Amanda Matilda Photography

06/18/2026

Planning to come to Colorado from out of state to elope? Good news! 🎉

You do NOT need to be a Colorado resident to get married here.

Citizens from all 50 states can get a Colorado marriage license and get legally married here. You just need:
🪪 Valid government ID (driver's license, passport, state ID)
💵 $30 cash
🔢 Social Security number (if you have one)

That's literally it.

HOWEVER: You cannot take a Colorado marriage license to another state to get married. The license is only valid within Colorado borders.

If you're traveling from out of state to elope here, here's the game plan:

1. Fly/drive into Colorado
2. Visit any county clerk's office (doesn't matter which county)
3. Apply for your license ($30 + ID)
4. Get married anywhere in Colorado within the next 35 days
5. Return signed certificate to same county within 63 days (can mail it!)

Some counties accept online applications and will mail your license to you. Check your chosen county's requirements!

Fun fact: Most of my couples aren't from Colorado. They come here for the mountains, desert, and intimate elopement vibes—and staying to legally marry here is just part of the adventure!

Planning your Colorado elopement from out of state? I can help! Link in bio 💕

06/18/2026

There’s a spot in Grand Junction I’ve been saving for *years* for the right sunrise elopement. 🌅 I found it on a scouting wander, imagined the first light spilling over the slickrock, and tucked it away in my back pocket… waiting. Dreaming.

Kathryn & Nic were the ones I was waiting for. They chose this date intentionally: it’s Kathryn’s “gotcha day,” the anniversary of when she was adopted and brought home. To watch her step into a new family of her own on that same morning, with her parents, Nic’s parents, and their pup Trooper by their side, was something else entirely. 💛

Trooper delivered the rings. They shared personal vows, a bourbon barrel ceremony, and a sunrise shot of engraved wedding bourbon before an epic aisle dip-kiss. Then it was breakfast burritos, mimosas, donuts, and cliffside portraits with the most ridiculous views. 🥂🍩

Eloping doesn’t mean letting go of tradition — it means choosing the ones that are *yours*. If you’re dreaming of a Western Slope sunrise that holds everything you care about, let’s talk. 🌄📸

There's a spot in Grand Junction I've been waiting to photograph an elopement at sunrise at for years. I found it on a scouting mission — one of t ...

06/17/2026

There’s a massive slickrock spot in Grand Junction I’ve been dreaming of a sunrise at for *years* — just waiting for the right couple. 🌅 Kathryn & Nic were it.

They chose to elope on Kathryn’s “gotcha day,” the anniversary of when she was adopted and brought home. Beginning their own family on that same date… you could feel the meaning in the air from the moment we hiked out in the pre-dawn dark.

Their parents were there. Their dog Trooper trotted the rings up the aisle 🐾. The sun spilled over the rock as they shared personal vows, a bourbon barrel unity ceremony, and a shot of wedding bourbon before Nic dipped Kathryn for an aisle kiss. 🥃💍

Afterward? Breakfast burritos, mimosas, donuts, and time to simply *be* together. A surprise father–daughter dance. A dance with Nic’s mom. Traditions kept, but only the ones that were truly theirs.

This is what eloping can look like: everything that matters, nothing that doesn’t. Dreaming of a sunrise “just us” kind of day on the Western Slope? Let’s talk. ✨

https://amandamatildaphotography.com/sunrise-elopement-in-grand-junction-kathryn-nic/

06/16/2026

First look in a mountain meadow with Mt. Sneffels watching from above? Yes please 🏔️💛

J&J's fall elopement proves you don't need a big venue or a massive guest list to have an absolutely stunning, meaningful wedding day. Just you, your person, the mountains, and the golden glow of autumn.

We chased the last light of the day together, exploring grassy meadows and aspen groves while the San Juans put on a show. Before heading home, they gathered fallen leaves to create a memory box—bringing a piece of their elopement day back with them forever.

This is what elopements are all about: intimate moments, breathtaking scenery, and celebrating YOUR way.

