Destination Wedding help

Hi Katelyn! Estes Park is sooo beautiful! We considered eloping here but my husband wanted somewhere that we had both never been so we chose Oregon’s coast. Colorado has such a big piece of my heart! We did something very similar... just a ceremony with our parents, two best friends, and son. I don’t regret it one bit and it was perfect for us!

I was planning from afar and felt overwhelmed too. I eventually splurged for an elopement coordinator (The Greatest Adventure Weddings) who was our officiant, planner (timelines, vendor coordinator, decor), and provided our florals. It was crazy in the beginning to think about spending money on a planner for such a small wedding but it was our best decision. Also, she was basically 3 vendors in one so it made our lives so much easier. I recommend her hands down and knows she travels as well.

There are also adventure photographers who travel the world specializing in small elopements who will help coordinate as well. The Foxes Photography is one that I follow but ultimately was out of budget for us.

Here’s some sneak peek pics from our day. Our photographer was Victoria Carlson Photography and she was awesome! Let me know if I can help answer anything! Small intimate weddings can be as simple or extravagant as you want them. I’ve seen beautiful tablescapes/picnics set up after elopement ceremonies. We went out to a semi private dinner at a restaurant after our ceremony.

I just noticed you said potentially February. Have you looked at the weather for February in Colorado? It’s in the 30’s and many parts of Estes Park May be inaccessible to due to snow and ice. You may be going for a winter wedding and that’s totally ok but just wanted to be sure you knew what you were getting into!

Melinda, thank you for your response! Your pictures are GORGEOUS! Exactly what I imagine!
We do want to go when it's cold and has snowed or could possibly snow. I think it would also turn into a fun family trip for us all to enjoy, a couple days before or after our wedding.

We originally picked March, but my aunt has gotten engaged in the last 2 weeks and has planned her wedding the week before what ours would've been.
So we thought to move it up.
I've only ever been to Colorado during November and December. Do you recommend any other time to go?

View Quoted Comment That was my thought too.

View Quoted Comment You’re welcome and thank you! Depending what part of Estes Park you ultimately want to get married in, some roads may be inaccessible. I believe there is a hotline you can call the day of and as long as you’re willing to be flexible with your location and times (which is the beauty of an elopement in itself) you should be good to go. Here’s some info that may be helpful: https://estes-park.com/winter-seasonspecials-bundle-estes We did something similar where the few days before we shared an AirBnB and had a family vacation. I’m a big baby when it comes to the cold but if everyone can survive it for the ceremony I’m sure it will be beautiful!

Check out the Foxes blog for inspiration! They have a fair amount of winter elopements including a couple in Colorado. There are 15+ pages of elopements to lose yourself in! 🙂 https://thefoxesphotography.com/blog/

We married just a few weeks ago in Breckenridge CO! We used an elopement package (30 guests or less) through Custom Weddings of Colorado and it was so easy! I know they do a lot of work in Estes Park as well. They do also have another planner who will do weddings over 30 people so I'd recommend them either way but I found the elopement package very reasonable, especially if you don't care to choose every single detail and leave it to the pros. Our photographer, videographer, cake, flowers, chair rentals and planner/DOC cost is just under 5k and then she also helped me set up things not in the package: accommodations that worked for our whole group, HMUA, where/how to deal with marriage license, etc.

Hey there! I am also planning a DW in Colorado! We live in Florida and are so excited for our winter wedding with just close friends and family.

I’m sure you have your destination spot all picked out since I’m late to this discussion but I wanted to ask what you are planning on for a dinner spot? We haven’t figured out where to go for the night before the wedding for our “rehearsal dinner”.

Let me know if you have any suggestions! Happy wedding planning!