How to Get a Wedding Permit in Rocky Mountain National Park
A practical walkthrough of the application process, the $300 fee, monthly caps, the thirteen ceremony sites, and what to do if your date is taken.
If you want to get married inside Rocky Mountain National Park, the permit is the thing that makes everything else possible. No permit means no ceremony. Even saying your vows privately on a trail counts as a ceremony, and getting caught means a fine for you, your photographer, and your officiant.
The good news: the process is straightforward once you know how it works. The harder part is timing, because the most popular dates book out within days of becoming available. This guide walks through the whole thing.
The Basics
The official name is a Special Use Permit. It's issued by the National Park Service and it covers a single ceremony at a single designated site for a two-hour window on a specific date. The permit is non-refundable once issued.
The fee is $300. That goes to the park, not to your photographer or planner. Some photographers will pay the fee on your behalf as part of their package, but the underlying cost is the same.
What the permit gets you:
A two-hour ceremony window at one of the thirteen designated sites
Permission to enter the park on your ceremony day up to 2 hours before your permit start time without a separate timed entry reservation
Legal authorization to exchange vows on park land
What the permit does not get you:
Park entrance for your guests (they pay the standard $30/vehicle fee)
Exclusive use of the site (other visitors can pass through)
Permission to set up chairs, structures, or decorations
Use of amplified music
AN IMPORTANT NOTE FOR INTERNATIONAL VISITORS
As of 2026, non-U.S. residents age 16 and older may owe an additional $100 per-person nonresident entrance fee, in addition to the standard entrance fee, unless covered by an eligible annual pass. This is an entrance-fee policy, not a separate wedding-permit fee.
Permit Availability
Permits become available exactly one year ahead, on the first day of the month for any date in that future month. So a September 14, 2027 wedding becomes bookable on September 1, 2026. A January 5, 2027 wedding becomes bookable on January 1, 2026.
You don't have to wait for the first of the month if your date is far in advance, but you do have to wait for the month you want to apply for to open up.
Monthly Caps
The park caps the number of weddings allowed each month:
May through October: 60 permits per month
November through April: 40 permits per month
On top of that, no more than two weddings are allowed at any single ceremony site per day, and no more than six weddings total are allowed across the park on any single day.
Here's where it gets competitive. June and September are the most-requested months by a wide margin. June for the wildflowers and the long days, September for the aspens. Both months tend to be fully booked within a week or two of permits opening. October fills next. May and the rest of the summer fill more gradually but still book up by spring.
Winter (November through April) almost never sells out, which makes off-season weddings much easier to plan.
REAL TALK
If you want to elope on a Saturday in late September, plan to apply on September 1 of the previous year, first thing in the morning, with all your paperwork ready to go. Dates that competitive can be gone by lunch.
The Application Process
01 Pick your date and site
Decide on the date and the ceremony site you want before you apply. The park's online list of designated sites includes group size limits and seasonal restrictions for each one.
02 Check availability
Email the park's permit office at romo_fees_permits@nps.gov or call to confirm your date and site are open. This step is free and saves you from filing an application for a slot that's already taken.
03 Download the application
Get the Special Use Permit application from the park's website. Fill it out completely. Under "Proposed Activity," put "Elopement ceremony and photos" or similar.
04 Submit by email
Send the completed application to romo_fees_permits@nps.gov. Don't mail it. Email is faster and generates a paper trail.
05 Wait for approval
The permit office reviews applications in the order they're received. If approved, they'll email you back with payment instructions. Please allow 7–10 days for a response.
06 Pay the fee
Pay the $300 permit fee through the link they send. Once paid, you'll get the signed permit by email.
07 Print and carry it
Print the permit and carry it with you on the ceremony day. A ranger may ask to see it. A digital copy on your phone is okay as a backup but a printed version is safer.
Choosing Your Ceremony Site
There are thirteen designated ceremony sites in the park, eleven on the east side (accessed through Estes Park) and two on the west side near Grand Lake. Each site has its own group size cap, vehicle limit, accessibility level, and seasonal availability.
The site you pick should match three things: the size of your group, the kind of day you want, and the time of year. A 30-person group can't use 3M Curve (capped at 15). A wedding with elderly guests probably shouldn't pick Bear Lake (which only allows weekday weddings outside summer). A winter wedding rules out Upper Beaver Meadows (the access road is closed mid-October to mid-May).
WORTH A READ
For a full breakdown of all thirteen sites with group caps, accessibility, and best-fit details, see our RMNP elopement guide.
The Reservation Window
Your permit reserves the site for a two-hour block. You can enter the part up to two hours early and stay as long as you want afterward (within standard park hours). The two-hour window is just the period when the site is officially yours for a ceremony.
