Eloping in Downtown Denver: Your Guide to Denver Courthouse Weddings

As a Denver wedding photographer, I get a lot of inquiries for Denver courthouse weddings. To serve as a resource for future couples wanting to elope in Downtown Denver, I have put together this Denver Courthouse Weddings Guide to help in the planning process.

Are there different types of courthouse elopements/civil weddings? Yes. You can either self-solemnize, or have a judge perform a wedding ceremony.

– Self solemnizing means that you can marry yourselves without an officiant/magistrate/etc. To do so, you will need to apply for a marriage license up to 35 days before you plan to elope. You can do so online, here. You will then set up an appointment to sign the license at the Clerk & Recorders office inside of the Webb Municipal Building and sign your marriage license.

– I have also photographed courthouse elopements at the Denver City Courtroom where a judge performed a ceremony in the courtroom. To see a list of all judges who can perform marriages and civil unions, click here.

How much time does the signing/ceremony take? Generally 15-20 minutes.

– If you self-solemnize at the Webb Municipal Building, it is a relatively quick appointment, around 15 minutes, pending that you don’t have a wait.

– If you choose to have a judge perform a ceremony, this will be longer and will depend on the ceremony outline they follow.

If I want photos of the elopement, how much photography time would I need? I recommend 1-1.5 hours for self-solemnizing and judge officiated ceremonies, however, if you have a group of people and want group portraits, want to visit multiple locations and/or want lots of portraits, I would advise 1.5 hours minimum.

How much do you charge for a courthouse elopement? I charge an hourly rate for elopements. Included in this rate is all photography time, editing time and an online downloadable gallery of all edited images. The vast majority of the courthouse elopements I shoot are 1.5 hours. (For current pricing, please check out my Investment page).

Are there specific spots that we can shoot, or can we choose?  I am happy to go wherever you choose as long as we are not on private property or locations requiring permits, and we stay within the contracted time. The most popular spots are the City and County Building and the neighboring Civic Center Park.

Do you need a permit to photograph in Downtown Denver? As of 5/19/20, if you are photographing less than 5 people, only handheld equipment is being used, pedestrian and vehicular access or public parking is not impacted, no permits or approvals are needed from other city agencies (ex: Generator permits, exclusive use), and no violence, crime, weapons, pyrotechnics or other special effects are depicted, a permit is not required. For more information, click here.

To get more info click here to be sent to the Clerk & Recorders, “Getting Married in Colorado” page.

Click here to fill out my contact form to book an elopement!