If you’ve been dreaming of a micro wedding or elopement in Colorado, but don’t know where to start, this is for you! So many of my couples plan their Colorado elopements and micro weddings out of state (trust me, you are not alone in this!). While it can be intimidating, I do my very best to help you with the When, Where, and How, so you two can focus solely on the Why <3. This is all about the How!

In Summary:

Here’s a list of steps you need to do to elope or get married in Colorado.

Pick a date. Colorado’s a VERY seasonal state, so think about the type of weather you want to have and what kind of scenery you’d like in your background. For more help narrowing it down, read When To Elope In Colorado
Pick a location. Some locations are inaccessible during certain times of the year, which is why you need to pick a date first! The next thing to consider is your guest count (most public land sites max out between 15 and 30 guests), and then what type of experience you would like to have. For more help narrowing it down, read Where To Elope in Colorado.
Pick up your marriage license (more information on this below)
Have your ceremony
Return your marriage license

That’s it! You’re officially married the state of in Colorado! Now let’s break this down into specifics.

acquiring and returning your marriage license:

You can get your marriage license at any county clerk’s office, even if it’s a different county than the one you’re eloping in. Offices are open Monday through Friday, usually 9am to 4pm, so make sure you are able to pick it up on a weekday. Some county clerk’s offices require appointments, others you can just walk in. Generally, most small town county clerk offices are good to walk into, but it’s always worth calling.

Usually, it’s most convenient to pick up your license in the county you’re getting married in, but if do you pick it up in a different county, just make sure you return it to the same county. For example, if you’re getting married in Ouray (Ouray county), but flying into the Telluride airport (San Miguel county), you can pick up your license in San Miguel county and then return it back to San Miguel.

You’ll need your driver’s license or passport, social security number (just the number, not the card) and $30. Once your marriage license is issued, you have 35 days to use it before it expires (read: don’t obtain it too early!). Return in person or by mail to the county who issued it, and they will mail a copy to your home address!

What is self-solemnization?

Colorado does not require an officiant or witnesses for marriage ceremonies. Yep, you read that right. You can elope with just your honey in the middle of the woods, sign the marriage license, and it’s legal! This makes Colorado one of the BEST places to elope in the country, and one of the easiest to plan an elopement in, too.

You have three options for your ceremony:

You self-solemnize, which is to say you act as your own officiant.
You have a friend or family member officiate your ceremony, no ordination (read: getting ordained online) needed
You hire a professional officiant

BENEFITS OF OPTION 1: You don’t need to worry about hiring another vendor or choosing someone to officiate your ceremony. You can exchange vows and rings and keep it simple! This is also helpful when eloping in places with tight guest count limits.

BENEFITS OF OPTION 2: You get a little more struture in your ceremony without hiring a stranger. And it can be incredibly meaningful to have your dad or best friend marry you! Note: they don’t need to get ordained to officiate your ceremony, but they DO need to be ordained to sign your marriage license. If you choose to have an unordained person officiate your ceremony, you’ll self solemnize on your certificate. Don’t worry, I’ve got an example below!

BENEFITS OF OPTION 3: You get maximum structure for your ceremony, personal storytelling, and expert guidance from someone who’s done hundreds of ceremonies.

Since you don’t need witnesses, you can have anyone you like sign, or even stamp your dog’s paw or baby’s foot on the marriage license.

(note: Denver county does not allow dog prints anymore, so if that’s important to you, you’ll need to get your marriage license from a different county).

How to fill out your Colorado marriage license:

The top version is if you have an ordained officiant, and the bottom is if you are self-solemnizing.

I hope this was helpful to you! I’ve helped dozens of couples elope in Colorado and even signed as a witness on a few marriage licenses. Looking for more information? The best recommendations I can give you are ones specifically tailored to the two of you and your elopement plans. Reach out through my contact form and we’ll start the magical process together!

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