Colorado Winter Elopements

I absolutely LOVE winter elopements here in the Rockies. Colorado is one of the top winter destinations and for good reason! It’s a winter wonderland with amazing ski resorts, lots of sunshine, and cozy mountain towns with tons to do. In this Colorado winter elopement guide, I’ll share helpful suggestions, help you understand what to expect, and give you my recommendations for what gear to bring.

Best Months for Winter Elopements

December: Mountain towns and ski resorts are ramping up for the holidays and it’s a very festive time to elope. If you want to ski, it’s a little early for the prime conditions but you’ll still have a great time. I love the more festive mood of mountain towns in December, even if it isn’t quite peak season yet.

January-February: Prime time in the Rockies! Lots of fresh snow coming in with cold conditions makes for a great time to come out to Colorado and elope. This is the busiest time (especially around Christmas and New Year’s). So avoid early January if you want more privacy on the slopes. But as far as snowshoeing trails and your elopement experience, you’ll have a lot more privacy no matter when you go in the winter.

March-April: Spring skiing, warmer weather, and more hours of daylight. This is a great time to elope in Colorado if you want a full-day elopement and want to spend more time adventuring. We’ll have more daylight and it’s typically warm enough to stay out longer. The downside is that the weather is less predictable this time of year.

Festive Winter Events in Colorado

There are tons of events throughout the winter that bring a festive and lively feel to our mountain towns. I absolutely love going to the local Silverton Skijoring event in February. There are just so many unique and fun things you can do!

• ULLR Fest (December 12th – 14th, Breckenridge)
• Wintersköl (December 12th – 15th, Aspen)
• Winterfest (December 19th – 21st, Pagosa Springs)
• International Snow Sculpture Championship (January 20th – 29th, Breckenridge)
• Winter Carnival (February 5th – 9th, Steamboat Springs)
• Silverton Skijoring (February 15th – 16th, Silverton)
• Leadville Skijoring (February 28th – March 2nd, Leadville)

Colorado Winter Elopement Tips

Come Prepared

While you can get away with bringing more casual hiking gear for summer + fall elopements, a Colorado winter elopement requires more layers & gear. I want you to be as cozy and comfortable as possible so we can spend more time outdoors safely enjoying the mountains. It’s essential to wear baselayers, winter boots, wool socks, down jackets, and a few other items I’ll talk about below.

Snowshoeing (and rentals)

Snowshoes are the best way to hike and explore ungroomed trails for winter elopements. And don’t worry, snowshoeing doesn’t require any technical skills. It’s as easy as strapping two snowshoes to your boots and having trekking poles for support. It takes a few minutes to get used to walking but you’ll be a pro in no time! It isn’t practical to hike without snowshoes in Colorado. You’ll sink in the snow up to your hips in some places! We’ll be much faster (and warmer) with snowshoes. If you’re a local or have more winter experience, you can bring your skins or cross-country skis too.

It’s fairly easy to rent snowshoes from any REI or local outfitter. If you have options available for your snowshoe rentals, I recommend the MSR EVO Trail Snowshoes.

Ski Pass (Epic or Ikon)

If you have a ski pass, that might help decide where you want to elope! Epic pass holders might choose Breckenridge to have access to Keystone/Breck or drive a little further to Crested Butte. While Ikon pass holders might want to elope in Aspen, Steamboat, or even head up to the Tetons (even if it’s not in Colorado—still one of my favorite elopement destinations). Just depends on whether you have a pass and whether or not you want your elopement trip to include skiing.

Clear Winter Skies

While we do have snowstorms in the winter, the Rockies are well-loved for their “bluebird” sky days with relatively warm weather. It’s also the season with the clearest skies. The winter alpenglow is just otherworldly and we get incredibly vivid shades of orange/purple on the mountains around sunrise/sunset. As an artist, the winter alpenglow is some of the most spectacular colors I’ve ever seen!

Sunrise vs Sunset

For winter elopements, sunrise is much later (roughly around 7:00 am) and sunset is much earlier in the evening (roughly around 5:00 pm). So both options are pretty easy to do. But I usually recommend sunset since the afternoon and evening will be the warmest time of the day. On another note, it gets significantly colder when the sun goes behind the mountains. So sometimes I’ll plan for a couple to be at a vista or much closer to the trailhead for actual sunset to avoid snowshoeing too much in the dark.

Rental Cars

If you’re flying into Colorado, you’ll want to rent a 4WD vehicle that’s easier to drive in winter conditions. Most car rental companies don’t offer snow tires (and prohibit you from using chains), so you can usually find a better winter-equipped vehicle using a service like Turo. If you need to rent through a regular car rental company, just make sure you at least get 4WD.

