Aspen Elopement Photographer
Eloping in Aspen, Colorado
Aspen... best known for its glitz and glam of celebrity to those outside of Colorado's borders. Those of us local to the state, though, know that this little mountain town has way more to it than that! The history, the mountain passes, fine dining, camping, and hiking all draw people of all walks of life to Aspen. Experience iconic skiing, famous mountain backdrops, ghost towns from the gold and silver booms that first drew people to this valley, and so much more. There's endless opportunity for your elopement in Aspen!
TOP Aspen Elopement Locations
Maroon Bells Amphitheater – This is one of Colorado's most sought after locations for smaller weddings. Reservations are difficult to come by, but if you can snag one you'll be surrounded by some of the most iconic views in the state! The Amphitheater at Maroon Bells hosts up to 50 people, so your group does need to be smaller than some weddings, but if that aligns with your vision this is the spot for you!
Maroon Bells Wilderness Area – When the amphitheater is already reserved and you have under 10 people involved (including vendors!) you can elope in the Maroon Bells Wilderness Area with just a parking permit and a little hiking!
East Portal Picnic Area – If you want a few more guests than the wilderness allows, or you're not big on hiking, this picnic area is able to be reserved but isn't nearly as popular or hard to book as the amphitheater. The views are different but still great!
Ashcroft Ghost Town – One of the more popular ghost towns in the area, the Aspen Historical Society oversees visits to this beautiful space, with incredible mountain backdrops, historic buildings, riverside picnic spaces to reserve and celebrate in, and a 3 mile hike to enjoy some activity on your elopement day.
John Denver Sanctuary – This little park in the heart of Aspen lies nestled along the Roaring Fork River, the sanctuary features stunning mountain views, beautiful wildflowers, and tranquil ponds, all framed by the inspiring lyrics of John Denver etched in stone. It's a perfect spot for intimate ceremonies, offering a blend of natural beauty and poetic ambiance that captures the spirit of love and adventure.
Pine Creek Cookhouse – Just up the road from Ashcroft Ghost Town is this highly sought after restaurant and dining experience with incredible mountain views and a lovely meadow. Elope here for the views, nearby hikes, and the easy meal while you're here!
Top of Aspen Mountain – Aspen Ski offers wedding and elopement venues, and there are even nearby forest service spaces you can elope atop a mountain!
Independence Pass – This pass down to Twin Lakes near Buena Vista has a number of great camping spaces, hiking trails, and mountain overlooks to explore on your elopement day.
When to Elope in Aspen
Most couples choose to elope in Aspen in the summer or fall months, with the most popular months being July and September. July offers the most wildflowers to decorate your celebration. September is when the fall colors begin, before the risk of snow crashing your elopement is too high like in October.
Consider local festivals as well - you might want to plan during one to enjoy the activities or steer quite clear of them to avoid the crowds and high prices on lodging/travel.
If you're totally new to the state or visiting mountain towns, you'll want to familiarize yourself with the weather as it's pretty unique!
Month | High / Low(°F)
January | 36° / 10°
February | 39° / 13°
March | 46° / 21°
April | 53° / 27°
May | 63° / 35°
June | 74° / 43°
July | 79° / 48°
August | 76° / 47°
September | 70° / 41°
October | 58° / 31°
November | 45° / 20°
December | 35° / 11°
Snow in Aspen can happen, honestly any month of the year - but it mostly snows from November to March or April.
April and May is considered mud season, as the snow melts and everything gets a little sloppy.
Wildflowers come out in July and can last into early August. It will be warm with cool nights.
Fall colors begin at higher elevations in September, with the town of Aspen seeing color into early October. October begins to run the risk of snowfall!
Best Time to Elope in Aspen
Weather in Aspen
Getting to Aspen
FLYING INTO ASPEN:
If you have the money and are comfortable, you can fly directly into Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE). A more common travel option is flying into Denver (DIA), Eagle County (EGE) or Grand Junction (GJT) and renting a car to drive out to Aspen.
DRIVING TO ASPEN:
If you're driving to Aspen from one of the other airports mentioned above, or other towns near I-70, you'll take that interstate to Glenwood Springs where Highway 82 takes you south into Aspen. Other routes include more backroads options, like Independence Pass which would take you to/from Buena Vista and Highway 24.
Activities for Eloping in Aspen
Hiking - From world-class 14ers to easy riverside hikes, there is no shortage of trails to explore in Aspen.
