How to elope in Ouray, Colorado
When I first started photographing elopements one of the first places I went was in Ouray (pronounced “your-Ray) and I was completely blown away by its incredible beauty. Ouray is located in what’s call a “box canyon” which means the town is surrounded by tall , jagged mountains. The San Juan Mountains (which is part of the larger Rocky Mountain range) in south west Colorado are breathtaking! It has rightly earned the name “The Outdoor Recreation Capitol of Colorado” this is because it’s an off-roading mecca & a hikers paradise with tons of mountain biking trails nearby. This whole area is a complete dream, with water falls. hot springs, gorgeous scenic drives with trailheads along the way to take you to breathtaking turquoise alpine lakes.
If you want to get married in Ouray County, obtaining a marriage license is pretty easy. Go to the county clerks office and make sure you both have your drivers license or passport. It’s important to know that you can only get your marriage license within 35 days of the ceremony in Colorado, so make your plan to get it sometime in the four weeks before your big day. The cost is $30 and you can get the license on the same day as your ceremony . In the state of Colorado you can self-solemnize your vows, which means you aren’t required to have an officiant marry you. Also witnesses are not required in CO. Keep in mind some locations require a permit. Permits can run from $100-$350, it all depends on where you choose and how many guest.
Ouray has a lot of lodging options between Hotels, AirBNB’s and VRBO’s and everything has a view! Some hotels even have their own private hot springs for their guest for pay a small and enjoy time in a natural hot tub:) There’s also several Jeep rental locations, which is something to seriously consider if you don’t have a vehicle equipped with 4WD for off-roading to get to some of the most popular elopement locations.
Colorado weather can be erratic, so keep an open mind when planning your elopement. It can snow in May and summertime afternoon rain showers are common. Evenings can get cold and on top of a mountain pass it can be very windy and chilly. Colorado gets a lot of sunshine which can make winter days feel pretty mild. Keep in mind, most ceremony locations because of the back roads, which leads to the epic views are closed from snow October-May.
If you want to elope with gorgeous fall colors, Ouray has some of the very best in the whole state. The usual peak for those brilliant yellows are the last week of September and the first week of October.
You may still have more specific questions, and I’d love for you to contact me so we can talk in more detail. In the meantime enjoy looking through this beautiful Fall Ouray elopement.