Bringing Water & Celebratory Drinks

You might not have thought of this, but in the winter it’s cold enough out for water bottles to freeze on the outside of your pack. You’ll want to bring an insulated water bottle to keep your water from freezing. And even though it’s cold out, you should stay well hydrated, especially at higher elevations.

The alcohol content of celebratory drinks (like champagne) helps them from freezing as quickly. But it’s still a good idea to store inside your pack where it will be warmer. Some celebratory drinks change their flavor profiles if they get too cold.

Be Flexible with Winter Conditions

I always recommend having an Airbnb/VRBO that can act as your backup elopement location. There are tons of cozy cabins that can make for a wonderful winter backdrop if we have a day that’s too snowy to head out on the trail. We can also head into town and grab a hot chocolate and turn your day into a magical Hallmark Christmas movie (cheesy romance lines are optional of course). That’s just the nature of planning a Colorado winter elopement!

Winter Elopement Clothing & Gear

Baselayers:

It’s incredibly important to wear baselayers underneath your wedding attire in the winter. If you already have baselayers for skiing, those will work great. If you don’t have baselayers, you will need to bring a wool baselayer top + bottoms (for suits) and baselayer tights (for dresses). I cannot stress enough how important this layer is to staying warm in the cold. Wool works best because it still provides warmth even if it gets wet.

Boots:

I do recommend bringing winter hiking boots that have insulation. It makes a big difference in keeping you warm. Winter boots might fit differently than what you expect, so read reviews to see if you need to size up or down. Make sure whatever you bring has insulation and isn’t just a waterproof regular hiking boot. 200 grams of insulation is pretty common for winter boots.

• Women’s Columbia Ice Maiden Boots: These are my top pick specifically for those wearing a wedding dress. They are taller insulated boots that (in my opinion) style well with dresses.
• Men’s Keen Revel Winter Boot: Popular insulated boot for snowshoeing and winter backpacking. They have a women’s version too.

Socks:

I recommend bringing thicker wool socks (not thin ski socks) to keep your feet warm. I highly recommend Darn Tough socks. I’m still wearing the same pairs of socks for the last 7 years. I like both of the options below because they go up higher on your shin (the extra warmth is really helpful). In the winter, you need wool socks. Cotton socks will get wet and your feet will cold really fast. It might seem silly if you don’t live in the mountains, but wool socks will make all of the difference in your elopement experience.

• Women’s Darn Tough Socks
• Men’s Darn Tough Socks

Gloves:

Gloves are essential to wear while hiking and in those in-between moments to keep your hands warm. Especially if we’re snowshoeing on a trail where you’ll be holding onto trekking poles. I recommend mittens over regular gloves if you know your hands get cold easily. Plus, you can put a hand warmer in your mittens pretty easily to keep your fingers warm.

• REI Guide Mittens: Affordable well-loved option for winter.
• REI Down Mittens: Extra warmth from the added insulation. Best for elopements and more casual use. The guide mittens above are better for those who ski or plan to use them for future winter adventures.

Winter Down Jacket:

You’ll need to bring a warm winter down jacket for your elopement. For those wearing dresses, it’s a good idea to bring something warmer than you think you’ll need. You’ll put this jacket on between photos and you’ll want it to warm you up quickly. For those wearing suits, you’ll want something a little roomier to throw on over your suit jacket more easily (or just be ready to take your suit jacket off at times to put on your coat).

• Cotopaxi Fuego Down Jacket (Men’s Jacket | Women’s Jacket): This is a great all-around puffy jacket that’s warm enough for winter conditions. It’s lightweight and packable, making this really easy to pull out of your pack and warm up for a few minutes. You’ll see people wearing this jacket a lot in Colorado.
• My Winter Jacket (Obermeyer, a Colorado company): This is my go-to jacket for skiing, snowshoeing, or any other winter activities.

Other Helpful Winter Gear

Here are some optional items that are convenient and helpful for your Colorado winter elopement:

• Rumpl Puffy Blanket: Couples have used this item year-round for elopements, but it’s especially helpful in winter. It’s essentially a puffy jacket made into a blanket which is great for quickly warming up, picnics, or keeping items off the snow.
• Rechargeable Hand Warmers: These work much faster and longer than single-use hand warmers.
• Yeti Leakproof Thermos: Bringing a hot drink on your hike will keep you cozy and warm. I like this thermos best because it’s leakproof for hiking and keeps drinks hot. I love sipping hot cocoa out on a snowy trail!

Final Thoughts

Winter is one of my favorite parts about living in Colorado. It’s festive, magical, and just a dreamy winter wonderland for couples to elope. I hope this guide helped you know what to expect for your Colorado winter elopement and you’re even more excited! You can head over to my contact pack and inquire when you’re ready to get started!