Ready to plan your Colorado mountain elopement? Let's make it happen 🍂

HMUA:
Picnic:
Venue: Ouray Wedding | San Juan Mountains | Ouray Colorado | Switzerland of America | Ouray Elopement | San Juan Mountain Elopement

06/15/2026

Chef Steff sent me a message that stopped me in my tracks: "They said the beautiful pics on the website is what made them decide we were the only ones for them." Swipe for the full story. →

06/15/2026

If the words “unity ceremony” make you think of dated candles or cheesy sand jars… you’re not alone 😅 But it truly doesn’t have to be that way.

Over the last ten+ years photographing weddings and elopements across Colorado and beyond, I’ve seen couples come up with the coolest, most meaningful ways to symbolize their commitment — from handfasting on a mountain pass, to getting tattoos after the ceremony, to building a cairn with rocks from their travels, pouring coffee & creamer at sunrise, or even sharing a joint or a shot together to calm the nerves 🍻

I put together a complete guide to unique unity ceremonies to help you dream up something that actually feels like *you*: playful, sentimental, outdoorsy, nerdy, or totally offbeat.

If you’re planning a non-traditional wedding or elopement and want a unity moment that tells your story — not just fills time in the ceremony — this guide is for you 💛

Which idea feels the most “you two”? Or are you dreaming up something completely different?

When you hear the term "unity ceremony" you might think of the traditional lighting of a candle, or a more recent trend of pouring two colors of s ...

06/13/2026

Sarah of Wild Child once hooked a sewing machine up to a solar panel in a van to keep making things. That's really all you need to know about her.

But if you want more: she's been a maker her whole life — the kind of kid who looked at an aluminum can and saw earrings, who looked at a blanket and saw pants. After hitting the road in a big red van and watching new landscapes roll by, the creativity just surged and she turned it into a business.

Wild Child is boxy bags made for the outdoors, handmade earrings in every style you didn't know you needed, and the kind of work that happens when someone genuinely can't stop making things.

When she's not at her sewing machine she's climbing desert sandstone or playing in the Colorado River — so yeah, the outdoor-ready bag thing makes complete sense.

Find her at wildchildgj.com 🌵

06/12/2026

Some wedding venues are booked years in advance… and some are grown, one tree at a time. 🌳✨

Clayton & Kiley were married in the backyard Clayton’s dad spent decades tending near Hotchkiss, and those shade trees turned into the dreamiest late-spring ceremony spot. Greens, yellows, fresh flowers – it felt less like “decor” and more like the yard had always been waiting just for them.

Their pup Pepper made sure she was part of it all, frisbee in tow, posted up at the end of the aisle like the most loyal little witness. 🐶💛 Kiley’s brother officiated, her family filled the ceremony with a poem and a song, and it all unfolded so simply and personally that it felt exactly right.

Under sail tents and twinkle lights, with bubbles, dancing, and a second dress for the reception, the night wrapped up in the sweetest backyard glow.

If you’re dreaming of an intimate, meaningful wedding on family land or a Western Slope backyard, I’d love to help you bring it to life. 💌

Some wedding venues are booked years in advance. Others are built over decades, one tree at a time. The property where Clayton and Kiley got married was bui ...

06/12/2026

Some venues are booked years in advance. Others are grown over decades, one shade tree at a time. 🌳💛

Clayton & Kiley were married in his dad’s backyard near Hotchkiss, surrounded by the trees he planted years ago — now the dreamiest canopy for a warm late spring day. Greens, yellows, fresh flowers… it felt less like “decor” and more like a place that had always been waiting for them.

And of course, Pepper the frisbee-obsessed pup absolutely *stole* the show 🐶🥏 She spent the whole day recruiting throwers, then proudly took her place at the end of the aisle during the ceremony, frisbee by her side, watching over her people.

Kiley’s brother officiated, family offered poems and songs instead of “formalities,” and the night ended with twinkle lights in the trees, bubbles, and dancing under the sail tents.

If you’re dreaming of an intimate backyard wedding on Colorado’s Western Slope — on land that actually means something to you — I’d love to help you bring it to life. ✨