Sightseeing - Take the Silver Queen Gondola up the mountain, wander the tranquil John Denver Sanctuary, explore Independence Pass, take a ghost tour, or enjoy the Aspen Art Museum, to name a few!
See a show - A number of great acts perform in Aspen - take some time to enjoy one.
Find a ghost town - The mining history of the area means there's more than one ghost town to discover!
Skiing - Of course, when it's winter in Aspen you'll find most people hitting the slopes or downtown Aprés Ski
Location Scouting
So you can stop googling, posting to forums, and wasting your time trying to find the perfect spot. I've spent countless hours driving the back roads or with my nose in a map (you should see how many spots I've flagged) to help you narrow down and find the best spot for you to spend your day.
Timeline Planning
So we're in the best places at the best times - cuz this is probably your first elopement, right? Whether you’re planning activities for your elopement or just need help with timing the perfect sunset ceremony, I love to help my couples with creating the perfect timeline for the day. I’ll create an agenda, with as much specific or general timing as we want, and what spots and activities we’ll be doing there.
Permit Guidance
Eloping in the west means navigating permits and other legal requirements. OOF right? You can rest easy, though. I know alllll the requirements and what we need to do.
Activity Ideas
From helping you brainstorm ideas you’ve never considered, to helping you with the logistics of making those ideas happen, consider me your go-to person to bounce things off of so you can craft the most amazing day you can imagine!
Vendor Recommendations
Small mountain and desert towns can be hard to find vendors at all, let alone ones who show up in an online search. Having helped couples elope in these areas for over nine years now, I’ve gotten to know all the pros to recommend to help bring your visions to life.
Group Photo List Creation
If you’re having guests along for the day, I will help create a formals list so that we have a list of groups to make sure we’re not missing any combos on the day-of.
Elopement Guide
You’ll receive access to my 124 page elopement guide full of everything you could ever have questions about for how to elope! From marriage license navigation, to emergency kit checklists, to advice for what to wear, to choosing your lodging, and so much more – this guide is your new best friend
Location Expertise
So you can stop googling, posting to forums, and wasting your time trying to find the perfect spot. I've spent countless hours driving the back roads or with my nose in a map (you should see how many spots I've flagged) to help you narrow down and find the best spot for you to spend your day.
Timeline Planning
From sunrise ceremonies to multi-location days, I'll create a timeline that gets you to the best spots at the best times—with buffer room so you're never rushing. I’ll create an agenda, with as much specific or general timing as we want, and what spots and activities we’ll be doing there.
Permit Navigation
Eloping in the west means navigating permits and other legal requirements. OOF right? You can rest easy, though. I know alllll the requirements and will walk you through every step.
Activity Ideas
Whether you want a picnic, a hot springs soak, a vineyard toast, or just stunning photos with minimal hiking—I'll help you design a day that feels authentically you.
Vendor Recommendations
Small mountain and desert towns can be hard to find vendors at all, let alone ones who show up in an online search. Having helped couples elope in these areas for over nine years now, I’ve gotten to know all the pros to recommend to help bring your visions to life.
Group Photo List Creation
If you’re having guests along for the day, I will help create a formals list so that we have a list of groups to make sure we’re not missing any combos on the day-of.
Elopement Guide
You’ll receive access to my 124 page elopement guide full of everything you could ever have questions about for how to elope! From marriage license navigation, to emergency kit checklists, to advice for what to wear, to choosing your lodging, and so much more – this guide is your new best friend
Elopement Planning Services
These planning services are included in all my elopement photography packages—AND are now available as standalone services for couples who've already hired a photographer or prefer to book planning separately.
COMPREHENSIVE ELOPEMENT SUPPORT
Because Your Day Should Feel As Good As It Looks
Since starting my business in 2012 and moving here in 2015, I've been helping couples navigate the beautiful chaos of planning and photographing elopements across Colorado's Western Slope, San Juan Mountains, and Moab, Utah.
I believe your wedding day should feel as beautiful as it looks—which means comfortable, stress-free, and entirely true to who you are.
Whether you need comprehensive planning support, photography that captures the story and scenery of your day, or both—I'm here to make sure the experience is exactly what you hoped for.
When I'm not helping couples, you can find me with a chai latte, binge-watching Gilmore Girls & Grey's Anatomy - again.
hey there, I'm amanda
she/her
WESTERN COLORADO & MOAB ELOPEMENT SPECIALIST
Couples I've worked with
350+
States I've visited
27
(and counting!)
