Colorado Springs Elopement Guide
How to Elope in Colorado Springs
If you’re here it probably means that you’re considering eloping in Colorado Springs, right? Well we, as an Elopement Photographer and Elopement Planner based in Colorado, think that is a great idea, and find that many couples tend to overlook this area when planning their adventurous Colorado Elopement, and they shouldn’t! So, let’s dive into your guide to the ultimate Colorado Springs Elopement!
Why Colorado Springs?
Colorado Springs is so close to the mountains: It’s pretty common to hear about Denver or even Boulder being “so close to the Rocky Mountains”, but every time we head down to the Springs for a hike, have a shoot, or meet up with friends, we are completely blown away by how CLOSE Colorado Springs is to the mountains. Much much closer in proximity than Denver!
Accessible 14er for an epic adventure: Pikes Peak, one of the most famous mountains in Colorado, towers over the city.
A classic spot where you can get married, for free! Garden of the Gods, another famous spot, is so centralized and other-worldly, it’s impossible to miss.
Fewer crowds & more solitude: And to top it all off, there are also so many nearby parks and hiking trails that don’t see nearly the same traffic as those up in Boulder or areas closer to Denver, making it much easier to find seclusion for your day!
So, If you’re looking to avoid the bustling traffic of Denver while still getting incredible views, unique activities, and adorable accommodations, then you’ve come to the right place, and we can’t wait to gush in this post about all the amazing things Colorado Springs has to offer!
Your Colorado Springs Elopement Checklist
Brainstorm together about your elopement - consider all your favorite activities that you do as a couple and write them down. They may be the perfect ideas for your wedding day!
Pick your season - Colorado Springs has perfect locations for elopements all year long, check out the different seasons below in this guide!
Pick your Elopement Vendors - vendors like Elopement Photographers and Elopement Planners (like us!) are incredible resources for you when it comes to planning an elopement. It’s best to reach out to these folks early, so that they can help from the beginning and curate a day that’s perfectly tailored to you and seamlessly executed!
Choose your location + secure necessary permits - Colorado Springs has so many great locations to consider, it will all be based on your preferences on scenery, solitude, activities, and proximity to other spots. Your Elopement Photographer and Planner will help secure the necessary permits you’d need (if at all, it’s typically pretty easy to elope in the Springs!)
Book your travel + accommodations - Colorado Springs has so many cute vacation rentals, boutique hotels, and incredible mountain cabins for your stay. Check out our favorites that are linked below in the Places to Stay section!
Have the best day ever!
How to legally elope in Colorado Springs
Colorado in general is a very easy place to get married! It’s one of the states where you can self-solemnize, which means you don’t have to have any witnesses present or an officiant marry you. All you have to do is sign the marriage license yourself!
Here are the steps to getting legally married in Colorado Springs:
Get your marriage license via an appointment at the County Clerk’s office - you can get your license from any county in Colorado, so if you’re driving down to the Springs from Denver you could set up an appointment there and pick it up on the way south! Some county clerk offices near the Springs are El Paso County, Denver County and Jefferson County
Complete the online application before your appointment.
Sign and Return the license - Once you have your marriage license, you have 35 days to use it and then 63 days to return it after it is signed.
The fee for marriage licenses in Colorado is currently $30!
When to elope in Colorado Springs
You can’t go wrong with any season in Colorado Springs. Most days there is plentiful sunshine, and gorgeous views. However, there are some things to consider, especially types of activities you’re interested in when planning when you want to elope in the Springs. It’s also still in the mountains, so the weather can change rapidly. With those things in mind, here are all of the seasons to consider:
Colorado Springs in the Summer (Jun - Aug)
Summer is the prime season for eloping in Colorado Springs! There are so many outdoor activities to plan, Pikes Peak is in full swing, and the weather is stunning. This is the best time of year for any water activities because reservoirs are open and the weather is warm. This is also the best time of year for camping and having s’mores with your favorite people under a sky full of stars! You’ll still want to pack layers for summer elopements, especially if you’re planning to venture into higher altitudes. It’s good to know that as you climb 1,000 ft the temperature can drop about 10 degrees!
