LGBTQ+ Elopements in Colorado: How to Plan a Wedding That Feels Like You

If you're planning an LGBTQ+ elopement in Colorado, you don't need another wedding checklist telling you what you're supposed to do.

You need to figure out what actually feels like you—and then build your wedding around that.

I’ve been photographing Colorado elopements for 10 years and the first Colorado elopement I ever photographed was an LGBTQ+ wedding with two men at Sapphire Point in the fall.

The aspens were glowing, the day was beautiful, and I was so excited.

Not just because it was a gorgeous Colorado elopement. I was excited to photograph them.

Afterward, someone mentioned that it was a bummer I wouldn't be able to share the photos. And I realized something: the part of this wedding that lit me up wasn't just the photography. It was getting to celebrate a couple who didn't fit the traditional wedding mold.

That same evening, while visiting my grandma in the hospital, my uncle asked if I'd ever considered specializing in LGBTQ+ weddings and elopements.

I knew immediately that I wanted to.

Ten years later, queer weddings still have my heart.

Why LGBTQ+ weddings matter so much to me

This year, a couple came to me after they had been denied by a wedding venue in Ohio because they were a same-sex couple.

I was devastated.

Not because I was surprised that they needed a new place to get married, but because this still happens.

Couples shouldn't have to wonder whether a wedding venue, photographer, planner, or other vendor will actually welcome them.

You shouldn't have to spend your engagement wondering:

Will they treat us like every other couple?
Will we have to explain ourselves?
Will they make assumptions about our relationship?
Are we actually safe and welcome here?

With me, you don't have to worry about that.

Your relationship isn't something you need to defend, explain, or qualify before you get to celebrate it.

And that's one of the reasons I think working with a queer wedding professional can be so valuable.

You don't have to hire someone who shares your identity. But there can be something really comforting about working with someone who already understands.

Someone who won't assume there's a bride and groom. Someone who understands that family dynamics, wedding parties, and traditions don't always look the way the wedding industry expects them to. Someone who understands why feeling genuinely comfortable and respected around your vendors matters so much.

You shouldn't have to spend your wedding day wondering whether the people you've hired actually support you. You should be able to relax, be yourselves, and know that the people standing beside you are genuinely excited to be there.

For queer couples, that kind of understanding can make the entire experience feel a little easier—and a lot more like home.

Your Colorado elopement doesn't have to follow the rules

I've learned over the last 10 years that the weddings that speak to me most are queer weddings, nontraditional weddings, and weddings where couples are willing to create something that actually feels like them.

Maybe that's an intimate Colorado mountain elopement with just the two of you.

Maybe it's 20 of your favorite people.

Maybe you wear a suit. Maybe you wear a dress. Maybe you wear something completely different.

Maybe you keep the traditions you love and throw the rest out.

There is no correct way to have an LGBTQ+ wedding.

And that's one of the things I love most about photographing them.

LGBTQ+ Elopements in Colorado

Colorado is an incredible place for an LGBTQ+ elopement. From mountain overlooks and aspen groves to intimate venues and tiny mountain towns, there are so many ways to create a wedding day that feels personal.

But choosing a beautiful location is only the beginning.

You also have to figure out permits, marriage requirements, guest counts, timelines, weather, vendors, transportation, and all the little details that can turn an amazing idea into an actual wedding day.

That's where I come in.

I've spent the last decade photographing Colorado weddings and elopements, and I also coordinate elopements for couples who want someone in their corner from the beginning.

I'll help you figure out what you're doing, where you're going, what needs to happen when, and how to make the whole thing feel like you.

Then I'll be there to photograph it honestly, joyfully, and without turning your wedding into a stiff photo shoot.

Because you deserve more than a beautiful location.

You deserve to feel completely at home on your wedding day.

How to Make Your LGBTQ+ Wedding

Feel Like You

Whether you're planning an LGBTQ+ wedding, a Colorado elopement, or a traditional wedding that just doesn't feel very traditional, I think the best place to start is not with a Pinterest board. Take inspiration from what you see, but don't feel like you have to recreate it.

Start with one question:

How do you want to feel on your wedding day?

Relaxed?
Energized?
Present?
Slow?
Excited?
Adventurous?
Completely surrounded by your people?

Once you know how you want to feel, you can start building a wedding day that actually creates that feeling.

Start with your people

Who do you actually want around you?

Not who you're supposed to invite. Not who might be offended if they aren't included. Who makes you feel like yourself?

