Nobody publishes a Colorado elopement price list, because there is no such thing as a standard elopement. A sunrise ceremony for two at Sapphire Point and a twenty guest weekend in Telluride share a license fee and not much else. What we can do is show you every line that tends to appear on an elopement budget, give an honest range for each, and separate the numbers that are fixed by a government agency from the ones that are estimates. Every range below that is not a government fee is a typical range based on what Colorado elopement vendors publicly advertise; it is an estimate, not a quote, and the only way to get a real number is to ask the vendor through their listing.
Fixed government fees
These are the only numbers on this page that are not estimates.
- Marriage license: $30 at any Colorado county clerk. Certified copies run about $1.25 to $3 each; Summit County bundles three into a $39 counter price. See the marriage license page.
- Rocky Mountain National Park wedding permit: $300 administrative fee, non refundable, plus the park entrance fee for each vehicle. See the RMNP permit page.
- Maroon Bells Amphitheatre: $200 per day on Recreation.gov, before reservation fees and taxes, plus shuttle fares of $16 per adult for guests beyond your five vehicle passes. See the Maroon Bells page.
- Sapphire Point Overlook: a reservation fee on Recreation.gov for a three hour block, listed at about $120 to $142. See the Sapphire Point page.
- Garden of the Gods: $0 for a small ceremony at one of the six designated areas. See the Garden of the Gods page.
- Colorado state parks: a daily vehicle pass of $10 to $17 per car depending on the park, plus any facility fee for a reserved amphitheater or overlook. See the state parks page.
- National Forest overlooks: $0 for a small ceremony with no props, apart from any timed entry or parking reservation the site requires. See the national forest page.
Photographer: $2,500 to $7,000 (estimate)
The photographer is the largest line on most elopement budgets and the one couples regret skimping on. Colorado elopement photographers typically sell packages by hours of coverage: a two to three hour sunrise ceremony and portrait session often lands between $2,500 and $4,000, a full day of six to ten hours with hiking, a ceremony and dinner runs $4,500 to $7,000, and photographers with a strong reputation or a travel fee for the San Juans can exceed that. Many include a second shooter, an online gallery and permit guidance; some include help choosing the location, which has real value. Film and video add $1,500 to $4,000 on top. Browse photographers by region and compare what each package includes rather than the headline price.
Officiant: $0 to $800 (estimate)
Colorado lets you marry yourselves, so this line can be zero. If you hire an officiant, a simple ceremony with a short script typically runs $300 to $500, and a celebrant who writes a custom ceremony from interviews with you, travels to a trailhead at dawn and handles the license paperwork runs $500 to $800. Clergy fees vary with the tradition. Officiants are listed here, and the self solemnization page explains the free option.
Florals: $250 to $900 (estimate)
A bridal bouquet and a boutonniere from a Colorado florist typically cost $250 to $500 together. Add a second bouquet, a hair flower or a small arrangement for the ceremony spot and the total moves toward $600 to $900. Large installations do not belong on an elopement budget; most public land prohibits them. Ask the florist about delivery to your hotel the evening before, because sunrise ceremonies start before shops open. See florists.
Hair and makeup: $250 to $700 per person (estimate)
On location hair and makeup for one person typically runs $250 to $450 for the service, with an early start fee of $50 to $150 for a 4 a.m. call and a travel fee when the artist drives to a mountain town. A trial beforehand is another $100 to $200. Two people getting ready together can often share one travel fee. Browse hair and makeup artists in your region.
Planner: $1,500 to $6,000 (estimate)
An elopement planner handles the permit, the timeline, the vendor bookings and the day itself. Partial planning or day of coordination typically runs $1,500 to $3,000; full planning for a weekend with guests runs $3,500 to $6,000 and up. For a two person elopement many couples skip this line and rely on their photographer for logistics. See planners.
Venue or ceremony site: $0 to $8,000 (estimate)
Public land is free or close to it, as the fixed fees above show. Private venues that cater to micro weddings, such as a lodge lawn, a ranch or a chapel, typically charge $1,500 to $4,000 for a ceremony only rental and $4,000 to $8,000 for a ceremony and small dinner space in peak season. Some restaurants will host a dinner for twenty with a minimum spend rather than a rental fee. Our list of affordable wedding venues in Colorado gathers parks, community spaces, inns and ranches that suit a smaller budget. See venues.
Lodging: $150 to $700 per night (estimate)
Lodging is the line that varies most with your region and your month. A good hotel room or cabin in Estes Park, Fort Collins or Colorado Springs typically runs $150 to $350 a night. Breckenridge, Boulder and Golden run $200 to $450. Vail, Aspen and Telluride run $350 to $700 and climb from there in ski season and late September. Three nights is the common pattern: arrive, elope, recover. If guests are coming, book a block early; mountain towns sell out around festivals.
Attire, rings and travel
Attire and rings are personal and we will not pretend to range them. Travel is easier: flights into Denver, a rental car with four wheel drive or all wheel drive for mountain roads in any month other than July and August, and fuel. Telluride and Aspen have regional airports that save hours but cost more. Add $100 to $300 for a celebratory dinner for two in a mountain town.
Three sample budgets (estimates)
Two of you, Rocky Mountain National Park, September. License $30, permit $300, park entry about $30, photographer four hours $3,500, florals $350, hair and makeup $400, two nights in Estes Park $600, dinner $200. Around $5,400.
Two of you, Garden of the Gods, winter weekday. License $30, permit $0, photographer three hours $2,800, officiant $400, florals $300, hair and makeup $350, two nights in Manitou Springs $400. Around $4,300.
Twenty guests, Maroon Bells and an Aspen dinner, late September. License $30, amphitheater $200 plus fees, shuttle for fifteen guests about $250, photographer full day $5,500, officiant $600, florals $800, hair and makeup for two $900, planner $3,000, dinner for twenty $2,500 to $4,000, three nights lodging for the couple $1,800. Around $16,000 to $18,000 before guests’ own lodging.
Keep the numbers in one place
Your free planner tracks every vendor you shortlist along with quotes, notes and bookings, so the estimates above turn into real numbers as you hear back from vendors. Start by hearting vendors as you browse, then open the planner to see your budget take shape. For the order to book things in, the planning checklist is the companion to this page, and our elopement timeline shows how the day itself runs hour by hour.
Related reading: our elopement photography and video pricing explained.