Colorado Springs in the Fall (Sept - Nov)
Fall is a wonderful season in Colorado Springs because the weather is cooler as it turns from late summer into fall and the forests start to pop with yellows and oranges as the leaves change colors. It is truly a gorgeous backdrop for photos and allows for so many activity options. Weather can be a bit unpredictable with sunny skies, thunderstorms, or even snow this time of year. It’s best to pack layers and keep an eye on the weather for an elopement in the fall!
Colorado Springs in the Winter (Dec - Mar)
Winter is magical in Colorado Springs! One day, Garden of the Gods could be dusted in snow and the next day it’s completely clear and sunny! Although chilly like most of Colorado in the winter, it doesn’t see the amount of snow and bone-chilling cold that the higher altitude mountain towns get this time of year. The Springs is a great place to elope in the winter months if you still want the possibility of clear trails at lower altitudes and less crowds. Layers are an absolute must, and it’s always great to have a plan indoors for warming up between activities.
Colorado Springs in the Spring (apr - jun)
Spring is a great time in Colorado Springs! Although it may be wet, and could have some snow, this is generally a great time of year for sunshine and wildflowers in the mountains. Backpacking season starts earlier here than it does in other areas of Colorado, so the Springs is a great spring location if you’re looking to do more outdoor activities! You can never be sure of weather this time of year, it could have big storms and sunshine all in one day. We always recommend packing layers and having a solid backup plan if weather leans in a different direction.
What to do for your Colorado Springs Elopement
Colorado Springs has so many awesome activity options for your elopement day, our best advice is to chat together about your favorite types of activities and what you want your elopement day to be/mean for you. Here are some things to consider:
When you picture getting married, are you doing something completely new that neither of you have done before? Or do you want to fill the day with all of your favorite and familiar activities?
Where do you want to be? What type of scenery, environment, and number of people do you want to enjoy your day with?
Are you more inclined towards a day of adventure, leisure, or luxury? Colorado Springs has them all!
Still not sure exactly what you want to do? Here are some more Colorado Springs Elopement activities for inspiration!
Hiking
Camping
Rock Climbing
Backpacking
Horseback Riding
Jeep Tour
Kayak/Stand Up Paddle Board
Mountain Biking
Picnic
Best Places to Elope in Colorado Springs
Once you have a general idea of what you want to do on your elopement day, it becomes much easier to narrow down your location! For example, if you love kayaking together or fishing, then it makes the most sense to plan your elopement around a lake or reservoir, which Colorado Springs has many options to offer!
But, if you’re interested in going for a sunrise hot air balloon ride, then you may want to plan a different adventure that’s closer to town to celebrate with your family and friends once you touch down! Here are some great locations to help jump start your vision:
Pikes Peak
It’s hard to miss Pikes Peak when driving around Colorado Springs! At 14,115 ft, it towers 8,000 ft above the town, challenging visitors and tourists alike to journey to its summit. Although it’s a very popular location and tourist destination, it is still a fantastic place for your elopement! There is a road to the top of the peak, so you can drive to the top (making it very accessible) OR you can trek to the top via numerous hiking trails, or even take a cog train up. There are so many options, overlooks, and hidden gems spots around this peak, you don’t even have to summit to find a beautiful view for sharing your vows!
Rampart Reservoir
Looking to paddle board, kayak, or boat on your elopement day? Look no further than Rampart Reservoir. It’s the perfect spot for a day-at-the-lake vibe for your elopement, and would be an easy place to include guests as well!
North Cheyenne Canyon Park
This park is SUCH a great spot for a small elopement ceremony and lots of activities. It’s right outside of downtown Colorado Springs, so it’s accessible and absolutely beautiful! If you love waterfalls, rushing creeks, rocky mountains, and gorgeous views, North Cheyenne Canyon Park could be the perfect choice for you.
