August 22, 2026
Dressing for a Colorado Elopement: Attire & Altitude Prep
Colorado's elevation swings 5,000 to over 10,000 feet depending on your venue. Here's how that changes what you should wear and how your body needs to prepare.
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Notes from the process, posted as we go through it ourselves.
August 22, 2026
Best eSIM Providers for Your Colorado Trip
Comparing four travel eSIM options for a Colorado trip: Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, and Saily, on price, data, and the one limitation almost all of them share.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
The Best Time of Year to Get Married in Colorado
Weather, altitude, road access, crowds, and flight prices all shift through the year and pull in different directions. Here's how to weigh them.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Boulder County's Marriage License Process, and Its One Real Catch
Boulder skips the counter visit entirely with a video appointment, but it's not a remote option: you still need to be in Colorado, together, with a CO mailing address.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Can Someone Else Go to the License Appointment for You?
Colorado's proxy marriage process is narrow: only one party can be absent, and only for military or government contractor deployment, not general travel issues.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Do You Need a Certificate of No Impediment?
Colorado doesn't ask foreign nationals for a Certificate of No Impediment before marrying. You can still get one from home if you need it for something else.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Changing Your Name After Getting Married in Colorado
Colorado lets you elect a new name on the marriage license itself, no court order needed. A US-citizen spouse's next steps differ from the non-US partner's.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Colorado Counties Compared: Where to Get Your License
Real differences between 8 Colorado counties: Boulder runs the process by video call and mails the license, while El Paso is pure walk-in with Saturday hours.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Do We Need a Visa to Get Married in Colorado?
There's no special 'marriage visa': you enter on whatever visa or ESTA you'd normally use to visit. What happens after the wedding is the part to get right.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Do We Need Rings or Vows?
Neither rings nor vows are a legal requirement for a self-solemnized Colorado marriage. Here's what makes the marriage valid, and what's just tradition.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Document Translation Requirements: Do You Need One?
Your Colorado marriage certificate is already in English, so English-speaking countries generally need no translation. Germany and Mexico are exceptions.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Does It Matter If We're a Same-Sex Couple?
Colorado's self-solemnization law doesn't distinguish by sex. Whether your home country recognizes it the same way as an opposite-sex marriage is separate.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Does It Matter What Country We're From?
Yes: whether your Colorado marriage is recognized back home depends entirely on your country's own rules. This is the intro to our country-by-country notes.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Garden of the Gods Elopement Guide
Garden of the Gods is a city park, not a national park: no permit, no fee, no reservation. How the six designated ceremony sites and park rules work.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Eloping at Maroon Bells: What You Actually Need to Know
Colorado's most photographed peaks need a reservation, not a permit, for a quiet two-person elopement. The Amphitheater site is a different, harder story.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Eloping in Rocky Mountain National Park
A two-person elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park still needs a $300 Special Use Permit, applied a year ahead. The permit process and best small sites.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Getting Your Apostille After You've Already Left Colorado
Missed the walk-in window before you flew home? Mail-in is the fallback: same certified copy, paid by check or money order, just without the expedited option.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
How Can We Pay for This?
The apostille step is cash, check, or money order only, no cards. County methods for the license fee vary; check the county list for what's confirmed.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
How to Fill In the Marriage License Application
Complete the application before your appointment, enter your country manually, and know what to do if you don't have a Social Security number.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Is Apostilled the Same as Notarised?
The certified marriage copy doesn't need separate notarization. The Secretary of State accepts one alternative certification, not a stack of every one.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Is Colorado Right for You? Comparing Your Options
Self-solemnization is only legal in a handful of US states, and Colorado's version is the most straightforward. How it compares to Vegas, and who it suits.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Planning Your Trip to Colorado
Denver is your cheapest way in, a rental car isn't optional, and where you base yourself depends on prioritizing errands or scenery. How to plan the logistics.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
The Pre-Trip Checklist
A short checklist of the paperwork and prep to sort out before you leave for Colorado, from passports to how you'll pay for the apostille.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Rocky Mountain National Park's $100 Non-Resident Fee
Non-US-citizen visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park pay an extra $100 per person, with no wedding exemption. What that means for your guest list.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Scenic Spots Within 2 Hours of Denver
Red rock formations, alpine lakes, and canyon overlooks within a short drive of Denver, and how permit rules differ depending on who manages the land.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Self-Solemnization in Colorado: No Officiant Needed
Colorado allows self-solemnization: marry each other with no officiant and no witnesses. What the license costs, how long it's valid, and how to record it.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Self-Solemnizing the Ceremony: What Actually Happens
No officiant, no required witnesses: here's what the signing moment looks like, and how family can still be part of it even though no one has to be there.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
The SSN Affidavit for Marriage License Applicants
Without a Social Security number, Colorado marriage applications use a standard, county-provided affidavit form instead. What it is, and how to handle it.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
The Colorado Apostille Process, Step by Step
Certified copy and apostille are two separate steps handled by two different offices. How to get both right, including the expedite option and payment quirks.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Your Travel eSIM Won't Give You a US Phone Number
Airalo, Holafly, and most travel eSIMs are data-only, with no dialable number. How to handle US forms, like the apostille request, that need a phone number.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
What Documents Will You Actually Need?
Photo ID for both of you, a divorce decree if previously married, and an SSN affidavit if you don't have one. No proof-of-relationship document exists.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
What Does It Actually Cost? A Colorado Elopement Budget
The legal/admin side of a Colorado self-solemnized marriage is cheap. What's confirmed, and what's still pending real travel numbers.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
When Are We Officially Married in Colorado?
C.R.S. section 14-2-109 ties the marriage to the act of solemnization itself; recording within 63 days is a separate step, not a precondition for validity.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Where to Find a Notary in Colorado
You only need a notary for self-created documents like the SSN affidavit, not for anything already issued by a government office. Here's where to look.
Read the post →August 22, 2026
Where to Print Documents in Denver
A short list of where to print, copy, or scan paperwork in Denver: a free option right by the county clerk's office, plus paid fallbacks if you need more.
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