Maybe that's just the two of you. Maybe it's your closest friends and chosen family. Maybe you want 25 people there—or maybe you don't want a crowd at all.

Your guest list should support the experience you want to have.

Wear what makes you feel incredible

You don't have to wear the outfit the wedding industry handed you.

Wear the suit. Wear the dress. Wear both. Wear something completely different.

Choose clothes that make you feel attractive, comfortable, confident, and like yourself—not something you chose because it seemed like the appropriate wedding outfit.

Keep the traditions that actually mean something to you

There are traditions you might genuinely love. Keep them.

There are probably others that feel outdated, patriarchal, or completely disconnected from who you are. You can skip those, too.

You don't have to recreate someone else's idea of a wedding just because it's what weddings are supposed to look like.

Ask yourselves:

Do we actually want to do this?

If the answer is no, that's enough.

Think about how you actually want to spend your day

This might be the most important part.

Do you want to hike to a mountain overlook? Spend three hours having dinner with your favorite people? Read your vows somewhere quiet? Dance all night? Go somewhere you've never been? Have a slow morning together before getting married?

What will you actually enjoy?

Build your Colorado elopement or wedding around that—not around what photographs well, what you've seen on Pinterest, or what someone else thinks your wedding day should look like.

Then find the people who help you make it happen

Once you know what you want, find vendors who understand the vision and make you feel valued, celebrated, and affirmed.

Your photographer, planner, coordinator, florist, venue, and other wedding vendors should make you feel more comfortable—not like you need to explain or defend who you are.

For LGBTQ+ couples especially, finding vendors who genuinely understand and affirm you can make a huge difference in how comfortable you feel throughout the planning process and on your wedding day.

Your wedding doesn't have to fit a mold.

Start with who you are, how you want to feel, and what you actually want to do. Then build the day around that.

That's how you end up with a wedding that feels like you.

Planning an LGBTQ+ Elopement in Colorado: What You'll Need to Think About

• location - Colorado is full of gorgeous spots for elopements and intimate weddings. From rogue mountain spots to amazing mountain venues. I’ll ask you logistics, like can you grandma get to this spot, and do you want to bring your dogs, and from there we will find the exact right Colorado location.

• guest count - Who feels right and who doesn’t. Do you want just yourself or a fuller guest count. This can effect locations, timing and logistics.

• permits - Some Colorado locations require permits. Some are more cost effective and some more costly. We will go through your vision and your permit desire. Like do you want to know exactly where you will be saying I do.

• marriage license - I’ll hold your hand through this entire process. Send you links on when and where to set up appointments and help you return your license.

• timeline - a great timeline allows for moments to be present and enjoy. I’ll help build out your entire timeline with all the logistics and info you need.

• weather - Colorado weather can be a factor. I always watch the forecast 10 days before your date and we will always have backup plans that are gorgeous and wonderful if you do need to use them. But usually this is never a problem.

• transportation - Let’s make sure you have 4 wheel drive if we need it, who grandma is riding with and how to make sure you don’t see each other if this is part of your visions.

• vendors - We will talk and make sure all of your vendors align with your vision and goals.

Choose Your Vendors Wisely

The people you choose to surround yourself with on your wedding day matter a lot.

Who makes one couple feel completely relaxed and comfortable might make someone else feel totally awkward. And that's okay.

Trust your gut. Trust your instincts. Trust that beautiful intuition that tells you when something feels right—or when it doesn't.

I always recommend booking a free 30-minute consultation with your potential wedding vendors, especially your photographer and planner or coordinator.

When we talk, I'll ask you questions to figure out what you actually want, help you start building your day, and talk through locations, logistics, guest counts, timelines, and all the things you may not even know you need to think about yet.

But the biggest thing you're getting from that call isn't the information. It's getting to see how we vibe.

Pay attention to how you feel during the conversation.

And then check in with yourself afterward.

Do you feel more relaxed?
More comfortable?
More excited?
More confident about your decisions?

Do you feel like you can be completely yourself?

That's important.

You don't have to be everyone's person. And every vendor doesn't have to be your person.

The right team for your wedding should make you feel seen, supported, celebrated, and completely comfortable being yourselves.

Because these are the people you're trusting with some of the most vulnerable, emotional, ridiculous, joyful, and meaningful moments of your life.

You deserve to feel incredible around them.

Want to see if we're a good fit?

Book a free 30-minute consultation with me. Come with a fully formed plan, a million ideas, or absolutely no idea where to start.

We'll figure it out together.

You bring yourselves. I'll help you build the rest.