Pike-San Isabel National Forest
This national forest area covers almost three million acres of land from western Kansas all the way to the Continental Divide. It’s full of hidden gem spots, gorgeous mountain passes, canyons, gulches, unique rock formations, challenging summit hikes, and beautiful lakes. If you’re looking to hike, camp, backpack, 4x4 drive, or even take a leisurely stroll on a beautiful trail for your elopement day, we absolutely recommend Pike-San Isabel National Forest.
Lost Creek Wilderness
A wilderness area inside Pike-San Isabel National Forest that boasts rocky formations, mountain peaks, and beautiful vistas! This is a popular place for mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, and dispersed camping. The Colorado Trail cuts through part of it, so if a shoulder season backpacking elopement sounds like your jam, this would be the perfect place for it!
Garden of the Gods Elopement
Probably one of the most popular spots for elopements and small weddings in Colorado Springs is Garden of the Gods. You can elope here for free and no permit is currently required. There are 6 ceremony spots available in the park on a first-come first-serve basis, with varying group sizes. This spot is perfect for a small, sunrise elopement with your favorite people before heading out for a longer adventure in the National Forest and then grabbing dinner at an amazing restaurant in town! You can find more detailed information on weddings in Garden of the Gods here.
Where to stay for your Colorado Springs Elopement
When considering where to stay in Colorado Springs, we always suggest considering what you prefer and how you want to feel! If you’re looking for somewhere private without strangers around, then something like a vacation rental or Airbnb is a great choice. These accommodations also tend to be more unique, and are in different places. If you’re looking for something close to downtown or where many people can stay, a boutique hotel is a great choice!
Hotels
Here are some boutique hotels we recommend (one of them is LITERALLY a castle, how cool is that?!)
Boutique Hotels
Image Courtesy of the Cliff House
Vacation Rentals
Here are some really awesome Airbnb and VRBO Rentals in the Colorado Springs area!
Please note that Airbnbs + most VRBOs have strict rules about events and hosting people above the approved number of guests. None of the properties listed in this section are suited for events (see the next section for those options) but would be great, unique accommodations for you and your partner (+ some guests) to enjoy during your stay in the Springs!
Airbnbs
VRBOs
Micro Wedding Options
Looking to include guests or host part of your elopement day on the property of a vacation rental? Check out these options below!
VRBOS that allow events
*Please always read the listings carefully, because things may have changed and contact the host directly with any questions before booking the space!
Colorado Springs Elopement Packages
Have we convinced you that Colorado Springs is a great place for your elopement?! If you’re ready to start planning your Colorado Springs Elopement, we’d love to help! We offer planning and photo packages for elopements and micro-weddings, and are experts in all the wonderful things that Colorado Springs has to offer.
Our packages include both Elopement Planning from a fully-certified Wedding Planner AND Elopement Photography from a local expert, so that your day is seamlessly structured and executed to perfection, without you having to do all the research and organizing yourself!
Here’s what you can expect from our Elopement Planning & Photography packages:
Full Service Planning from initial concept to event tear down - We work collaboratively to capture your vision and run with it. With full service planning your vision will come to life, but you won’t have to manage it. All of your elopement vendors, activities, decor, details and checklists will be booked and managed for you!
Personalized Location Assistance - don’t know where you want to elope in the Springs? We got you covered! All of our packages include personalized location recommendations and coordination once the spot is chosen. We’ll help you through the permit process, and provide you with all the information you need to plan the perfect ceremony at that spot!
Timeline Creation - we’ll craft the perfect itinerary for your day based on all of the activities, locations, and other details being sure to consider boring logistics like travel times, time of day, guest accommodations and many other things.
Photo Coverage - all of our packages include full day photo coverage so that your day is documented beautifully to share for decades.
Day of Coordination - with full service planning comes full day-of-coordination! You don’t have to worry about being a point of contact for any vendors, our team will have the checklists and the timeline at our sides, all you have to do is relax and enjoy the perfect day!
