How I Pulled Off a $3,500 DIY Wedding in Colorado

My longtime soulmate and I promised one another eternally at a 7,000-foot overlook in the Rockies in 2024. There have been no friends or officiant, simply our photographer and the wind as unofficial witnesses.

In a half-hour picture session, we exchanged rings and handwritten vows from a pocket pocket book, and tried to look pure for the digicam — all whereas ensuring we did not tumble off the sting in excessive winds. We picked Colorado for its distinctive marriage legal guidelines, permitting {couples} to self-solemnize independently.

What we spent that day was a fraction of the norm. The average US wedding now tops $30,000, whereas even “budget-friendly” elopement packages sometimes run $5,000 to $15,000. By planning every detail ourselves, we pulled off your complete expertise for about $3,500, with out sacrificing the surroundings we might all the time imagined as our wedding ceremony backdrop.

We wished freedom to regulate our price range

When we looked into wedding packages, each choice appeared to observe a one-size-fits-all template: pre-selected venues, an assigned photographer, and a timeline with little room for spontaneity. Comfort was the promoting level, however to me it felt like paying a premium for a prepackaged cookie-cutter thought of romance.

We wished the liberty to decide on a trailhead as a substitute of a chapel, a photographer whose type we liked, and the flexibility to take a position time in ensuring the day felt like ours.

The DIY route gave us personalization and management over our price range, but it surely additionally meant additional analysis, spreadsheets, late-night planning classes with my fiancé, and extra use of my iPhone calculator than ever earlier than. However from the second we laced up our boots, it was rewarding understanding each alternative had been intentional. That possession made the day really feel extra significant and private than signing a verify for a bundle deal.

Here is how we spent our cash

We ended up spending $3,550 on a nine-day street journey and elopement. Here is a breakdown of how we spent the cash and the concerns we made throughout our planning.

Photographer: $400

A 30-minute weekday session lined the self-guided ceremony and posed photographs, together with a high-resolution picture gallery.

Cabin Reservation: $1,050 (4 nights)

I am going to admit, we may have saved $500 on a extra modest Airbnb within the space. We did not want a family-size cabin with leisure house and three bedrooms, but it surely was good to reside massive with a full home all to ourselves.

Highway Journey Inns: $636 (4 nights)

We splurged right here for consolation, preferring higher-quality resorts with stellar opinions. Finest Western was our most cost-effective keep at $86. The others (Hampton/Consolation) ranged from $95 to $150 per night time. Reserving last-minute with Inns in America helped us discover offers.

I deliberate the route in Google Maps so our nightly arrival instances matched up with cities or suburban areas the place resorts had been available and inexpensive.

Venue/permits: $0, free overlook

Marriage License and Certificates: $30

Colorado’s Gilpin County made it easy: We arrange an appointment on-line, utilized in particular person, and returned after the marriage to finalize the wedding license.

Officiant: $0, Colorado permits self-solemnizing

Hair and Make-up: $350

Apparel: $139

My gown was $134 through Lulus; I saved $22 through the use of a promo code I discovered on-line. For equipment, I solely had a $5 synthetic bouquet. Every part else we already owned or had been handed down from household.

Journey/fuel: $625

Throughout our 3,190-mile round-trip from North Carolina and again, we burned by way of about 168 gallons of fuel in a Ford F-150. At $3.72 per gallon (the US national average in May 2024) and with the truck’s gasoline economic system averaging 19 miles per gallon, our journey prices had been roughly $625.

Flights for 2 plus a rental automotive in Colorado would have simply topped $1,500, together with baggage charges and insurance coverage, so the street journey saved us a number of hundred {dollars} and doubled as a built-in journey.

Meals: ~$450

Between drive-thrus, grocery runs, and some sit-down eating places, meals got here out to about $450. Breakfast-included resorts helped stretch the price range on the street, since we may forgo lunch for an early dinner.

Actions: $70

We skipped the guided excursions, horseback using, and spa days. Conserving actions gentle helped us keep on price range and on theme with our DIY expertise. The one splurge was a historic prepare experience, $70 for 2 tickets. We spent our days in Colorado window-shopping, people-watching, mountain climbing free trails, and exploring random cities and websites. Driving aimlessly allowed us to bump into backroads lined with elk, pit stops in tiny cities, and high-elevation trailheads with killer views and no climb.

Suggestions when you’re contemplating a DIY elopement

DIY elopements work finest for {couples} who worth flexibility and intimacy, and who do not thoughts the additional planning. Packages are simpler and fewer anxious, however they will lock you into another person’s model of your day. My recommendation for anybody attempting to do what we did is fairly simple.

Early within the planning course of, set “guide by X” deadlines to remain proactive. Having a roadmap helps. Decide one class to splurge on, and make that your motivation for locating methods to avoid wasting throughout all different classes. We prioritized our spending on lodging, whereas opting without cost or low cost actions. Go away house for flexibility, as climate and timing will not all the time line up. Analysis marriage legal guidelines early. Each state is totally different, and Colorado even permits {couples} to self-solemnize with no witnesses.