Colorado Winter
Elopement Guide
There’s nothing more romantic
than a snowy winter elopement
in the Colorado mountains.
We’ll help you make it happen.
Snowy, quiet, dreamy.
Winter in the mountains is such a special time. We’re likely to have the most beautiful locations all to ourselves for your peaceful wedding ceremony — with a deep, soft blanket of snow drowning out the rest of the world
Unique adventure possibilities
Whether you want to spend your elopement day skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing — or if your vibe is more vows on the deck and champagne in the hot tub, there are endless magical possibilities.
Doesn’t saying your vows on a frozen lake sound so dreamy??
Comfy, cozy & safe
We’re not scared of the cold, and you don’t have to be either! You wouldn’t believe how far good planning, some hot tips from our years of experience, and a little wedding day adrenaline will go towards keeping the cold at bay
When is the best time to plan a winter elopement?
Nailing down the Colorado seasons is tricky!
The when usually depends on where –
We usually see our first snowfall in October, which is when the high mountain passes like Trail Ridge Road and Independence Pass close for the season. So from October through December you can expect white-capped peaks and deep snow in the mountains – but the Front Range of Boulder, Denver and Colorado Springs should be pretty mild most days.
January through March is full on winter everywhere, with the best skiing!
Starting in April, the lower elevations start turning green and warming up again, but the mountains will still be VERY snowy until May and June. The high passes start opening up again starting around Memorial Day.
Winter is like, most of the year around here in one way or another so we try to make the most of it!
Won’t it be too cold to get married outside? What can we even do?
I grew up in Florida and I am forever explaining to my friends back home that the the dry, bracing cold of Colorado is exhilarating. Anyone can make it work for a bit, I promise. I’m not going to BS you, it’s going to be cold! But what’s that saying? There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes?
Extend that to planning! With a good plan in place, you can have the time of your lives celebrating by dressing well for your romp in the snow, warming up in a cozy cabin, and having some key backup plans in place.
And if you already love the cold – let’s get out there and snowshoe, ice skate, snowmobile to the Maroon Bells, sleigh ride around Breck, build a snow fort, or simply just go for a quiet hike to spot bunny tracks and watch the snow fall.
Our best tips & tricks for winter elopements
Choosing the right lodging is essential!
We can’t stress this enough! Choosing a charming little cabin where you’d be happy to spend most of the day is our biggest winter wedding tip. Colorado is known for our mild and charming winters, but we do get the occasional blizzard or high wind days. Whether it’s your primary plan or your back up plan, you’ll never regret booking a cool A-frame with a hot tub over a standard hotel room.
We wrote a whole guide to eloping at an Airbnb here with a lot of thoughts on choosing the right place, clearing your plans with your host, and alternatives to Airbnb like VRBO and Hipcamp.
Think big & small for activity ideas
When we’re planning any kind of elopement, we always break the timeline planning down into two sections: big adventures that require some real planning and the quiet, relaxed in between moments. Every wedding we plan ends up being a good mix of one or two key adventure activities and a ton of chill, simple ones!
In winter this could look like:
Adventure activities:
Cross country skiing through the trees, backcountry ice skating on an alpine lake, snowmobiling up a high pass, sleigh rides through a charming town, cold plunging in Boulder Creek, or even renting a cabin with its own private hot spring.
Chill activities:
Ice skating at a local rink, wandering around a charming mountain town, making snow angels & throwing snowballs, hot cocoa with marshmallows (of course), baking cinnamon rolls as a major part of “getting ready”, hiking or snowshoeing a short trail to say your vows, sledding down the hillside, having your first dance on a frozen lake, warming up by the fireplace, going for a dip in the hot tub, and ending the night by slipping back out for star photos.
Dress the part
We’ll get into clothes in detail below, but I just wanted to say here that It’s totally possible to both have a very beautiful and classic wedding look while also being warm! It’s all about the layers!! We always recommend getting a lot of shots without layers earlier in the day while it’s the warmest, while bundling up more as the sun starts to set.
Safety & comfort first!
A winter elopement is not the time to summit 14ers, take up skiing for the first time, or hike through avalanche terrain. We’re all for getting after it, but our biggest priority is always going to be making sure you have a safe and fun time – no frostbite, no blizzard rescue calls!
