The Best Elopement and Small Wedding Venues in Colorado

Reasons why you might need to book a venue for your elopement:

• You have a total group size of more than 10 people.

  • This number includes you, your guests, and any on-site vendors (such as a photographer, a videographer, an officiant, etc.). With groups larger than 10 people, it can be very difficult to receive permits and permission from the National Forest for an event. It can also be very difficult to find locations that allow you to be respectful of the land and follow Leave No Trace principles. There are a few small exceptions to this rule and we share all such locations with couples who hire us.

• You want privacy for your ceremony.

  • If you’re looking for complete privacy for your ceremony or any other part of your elopement day, we recommend choosing a venue that can be reserved only for you and your group. Wedding permits on public lands such as National Forests, National Parks, and State Parks often do not give you exclusive use of the space. This means that there could be other visitors around while you are having your ceremony. We find that visitors are often very respectful of wedding ceremonies, but the best way to have complete privacy is to reserve a venue that does give you exclusive use. We are happy to give suggestions for which venues are the best fit for couples who hire us!

• You want to be able to book your ceremony location ahead of time and be certain that it is available for you.

  • With elopements and small weddings becoming more and more popular each year, it is becoming more and more common to run into other couples in popular locations. There’s nothing more awkward than showing up to your chosen ceremony location and finding another couple already there. By reserving a ceremony location for your elopement, you are guaranteed that you will be able to get married in the location at the time you planned for it.

• You want to hire an officiant, a caterer, or any other outside vendor.

  • If you’re looking to have an elopement or small wedding experience that involves outside vendors in addition to your photography and videography team, we suggest reserving a venue. This makes permitting much simpler and gives you the opportunity to choose a location that really serves your vendors (such as having electricity, a kitchen, etc.).

• You want to set up furniture or decor.

  • If you are envisioning a beautiful ceremony or reception set up, you will need to reserve a venue that will allow you to do that. Similar to privacy, not all rented spaces will allow furniture or decor. Rocky Mountain National Park, for example, does not allow you to bring in anything (but yourselves) to your ceremony location.

• You want your ceremony location to be easily accessible.

  • There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to the accessibility of your elopement or small wedding. What time of year are you getting married? What is the weather expected to be and what roads are accessible? Do you and your guests have experience being at high elevations? How much hiking or walking are you and your guests willing to do? What kind of vehicles do you have and what kind of roads are your comfortable driving on? How close to accommodation and restaurant options do you want to be? Often, if you want to get married in the winter or if you want your ceremony location to be easy to get to, it will make sense to rent a venue.