keep you up to date on any permit requirements for locations you’re interested in.
For locations to elope at in Grand Junction, check out this list of my favorites!
Some of my favorite Colorado elopement locations:
Lakes:
Dream Lake
Mills Lake
Lake Agnes
Alta Lakes
Lake Isabelle
Twin Lake
Lost Lake
Waterfalls:
Bridal Veil Falls
Cascade Falls
South Mineral Creek Falls
Rifle Falls
Adrenaline Falls
Cascade Creek
Passes:
Loveland Pass
Imogene Pass
Independence Pass
Red Mountain Pass
Lizard Head Pass
Coal Bank Pass
Engineer Pass
Do you have any airbnb or hotel recommendations for Colorado?
Yes!
Check out 9 boutique hotels around Colorado that are perfect stay overs for your elopement.
How do you know if the location requires a permit?
If you’re eloping around the front range (Denver, Boulder, Fort Co), in a National or State Park, on National Forest land, or BLM land, you will most likely need a permit. Permit’s often limit the total number of guests allowed, most notably on National Forest Land or in National and State Parks. These guest limits are capped usually at 10 (including vendors), to 25.
You can google “your location wedding permit” to double check if your location needs a permit, or just ask your photographer or planner!
Permits usually take a few weeks to a few months to process, so just keep this in mind as many places do not issue last minute permits!
How do you find elopement vendors?
Lucky for you, there are so many incredible people in Colorado that specialize in elopements that the list is endless! You can find vendors by checking out wedding vendor specific websites like Wandering Weddings, by checking out Instagram hashtags like #coloradoelopementphotographer, #coloradoweddingvideographer, #coloradoflorist, etc, or by Googling “your location elopement”.
Once you have one vendor dialed in, you can also ask for recommendations for additional vendors that you need.
Do you need vendors for an elopement?
Honestly, no! It’s totally up to you and your preference on what you want at your elopement! Some vendors you can choose to include in your day are:
Photographer
Videographer
Florist
Bakery for a cake
Planner for a more specialized experience
Hair and makeup artists
Private chef or caterer
How far in advanced do you book vendors?
If you find a vendor that you fall in love with, and can’t imagine anyone else filling that position, then absolutely book that vendor ASAP! Many vendors book up a year in advance, ESPECIALLY photographers, videographers, hair and MUA’s, and private chefs/caterers.
If you aren’t super specific on who photographs your elopement or does your hair, then booking immediately isn’t as important. It might just take longer to find someone with your date available!
How many hours of photography coverage should you book?
I cannot stress enough how an elopement isn’t an all day photoshoot - but it is your wedding day.
When you look back on your wedding photos or video a year, 5 years, 25 years from now, you’re going to want photos from this day. You’re going to want to see your partner getting dressed and ready to love on you for the rest of their life. You’re going to want to see the road you drove down to say your vows, the first meal you shared as newlyweds, the people you celebrated with after.
The memories from the day will fade, but the tangible photos or video that you have will last a lifetime.
Some moments you can choose to have photographed during your elopement day:
Making breakfast together
Getting ready, together or separately
Family or friends helping you into clothes
First look, with each other or family and friends
Ceremony / vows
Photos with family, friends and guests
Romantics
First dance, cutting cake, any traditions you’d like to include
How do you tell your family that you’re eloping?
Whether you want to give your friends and family the heads up, or go the old fashioned route and let them know after the fact - here are some great ways to tell people you’ve eloped!
Send out announcements
Send out announcements and invites to celebrate with them after
Send “we eloped!” announcements
Let friends and family know in person
Sometimes telling friends and family that you are choosing to elope isn’t the easiest conversation to have, but it is often times necessary. Communication is key here, and simply reassuring them that this is what you want to do, can help.
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How do you include family and friends in your elopement?
While traditionally an elopement meant to sneak away and get married without telling anyone, you can still elope and have family and friends present. Whether that be by:
Inviting them! You can find ways to include family and friends in any moment of the day, whether that is getting ready with them, having them present at your ceremony, or by celebrating with them after.
Ask them to write letters to you for you to read after you say your vows.
Incorporate details that remind you of them, like by repurposing wedding attire, or including jewelry, etc, in your day.
Celebrate with them either before or after your big day.