5 Reasons You Should Elope In A National Park in Colorado

There is no denying that the very act of eloping alone is one of the most romantic things you could ever be a part of. However, as a team of adventure elopement photographers, I am compelled to tell you that eloping to one of our amazing National Parks in Colorado automatically makes an elopement even more over-the-top exciting. If you are in search of the perfect place for you and your partner to have your greatest adventure yet, here are five reasons why you would be thrilled to elope in a National Park!

1. You Can Save A Fortune On Traditional Venue Fees

Believe it or not, many people that elope book a traditional wedding venue. While there is nothing wrong with that and you could still do so for less than the cost of a full-blown wedding, it can still be much more cost-effective to have your ceremony in a national park. In fact, many national parks won’t cost you anything at all! In some cases, there is a small fee associated with a permit but it will be nothing compared to renting out a traditional venue. 

For example, in our team’s closest local national park here in Colorado – Rocky Mountain National Park – the 2022 wedding ceremony permit costs only $300! The elopement ceremony permits for Great Sand Dunes National Park,
Mesa Verde National Park and Gunnison National Park are all similar or lower costs for their ceremony permits.

2. The Scenery Is All The Decoration You Need

One of the most expensive and labor-intensive parts of any wedding or elopement is the decor. But that all goes out the window when you choose a national park for your elopement venue! There are countless ceremony spots in our national parks that have such a jaw-dropping view you won’t need any decorations at all for your wedding to be beautiful and memorable. Not to mention, your photos will be uniquely memorable!

Imagine getting married on a massive sand dune with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains…I mean, do you need much more than that? That’s what you’ll get at another national park in Colorado – Great Sand Dunes National Park. 

3. You Can Tap Into Your Adventurous Side

I absolutely love it when one of our eloping couples says they want to do something adventurous like a sunrise or sunset hike for their elopement. The beauty of eloping is there are no real rules and you can make your day special in any way that you like. Therefore, if you and your fiancé love to embrace your adventurous side, our national parks present an array of romantic opportunities for you to do that during your elopement. In fact, doing something adventurous as part of your elopement might even make it that much more memorable and help to solidify your bond even further.

Rocky Mountain National Park has a ton of hiking miles, lakes, scenic drives, and breathtaking elopement locations. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It can’t be beaten as a Colorado National Park elopement destination!

4. Your Photos Will Be Works Of Art

Can you imagine the emotions that you would feel if your wedding photos were beautiful enough to be hung in an art gallery or printed on the back of a postcard? 

Wouldn’t that be truly amazing?! 

Or better yet, if they were beautiful enough you could hang them in your home without being tacky so that you and your guests could admire them on a daily basis? 

That is one of the reasons that the Colorado Photographer Squad’s eloping couples often cite for choosing a national park for their venue. There’s something about the natural landscape that adds an element of drama and art to the photos that you simply cannot get from many traditional venues.

5. You Can Check One More Thing Off That Bucket List Together

Have you always dreamt of hiking A particular peak? Or perhaps racing down a raging river through rapids? There are so many unique and adventurous ways to explore our national parks that they often make bucket lists. Wouldn’t it be cool to have that bonding, bucket-list experience as part of your elopement and have the whole thing photographed?! 

Would You Elope In A National Park? Why Or Why Not?

Go ahead and call me biased but I am madly in love with the idea of eloping in our national parks. However, I know not everyone fully agrees. I’d love to hear from you on why you would or would not elope in a national park, please comment below! If this sounds like the kind of day you would love for your elopement experience check out what it looks like to work with us!