6 Reasons Why More Couples Are Choosing to Plan a Rocky Mountain National Park elopement. 

More and more couples every year are ditching the idea of planning a large, traditional wedding and are instead making the decision to elope. Large weddings aren’t for everyone, and they aren’t the only option couples have when choosing how they want to celebrate their marriage!

Imagine this. An intimate wedding experience that gives you the freedom to plan a day that is unique to you, your values, and your desires. There is no strict timeline, no rules, the day is yours.

To exchange heartwarming, private vows on top of a mountain peak. The smell of the fresh mountain breeze as you look out at the world around you. The feeling of your partner’s warm embrace, and the rush of adventure down your spine as you explore a new landscape together.

This is exactly what you can achieve from eloping at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

Still not convinced? Here are 6 reasons why more couples are choosing to ditch the big weddings and are planning an adventurous RMNP elopement.

A Rocky Mountain National Park elopement is much easier to plan:

Planning a large traditional wedding is hard and can cause a lot of stress. It requires a LOT of planning and coordinating. There are so many more vendors and moving pieces to work with, and there’s almost always a never ending list of to-do’s. You have to find a venue that offers everything you need and can accommodate your guest list. You have to hire multiple vendors and work to bring them all together and ensure they are on the same page.

Why eloping is much easier and less stressful to plan: 

Planning an elopement requires a lot less time and money because elopements are oftentimes much smaller and there are a lot less moving pieces to juggle. Your elopement could be just the two of you (plus a small group of vendors) or you and your closest friends and family. 

Because there is so much less going on, elopements are much more relaxed and laid back. There is no strict timeline. You can lay out your day how you want it to be – you can do as much as you want, or as little as you want. 

To top it all off, Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the EASIEST national parks to elope at. The park is only an hour and a half from Denver International Airport, and has two nice tourist towns nearby with tons of cute Airbnb’s, luxurious lodges, and more in the area. This makes orchestrating what you need to do much, much easier.

A Rocky Mountain National Park elopement is much more affordable, yet provides a better, unforgettable experience:

there is a lot less you need to spend your money on. On average, just a wedding venue in the U.S. costs somewhere around 5k to 10k. The fee to reserve a ceremony site in RMNP costs $300, and the view and photo opportunities will blow a venue out of the water any day. 

Here are the average expenses for an incredible elopement: A photographer who is an expert in the area (4k – 7K+), lodging, travel, transportation, florist, makeup and hair, wedding attire, park permit ($300), marriage license ($30), park pass ($35 per vehicle), and any activities or extra accommodations.

Elopements give you the freedom to plan your day to look however you want it to: 

You have full control to plan the day and experience and make it just how you want it to be. What you say goes. There are no rules. No one telling you can and cannot do. Fill the day full of what you value and what you desire to do, make it unique and fun! 

If you want to start the day with a private brunch? Done! If you want to start earlier and at the end of the day jump into Grand Lake. Done! Off road a bit in a souped-up Jeep? Done! Want to scale the highest peak and explore multiple of the park’s most stunning vistas? DONE!

There are very few limits to what you can and cannot do for your elopement.

If you do enjoy some traditional aspects, you can still incorporate traditions from traditional weddings, and also mix in your own twist. No one says you can’t do a traditional ceremony on a mountain top and then leave for your honeymoon in a helicopter (it’s actually super easy to make it happen!)

Your elopement can be just for two, or for those who mean the most to you. The choice is yours:

There is a dirty little lie flying around somewhere that if couples elope, you just leave without telling any of your friends and family and just leave them in the dirt. This isn’t true… most of the time. 

Adventures are made to be shared, and I don’t think there is anything better than sharing the experience with your closest family and friends. Most elopement ceremony sites in Rocky Mountain National Park have room for at least 15 people and some can even host up to 30 guests.

In 2022, my wife and I eloped in Rocky Mountain National Park and chose to include our immediate family and close friends.

You can plan out a whole week full of adventures for everyone to enjoy. Your families are about to come together and become one, so kick off the celebrations by inviting them all to come together and spend a few days exploring Colorado and everything Rocky Mountain National Park has to offer!

Rocky Mountain National Park has so much to offer: 

RMNP is full of so many fun activities to do. Besides the beautiful hikes, you can white water raft, zip line, mountain bike, mountain climb, kayak, paddle board, go off roading, take a helicopter tour, brewery hop, shop – the list continues!

Incredible photo opportunities that will elevate your wedding gallery: 

Many traditional wedding venues do offer beautiful areas like meadows or woods for photos, but nothing will compare to the beautiful views that the trails and ceremony sites in the park offer. Everyone’s jaws will drop to the floor when they see your wedding images after you elope in Rocky Mountain National Park!

Your images will be unique and your personalities, values, and stories will be on more display than traditional wedding images. You will also have so much more fun taking the photographs because of the views and because you will have so much more time to soak up the moment.

BONUS – I’m going to be with you every step of the way, helping you plan the Rocky Mountain National Park elopement of your dreams:

I’m a Colorado elopement photographer who helps adventurous couples from all around the United States seamlessly plan the RMNP elopement of their dreams. After planning my own wedding in Rocky Mountain National Park, I’ve become passionate about helping other couples achieve the same same thing we did- a wedding day full of fulfillment, love, and an unforgettable adventure.

I’ve made it my mission to be fully there for my couples, guiding them every step of the way and turning every raw, beautiful, and unfiltered moment of the day into stories preserved to live through love time and time again.

If you’re ready to elope in Rocky Mountain National Park, click here to view my RMNP elopement packages and inquire using the contact form on the page!

Looking for more Rocky Mountain National Park elopement resources? 

Click here to read my complete RMNP planning guide, and click here to browse all of my other Colorado elopement planning resources. To view guidelines on the official national park website, click here.