Fall Colors and A Wedding (Aspen, Cripple Creek: weddings, live, move)

[kaylac6500]

I did have a post regarding a small church wedding out on the prairie and did get some comments that I liked. I want to keep an open mind though in case I am missing a better idea.

My fiance and I are planning on eloping this Fall. We have lived together for a couple of years and have no family in Colorado so we just want to keep this simple and personal.
I learned that we can exchange our own vows and sign our own marriage license which sounds as personal as you can get.

Since we can do that, I was thinking of going to a really pretty area that will show off the fall colors in Colorado. Does anyone know of a park or anything like that? A spot with brilliant fall colors, that we can drive to, park the car, and exchange our vows. We also plan to have a picnic, so maybe a spot where we can enjoy that as well.

I am open to drive almost anywhere in the state since we live here.

I know this sounds so very cheap and such but I was a Floral Designer for 15 years and have seen almost every kind of wedding. A big wedding just is not my cup of tea. I want something that is very intimate and personal. As far as any sight seekers around, that isn't a problem because they usually just look at you and smile, then move on.
Please let me know if you have any ideas for a Colorful Fall Wedding in Colorado. Thank You.

[Mike from back east]

Check the main wedding thread for a lot of ideas, also search on the word wedding for more thread.

Fall colors here are primary two shades, deep green and brilliant yellow (Aspens); few of the reds and oranges we had back east from the hardwood trees, but still great stuff.

Any mountain town should be marvelous in the fall, my suggestion is Winter Park / Fraser area, but there are many to pick from. Closer to COLO SPGS, try the top of Pikes Peak. Great scenery up towards Cripple Creek and Victor, here's a photo from up there.

[wanneroo]

I did plenty of weddings large and small up in the mountains.

Fall foliage kicks off around August 15, will peak in September and rapidly decline after Oct 1. The foliage that happens is due to the aspen tree which really you'll only find above 8000 ft, hence you have the weather to think about and since it doesn't sound like you will use a venue and it was unclear for certain how many guests would be there, I would plan on doing what you want during the day, as night temps will be quite cool.

Also be aware with the aspens is that they can be unpredictable with the foliage. So you might get a good recommendation to go here or there but if the weather doesn't cooperate or whatever and you don't hit it on the right dates, the trees will be barren or half way there. Often I have found you might have as little as a week of good opportunity with nice leaves and that is it.

The best foliage pictures I have gotten in the state are from around Aspen. And you have some spectacular scenery as well. My recommendations in that area are west of Independence Pass on Hwy 82, Maroon Creek Road and Castle Creek Road. On the east side of Independence Pass there are some nice spots as well.