Colorado
Elopement & Intimate Wedding
Photographer
You know you don't want a traditional wedding…
You just don't know how to plan the alternative.
You can have the views, the dog,
and your people.
Nearly every first email I get starts with sorry.
“Sorry, we’re not outdoorsy.
Sorry, we want to bring the dog.
Sorry, it might be twelve people.
Sorry, we’ve never actually been to Colorado.”
Here’s the thing: you’re not actually apologizing. You’re just nervous you’re not allowed to want it this way. You are! Bring the dog. Bring the guests. Not knowing where anything is is literally what I’m for.
The apologizing can stop here.
What I handle so you don’t have to
Here’s what I actually handle. The stuff you’d otherwise be learning at 11 p.m. on a county website.
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Marrying yourselves
No officiant, no witnesses, a $30 license you sign on my tailgate.
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The permits
National parks need a summer reservation. I file it months before you’d think to.
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The month
May is mud season. I’ll point you at the months that are actually green.
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The light
The peaks go pink for eight minutes. The whole timeline is built around it.
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The walk
Every spot is grandma-accessible. Hiking is optional, never required.
Even more info on how to elope in Colorado →
Four steps, zero spreadsheets.
Get the pricing guide
Fill out the form. The full guide lands in your inbox within a day. No call required, no pitch.
Book your date
Sign the contract, pay the retainer. The date’s yours. Planning starts that same week.
We plan it together
Tell me the scenery, the time of year, who’s coming. I come back with spots, permits, a timeline built around the light.
Show up and get married
I’ve got the permit, the timeline, a second photographer. You bring each other.
Bring the people. Bring the dog. Be yourselves.
You never have to ask first. Every spot I pick is one your guests can get to. And if you’re wondering what the limit is, fifteen guests is the cap if we’re on public land. But it’s a land rule, not a pricing tier, because an alpine meadow doesn’t recover from thirty people standing on it.
Got your own venue or Airbnb? Different story.
Worried you’ll be awkward in front of the camera? Give it four minutes.
Everyone is. For about four minutes. Then they’re not, because I’m not posing you like a catalog and I’m not hovering. Some of it is me (or my second photographer) stepping way back for wide landscape shots with the two of you tiny in the frame, so awkward isn’t even in the picture. And some of it is me right up close with a prompt or two, not a shot list, just something to get you reacting to each other for real. Some couples need that. Some don’t. Either way, once you’re loose, you’ve got it from there.
You will be. But then you won’t.
Epic Colorado views. Minimal hiking.
Who’s coming decides the spot more than anything else does, so here’s where each version of your wedding goes.
I eloped too
I worried about the same thing you’re worried about.
I was sure our photos were going to look like every other Colorado elopement gallery. What I didn’t expect was that it’s not just the photos, it’s the experience, and the two of them together are what you actually remember.
Having our dog, Flapjack, there running around. Having our immediate family there, and getting to show them our favorite spots in Colorado. Making breakfast in the back of our truck. Swimming in an alpine lake at 8 a.m. That’s what made our elopement. Not the photos. The experience.
That was four years ago. I’ve shot 100+ elopements since, all of them in Colorado. So when your first email lands with that same worry in it, and it will, because it’s everyone’s, I know exactly what to say.
It’s not just the photos. It’s the experience underneath them. That’s most of why I’m good at this.
Okay, but what does this actually cost?
Most couples spend around $7,000 with me. It’s also the package I recommend most.
It’s the one that leaves room to actually enjoy your wedding instead of racing the light. It covers the planning, a second photographer, a free backup weather day, and travel anywhere in Colorado (I’m based in Denver and the whole state counts). No mileage math, ever. The final payment isn’t due until seven days after you’re married. You’ll know exactly what it costs before you decide anything. And you’ll know why.
You’re not the only ones who started with “uhhh… how do we do this?”
She made us feel at ease and seamlessly blended into the backdrop while capturing every moment. By the end of the day, she felt like a friend.
Meagan
After the ceremony, Kimberly led us through some quiet breathing to come down from the chaos. Her communication was top notch, 12/10.
Kelly
It snowed six inches the day before, but Kim helped me feel prepared for the cold. She made our day feel beautiful, quiet, relaxing, and fun.
Courtney
Colorado elopement questions,
answered
Do we have to hike to elope in Colorado?
No. Every spot I recommend is a short, flat walk from where you park. If you two want an easy-to-moderate hike, I know some good ones, but it’s your call, never a requirement.
Can we bring our dog to our Colorado elopement?
Yes, and you never have to ask. Most National Forest and BLM spots are dog friendly. The big exception is Rocky Mountain National Park, where dogs have to stay on roads and in parking areas, so if your dog is coming, that’s a spot we skip.
Do we need a permit to elope in Colorado?
Some spots do. National parks and a few recreation areas need a special use permit, plus a timed entry reservation in summer. Plenty of county and state land needs nothing at all. Whichever it is, the permit plan comes with the location.
Can we marry ourselves in Colorado without an officiant?
Yes. Colorado lets you self-solemnize, which means the two of you sign your own license and that’s the ceremony, legally. A $30 license from any county clerk, no officiant, no witnesses, no waiting period, and you don’t have to live here.
What are the best months for a Colorado elopement?
For wildflowers and open roads, July through September. For gold aspens, the back half of September. For snow and empty trailheads, winter. The one to avoid is May, which is mud season in the mountains. More on the month that actually works.
What happens if it storms on our elopement day?
We move, or we wait it out. Mountain storms are usually short, and there’s almost always a dry spot within a thirty-minute drive. For the rare time neither of those works, every couple gets a free backup weather day held on my calendar.
Do you photograph elopements outside Colorado?
No, and it’s on purpose. I almost eloped in Glacier National Park myself. Our photographer talked us out of it, mostly because we couldn’t bring our dog, and it was the best advice we got. That’s the kind of thing you only know from living somewhere, and Colorado is the place I know.
How far in advance should we book a Colorado elopement photographer?
Summer and fall dates go 12 to 18 months out. Winter and weekdays are more forgiving and sometimes open up a few months ahead.
When do we get our photos?
A sneak peek within the first week, before your final payment is even due. The full gallery in about eight weeks.
Scenery, time of year, who’s coming.
That’s all you need to decide on.
Everything that makes them happen is mine. The form takes two minutes. I read every one myself. What comes back is real numbers.