This sounds generous, and it is for the ceremony itself. But it means you'll want to plan portrait time before or after the window, often at a different location in the park. Couples usually do their formal portraits at the ceremony site during the window, then drive or hike to a second spot for the rest.
The Rules: what’s allowed and what isn’t
RMNP keeps things simple by design. Here's what you can and can't bring:
ALLOWED
Bouquets and boutonnieres (flowers stay with you, nothing thrown or left behind)
An officiant or self-solemnization (Colorado allows you to sign your own marriage license)
Acoustic music, played live (60 decibel limit)
Up to 6 portable chairs for elderly or disabled guests (case-by-case, request in advance)
Standard photography and videography
NOT ALLOWED
Chairs, tents, arches, tables, or any structures (Moraine Park Amphitheater is the exception and allows arches)
Decorations of any kind
Amplified music or sound systems
Drones (Part 107 license or not)
Throwing rice, seeds, flower petals, confetti, or anything else
Dogs at any site except Moraine Park Amphitheater, Timber Creek Amphitheater, and Harbison Meadows (at these sites they must be leashed)
Large quantities of alcohol (a quick Champagne toast is fine)
The Big Day
On the day of your wedding, bring:
The printed permit
Your marriage license (signed and ready to go, or to be signed at the ceremony)
An ID for each member of the wedding party
Your park entrance pass or annual pass (for your vehicle)
Your wedding permit lets you skip the timed entry system on the ceremony day, which is a big deal during the busy season (late May to mid-October). Your permit serves as the timed-entry reservation for the permitted activity, but normal entrance fees still apply to all vehicles associated with the ceremony.
WORTH KNOWING
Timed entry reservations have to be booked in advance through recreation.gov. They cannot be purchased at the gate. Make sure all guests have theirs sorted at least a week before your wedding.
What if your date is taken?
If you check availability and your date is gone, you have options:
01 Wait for a cancellation
Cancellations do happen, and the permit office can put you on a waitlist for a specific date and site. Worth asking, especially if your date is more than six months away.
02 Pick a different site or time
Six other sites might be available on the same day. A sunrise time slot might be open even if sunset is gone. Flexibility on either of these often gets you in.
03 Shift the date by a few days
Tuesday and Wednesday weddings are far less competitive than weekend weddings. Shifting by a day or two can open up sites that were fully booked on the weekend.
04 Plan outside the park
The Estes Park area has plenty of outdoor and venue options that don't require an NPS permit. Hermit Park Open Space, the Stanley Hotel, Della Terra Mountain Chateau, Knoll-Willows Open Space, and others. You can still go into RMNP afterward for portraits since photography doesn't require a ceremony permit.
GOING DEEPER
For a full breakdown of outdoor spots and venues outside the park, see our RMNP elopement guide.
Where do we come in?
Permit handling is part of every elopement package at SolPine. That means we help you choose your site and time of year, file your application, and bring the printed permit on the ceremony day. If you've ever applied for a federal permit before, you know the system is not the most user-friendly. Letting the photographer assist helps streamline the process.
Want help with the permit?
If you'd rather not figure it all out yourself, permit work is included in every elopement package we offer. Send us a note with your date and we'll take it from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Usually a few business days. The park's permit office reviews applications in the order received. Peak season (May through October) tends to take longer than off-season.
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Yes. The park accepts applications up to seven days before your wedding date, as long as your date and site are still available. Last-minute weddings are possible in winter and spring.
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Sometimes. The park may allow a date change if your new date and site are available and you contact them in advance. The fee is non-refundable but can sometimes be transferred.
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The permit doesn't refund for weather. Most ceremony sites are usable in light rain or snow, and we plan for that. If conditions are extreme, your photographer can usually help you shift the ceremony to a covered spot in Estes Park or reschedule to a backup date if your timeline allows.
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No. Colorado allows self-solemnization, so you can sign your own marriage license. Your permit is for the ceremony location only, not for the legal portion of the wedding. Colorado will even let your dog sign as a witness.
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All thirteen sites cost the same: $300 for the permit. The site doesn't change the fee.
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Yes. Vow renewals count as ceremonies and require the same permit. The fee, application process, and rules are identical.
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No. As of January 1, 2024, RMNP no longer requires a photography permit for couples taking portraits in the park. The wedding permit only applies to the ceremony itself. You can take photos anywhere in the park before or after.
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Yes, vendors such as your photographer, videographer, and officiant all count towards your guest limit.
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No, your permit does not grant you exclusive use, other part visitors may still pass though, however, in our experience we find that most people are respectful and keep their distance during a ceremony.
The exception is, if you’ve secured an additional special use permit for the Lily Lake Southside Picnic area there is a sign the informs visitors that they may be requested to vacate the area. -
Yes, up to 6 portable chairs provided by the permittee may be used for guests who are elderly or handicapped.