Talk to your vendors
Make sure your other vendors like your florist & hair and make-up artist know about your plans! Florists can design your bouquet with hardier flowers, and skip white blooms that will quickly turn brown in the cold. Your HMUA will definitely have some tricks for making makeup and hair stay put on a snowy, blustery day! And definitely make sure everyone on your team has the flexibility to withstand changes due to weather.
Build in flexibility
Speaking of which, you need to be flexible too! If you’re traveling to Colorado from out of state, make sure to schedule some buffer time into your trip! Plan to arrive a few days in advance, and always leave a few days after your wedding day in case something comes up. We hold the day after every scheduled elopement as a “flex day” in case bad weather or travel delays make the original date impossible. But we can’t make that happen if you’re flying home the day after your wedding!!
What to wear for a winter elopement
Commit to layers
We recommend proper base layers, like a thin merino wool, silk or synthetic layer that sits close to your skin, made for being active. At the very least, bring some leggings to wear under a dress!
You may want to plan for a cute overcoat as part of your look, but also bring a puffy jacket and rain shell so you have a truly warm and wind/waterproof option if necessary. Make sure your outer layers are something you’re ok wearing 90% of the time!
It definitely pays to bring mittens or gloves, scarves and a hat, if anything so you can bundle up for the hike back. We can always help carry extra layers in our backpacks — it’s better to be over prepared even if you can’t imagine wearing a wool beanie on your wedding day!
The sleeves don’t really matter
Just choose the wedding dress you like best! Lacy wedding dress sleeves are just a design choice, you won’t be any warmer or more protected in a dress with sleeves than in a more minimal dress.
Mittens work better than gloves
Austin had to teach me his Midwestern ways — we’re both mitten wearers and can work our cameras flawlessly with them on. Gloves constrict blood flow, which make your hands so cold compared to the warm little pocket of air that mittens create. You can also bring hand warmers, Hot Hands, or my fave – a thermos of hot coffee :)
Consider timeless accessories
We’ve worked with a lot of people who wore faux fur stoles so beautifully — just know that they’re typically in one year and out for the next four. If you want something cozy to wrap up in that feels timeless, go for a large oversized woven shawl or a Pendleton blanket.
Colorado winter elopement locations
The Front Range: Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins
The Front Range of Colorado is where the Great Plains meet the foothills of the Rockies. Of course there are countless places to elope along the Front Range, some favorites of ours are:
The Denver Botanic Gardens, especially the Woodland Mosaic Solarium
Garden of the Gods
Lookout Mountain
St. Mary’s Glacier
Lost Gulch Overlook
Manitou Springs
Horsetooth Reservoir
Rocky Mountain National Park & Estes Park
Rocky Mountain NP is on the Front Range, but really deserves its own category! It’s an incredible special place (we got married here!) with some rules in place to protect the park. We wrote a whole extensive guide about getting married in RMNP here, but just real quick, here are some of our favorite places to elope in the park!
3M Curve Overlook
Sprague Lake
Bear Lake
Moraine Park Amphitheater - the only spot that allows dogs!
Beaver Meadows
Dream Lake - you can hike here on your wedding day, but can’t have a ceremony here!
The Ski towns: Breckenridge, Winter Park, Telluride, Aspen, Vail, Crested Butte
Plan your elopement during your ski trip! Or just plan to ride the scenic gondola to the peak – most ski resorts are actually super chill about small elopements and photo shoots happening on their property with the purchase of a lift ticket or gondola pass. Ski towns in particular are going to have a ton of amazing rental properties to choose from Some spots we love in ski towns:
San Sophia Overlook via the Telluride Gondola
Sawmill Reservoir
The Maroon Bells – accessible by snowmobile only
The Winter Park Scenic Gondola
Accessible lakes: Twin Lakes, Dillon Reservoir, Trout Lake, Grand Lake, Loveland Pass Lake
Of course we have a million alpine lakes in Colorado, but if you’re looking for an easily accessible spot by the water, this is the close to the whole list! We adore lakeside elopements for their peaceful vibes and wide open mountain views. And on the shores of those lakes we’ve got:
Sapphire Point – popular, but honestly we don’t recommend it
Deception Point at Twin Lakes
The Snake River Inlet
Pointe Park
The Dillon Marina Pavilion
Hot spring towns: Steamboat, Ouray, Glenwood, Pagosa, Buena Vista & Cottonwood Pass
I’m not a downhill skier, so I plan my snowy vacations around hot springs! If I were eloping in Colorado, I would totally stay in Buena Vista and rent out the Merrifield cabins that have their own private hot spring. We did this for our anniversary one year and it was an amazing weekend!! Some other hot springs we love in Colorado:
Strawberry Park Hot Springs
Indian Hot Springs
Desert Reef
Orvis Hot Springs
Ouray Hot Springs
Mt. Princeton
Iron Mountain Hot Springs
National Forest & public lands secret spots
As with every guide on our site, our best locations are the ones we just can’t give away – and for good reason! The National Forest Service actually prohibits us from “advertising” certain locations to the public. The best way to find our favorite off the beaten path overlooks, alpine lakes, secluded hikes and quiet wilderness nooks is to become our client! Once you’re on our books, you get full access to our extensive knowledge of every corner of Colorado.