Moose I've seen
8
Episodes of Gilmore Girls binged
100%
-Allison & Ethan
Amanda is the perfect wedding photographer. The photos perfectly captured the whole day and I feel like I can easily relive it just by looking back at the photos. I highly recommend Amanda.
"The Perfect Wedding Photographer"
-Megan & Jordan
Amanda was the best decision we made for our wedding day! The photos are exceptional and perfectly capture the scenery and vibe we were going for, but that’s only a portion of what Amanda provided. She helped give us planning guidance, organization, and reassurance throughout, which alleviated all the worries we had about eloping in a place we’d never been before.
"the best decision we made"
-Beth & Dustin
We used Amanda for our wedding and she is the BEST! Our photos turned out amazing and she captured the feel of our night perfectly. She’s also really fun to hang with. We didn’t want her to leave at the end of the night!
"She captured the feel of our night perfectly."
- Kylie & Murat
Amanda did an amazing job on our elopement photos! She was incredibly organized during all the planning and sent incredibly helpful tips and ideas in the months leading up.
"Incredibly organized & helpful"
Aspen Elopement Photography Inspiration
What do we DO all day?
Elopement Timeline Example
It's not really about "What do we do all day??" -- it's more like "What CAN we do all day?" You should plan a day that sounds like the most fun you can imagine: whatever that looks like to you. Star gazing? Coffee and brunch? A trip to a book store? ATVing? Overlooking a cool new park? Get excited about the possibilities!
5:00 - DINNER
Whether you make dinner reservations at a nice restaurant in town, grab tacos from your favorite shop, hire a private chef to treat you to a fine meal in your vacation rental, or bring a picnic on our adventure in nature.
4:30 - GROUP PHOTOS
Spend some time taking photos with everyone in attendance in this beautiful place you've made this next step in your adventure together. Those images you'll look back at on their birthdays each year.
3:30 - CEREMONY
You (and any guests you have) head out to your ceremony location where you'll exchange vows, rings, a unity ceremony and sign the papers to make things official. Share a toast or speeches to celebrate.
2:30 - GETTING READY
Getting ready at your vacation rental or campsite. You help each other get ready, put on a pot of coffee, and take your time as you begin your elopement time. This is our ice breaker, so I'm not showing up at go-time.
6:30 - ACTIVITIES
After dinner, you can spend the time until sunset exploring the area, hiking, fishing, taking photos with amazing views, seeing new sights, eating dessert, and spending time however you would like to most! We'll get those iconic photos and those stunning candids you love so much and will hang on the wall to relive these moments any time.
8:30 - SUNSET & STARS
Watch the sunset together. Eat a snack or some cake while the stars begin to come out. Stargaze and take some photos with the milky way as you end your new favorite day.
Aspen elopement packages range from $4-10k.
Aspen Elopement Pricing
No matter the package, you always get:
Access to my Locations Database - see the best spots I've accumulated over the years, in a personalized guide to fit your needs
Timeline & Group Photo List collaboration - you probably haven't made dozens of these per year like I have, so let me help you with that!
The final digital files in an online gallery, unlimited downloads, and online access for at least 1 year. Plus free websize downloads for loved ones!
My travel included - I work in the places I know best, and I'll meet you there!
Award-winning & Hand Retouched Photography - As a recognized artist in the industry, I strive to deliver beautiful artwork from your day, hand edited by me.
We're in... what now?
03
The big day & after
The day is here and you're surprised you're nervous after all this time. I will capture your day in a way that tells the story for you to relive forever. You'll have sneak peaks within 24-48 hours and a full gallery of the whole day within a month or so.
01
Let's Meet
We'll hop on the phone or Google Meet (or grab coffee!) to get to know each other and talk all about your dreams and ideas for the big day, and how I can help make your life easier. When you're ready to book you'll put $1k down as a retainer and I'll get to work!
Planning journey
From there I'll send you my 124 page Elopement Guide and help with location ideas, scouting, emergency kit info, permits, activity suggestions, vendor recommendations, timeline creation, group photo lists, and so so much more. I will help you craft the most incredible day, with backup plans because life is life. You'll feel like you've never been so excited or prepared for anything before.
02
Ready to save your date?
Let's do this
Thank you!
I'll be in touch within 24-48 hours.
If you don’t hear from me soon, I’m probably in the mountains or desert capturing an adventurous couple.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly:
info@amandamatildaphotography.com
