A traditional wedding day is often more about the family and guests, but an elopement is all about you. It’s about starting your lives together in a place that holds significance and finding a beautiful, meaningful setting to tie the knot.

Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the most popular destinations for elopements because of the picturesque views and serene environment. You’re sure to have an easy time finding focus and bliss on the day of your elopement when your destination is such a heaven on earth.

Today I wanted to share a few things to keep a note of if you’re planning a Rocky Mountain National Park elopement and some ways you can make the most of your trip.

Bride and groom kiss on top of the mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park captured by Dawn Louise Photography. elopement adventure wanderlust wedding rocky mountain national park elope love wedding marriage adventure bride and groom colorado weddi…

A black and white shot of the bride and groom playfully running away together in the mountains of Colorado captured by Dawn Louise Photography. Bride and groom eloping running spontaneous wedding wanderlust marriage love elopement picture inspo colo

The bride and groom falling in love again on their elopement photo session with Dawn Louise Photography in Rocky Mountain National Park. Wanderlust weddings elopement in the mountains eloped happy marriage adventure together rocky mountain national

An intimate kiss shared in the mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park captured by Dawn Louise Photography. Sprague lake photography hidden valley location elopement adventure together colorado elopement wedding photographer dream lake rocky mount

Locations within the park

If you’re looking for an intimate setting on a lake, Sprague Lake is a great option. The dock allows for a natural aisle and a beautiful backdrop of lakes and mountains. It’s also really accessible for your guests, but that ease-of-use means it’s fairly busy during picnic-friendly times. I recommend planning an early morning or evening ceremony to avoid the crowds.

Hidden Valley is a wonderful setting if you’re looking for a more forested area for you to exchange your vows under a canopy of foliage. There are many spots within the area to choose from if you want to exchange vows and share special traditions all near the same area. It’s a bit of a walk from parking, but if you have a small ceremony size or adventurous guests, it will work wonderfully!

The top of the list for adventurous elopement spots with the most absolutely stunning, picturesque views is the path from Dream Lake to Nymph Lake. Pretty much every step along this trail would make the perfect elopement backdrop. Add it to your list of locations to research, for sure.

The bride and groom dance together in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado captured by Dawn Louise Photography. Elopement adventure photographer frozen lake winter wedding setting eloped and happy wanderlust weddings colorado elopement photographe

Dream lake in Rocky Mountain National Park made this elopement a dreamy setting for this bride and groom captured by Dawn Louise Photography. Dream Lake rocky mountain national park colorado photographer wedding day details photography adventure #d

The first dance as husband and wife in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado captured by Dawn Louise Photography. First dance rocky mountains elopement wedding adventure together outdoor photography inspo wedding bride and groom peaceful intimate special mo…

Things to remember

Don’t forget your wedding permit! Especially this year, the chaos of choosing a wedding date and location carries over into elopements too as Rocky Mountain National Park is limiting the number of wedding permits they give out for the year to just 250. Your permit will cost about $250 - $300, and because of the new annual limits, I recommend you make your reservation for your elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park as soon as possible.

Elopements are meant to be peaceful and intimate, a special moment with as few disruptions as possible so you can focus on just yourselves. To avoid crowds or peak busy times during your elopement day, I’d recommend getting married on a weekday and choosing a time outside the peak crowd window of 9 am to 3 pm.

Don’t forget to remove any trace of your presence on the park grounds! Plan ahead to bring receptacles for waste or leave it all behind in favor of an elopement that focuses on just the two of you and nothing else. This also means you’ll have to forego including your pet in your ceremony as they’re considered prey!

Planning your elopement day

Depending on the time you have scheduled your ceremony or where your elopement location is within the park, start your day with an energy-fortifying meal to prepare you for the physical and emotional activity of this momentous celebration. Outline your path to the elopement location in detail for your guests so no one gets lost!

As may be necessary due to the limited capacity allowed within the park, if you find you’re unable to reserve a date or location within the park for your elopement ceremony, don’t fret! You can still include Rocky Mountain National Park as part of your elopement. Consider doing your ceremony/vows with your family and friends in nearby Estes Park (a quaint mountain-side village with similarly stunning backdrops and charming shops and restaurants) and then continuing on just yourselves to have an adventure within the park without needing to reserve a wedding permit.

I can’t wait for you to have a beautiful elopement ceremony in Rocky Mountain National Park. As a professional elopement photographer, I’ve got a bit of experience in this field (literally! No pun intended!) so I’d love to be of use as you’re planning your big day!