Um nevermind, can we go somewhere warm & tropical to elope?
If you made it through this guide and said “you know what, sounds like this is not for me…” we get it. As much as we love playing in the snow all winter, a tropical vacation every year is a major part of our mental well being! If you just want to be warm on your wedding day, but like the idea of the getting married November through May, you’ve got a few really good options:
The Tropics – Costa Rica, Belize, the Bahamas, Mexico
Of course these are just the countries we know really well, but obviously any beautiful place in Central or South America is going to be amazing during our “off season”.
We particularly love Costa Rica and find ourselves returning year after year! Your winter elopement in CR could be a full day adventure including snorkeling, off-roading, lounging on the beach, sailing alongside humpback whales and staying in a treehouse!
The Southwestern US – Moab, Zion, Joshua Tree, Big Bend, San Diego, Big Sur, the Grand Canyon
Most of these locations will still be super cold in deep winter, like January & February, but they all do have a nice extended shoulder season – November and March the perfect months to visit most of the deserts in the US. We have been to Moab a dozen times and know exactly where to go for truly unique views nowhere like anywhere on Earth!
Included in all packages
We’re here to help every step of the way to lend our expertise, talk out tricky logistics and help your vision come to life.
We never show up on an elopement day and ask, “What’s the plan?” We got you!
Here’s what you can expect from us.
-
Our custom illustrated guide that walks you through all the pieces and possibilities of an adventure elopement
Our favorite locations and experience recommendations
Help with location/event permits
Adventure elopement-specific vendor recommendations
Custom elopement day timeline
Packing & planning checklists
Unlimited phone & email consultations
Flexible rescheduling options for any curveballs
-
Jess is happy to officiate! About 75% of our clients have Jess create a ceremony that speaks to who they are and incorporates the words & traditions that matter to them.
-
Your entire experience documented by Jess & Austin both – in our documentary style that prioritizes having a great time and being true to yourselves above all.
Our clients often tell us they were kinda nervous about being in front of the camera but were shocked at how easy we made it for them.
Light direction without micro-managing, documenting without faking. You’re gonna have a good time.
-
Most of our photography coverage is digital, but at every elopement we shoot a roll or two of film for that magical, imperfect “you just had to be there” feeling that old-school film hits just right.
-
Sneak peeks within 24 hours
A beautiful online gallery of edited images delivered within 4 weeks of your wedding
Half & Full-day packages include a 20-page heirloom wedding album, thoughtfully constructed and designed by us to last a lifetime and more
High-resolution image downloads with printing rights
High-quality print options right from your gallery
-
We hold the day before and after every elopement free just in case we have to change plans! We’re super open to reasonable rescheduling requests too.
Colorado Winter Elopement Packages
Classic Winter Elopement
Up to 4hrs photo coverage • $4800
This is a great amount of time to have a lovely wedding experience at a relaxed pace, just the two of you.
In four hours, our couples commonly:
Hike 0-3 miles • exchange vows • picnic by an alpine lake • toast celebratory bevs • have their first dance • read letters from loved ones • catch a beautiful sunset
…but these are just starting points!
Travel within 2hrs of Boulder is included; beyond that, coverage minimums increase
Mini Winter Winter Elopement
Up to 2hrs photo coverage • $2800
In two hours, our couples commonly meet up with us at either their dreamy cabin rental or a beautiful overlook spot for adventures in one single location. Two hours is a great amount of time to say your vows, pop some bubbly and do a little light exploration in the snow. We recommend this option for people who aren’t quite committed to the cold!
For locations within Boulder County or Rocky Mountain National Park only. We only take two hour bookings on weekdays November -May.