Aspen Weddings
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The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005. Founded as a mining camp in the Colorado Silver Boom and named because of the abundance of aspen trees in the area, the city is now a ski resort and a upscale tourist center. In the late 20th century, the city developed as an off-beat haven for misfits, attracting such celebrities as John Denver (who wrote several folk songs about the town, including "Aspenglow", and "Starwood in Aspen") and Hunter S. Thompson. The city was the site of the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.
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Aspen Weddings
Traditions
Why Aspen?
Marriage License Requirements
LICENSE
The license may be applied for during business hours at the Clerk's Office, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. The license is valid for 30 days and there is no waiting period. The license may be used anywhere in the State of Colorado.
FEE
$10.00
APPLICATION
Requested information for each party includes: name, address, date and place of birth, social security number and name and address of the parents. If either applicant is divorced: the date, place and type of court; if widowed: the date and place of death. Both the bride and groom must complete the marriage license application form. Applicants do not have to be residents of the State of Colorado.
AGE
Every applicant must provide proof of date of birth. A driver's license, birth certificate, passport or baptismal certificate is acceptable.
Age requirements for the bride and groom are the same.
- 18 and older - No parental consent is required.
- 16 & 17 - need consent of:
- both parents or
- parent who has legal custody or decision-making responsibility concerning such matters or with whom the child is living or
- guardian or
- judicial approval
- Under 16 - need consent of:
- both parents or
- parent who has legal custody or decision-making responsibility concerning such matters or with whom the child is living or
- guardian
- and judicial approval.
BLOOD TEST
None required.
SAME SEX
Same sex marriages are prohibited in Colorado. Marriage licenses are issued to male-female couples only.
PROHIBITED MARRIAGES
A couple may not marry when one of the parties is still married to another person. Also prohibited are marriages between ancestor and descendant, brother and sister, or aunt and nephew, whether the relationship is by half or whole blood.
WITNESSES
Witnesses are not required in the State of Colorado.
CEREMONY
A marriage can be solemnized by:
- clergy (in accordance with any mode of solemnization recognized by any religious denomination). Clergy from out-of-state need not be registered in Colorado.
- a judge of a court
- a court magistrate
- a retired judge of a court
- a public official whose powers include solemnization of marriages
- Indian tribe officials (in accordance with any mode of solemnization recognized by any Indian nation or tribe)
- the parties to the marriage - Couples themselves may solemnize their own marriage. If you wish to solemnize your own marriage, you will be responsible for acquiring, completing and returning the marriage certificate to the Clerk and Recorder's office.
WHO CAN PERFORM YOUR MARRIAGE CEREMONY
Churches of the various denominations can be found in the phone book.
Judge of a court (alphabetical order):
Fred Gannett 970-927-3902 Bob Grueter 970-923-2343 Brooke Peterson 970-925-8166 Pip Porter 970-925-6840
REQUIREMENTS AFTER THE CEREMONY
The person solemnizing the marriage shall complete the marriage certificate form and return it to the County Clerk & Recorder within sixty days after solemnizing. Any person who fails to return the marriage certificate to the County Clerk & Recorder shall be subject to a fine.
OBTAINING COPIES
Copies of marriage certificates are available at the Pitkin County Clerk's Office for $2.00. A certified copy is $3.00.
Submit request to:
Pitkin County Clerk & Recorder 530 E. Main St., Suite 101 Aspen, CO 81611
STATEWIDE SEARCH
An index of statewide marriages and dissolutions from 1975 to current are available at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment web site.
How To Get There
Get in
By Air
- Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, (also known as Sardy Field). Major carriers to Aspen include United, US Airways, Delta Airlines, and Frontier Airlines. ASE is a small airport for small planes only, and traffic tends to stop in any inclement weather. Flying into Denver Airport and driving up to Aspen is more reliable and often cheaper.
By Car The drive to Aspen is about 4 hours from Denver. There are two major routes from Denver - through Glenwood Springs or through Independence Pass. Independence Pass is only open in the summer months, but provides spectacular views and can be a bit faster than the longer route through Glenwood. To take this route, travel south from Copper Mountain exit off I70 through Leadville.
Get around
Most major car-rental firms are located in Denver and Aspen airports.
Limo/Van Service:
Scheduled and chartered services are available from Denver International Airport and Eagle County Regional Airport:
- Colorado Mountain Express, Toll Free: 800-525-6363 or Phone: +1 970 926-9800.
- High Mountain Taxi/Limousine, Toll Free: 800-528-8294 or Phone: +1 970 925-8294. www.hmtaxi.com
- Lightning Limousine Service, Toll Free: 888-925-7505 or Phone: +1 970 925-7505.
- Ute City Limousine Limited, Toll Free: 800-754-5466 or Phone: +1 970 925-2674.
Free buses operate within the cities of Aspen and Snowmass Village and many hotels have shuttle service to/from the airport for free.
It's all about getting around on skis in the winter and mountain bikes or your own two feet in the summer!
Insider Tips
Best Time to Go
Climate
Aspen, CO Weather
Aspen, CO climate is mild during summer when temperatures tend to be in the 60's and very cold during winter when temperatures tend to be in the 20's.
The warmest month of the year is July with an average maximum temperature of 77.20 degrees Fahrenheit, while the coldest month of the year is January with an average minimum temperature of 7.40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Temperature variations between night and day tend to be relatively big during summer with a difference that can reach 30 degrees Fahrenheit, and moderate during winter with an average difference of 27 degrees Fahrenheit.
The annual average precipitation at Aspen is 23.26 Inches. Rainfall in is fairly evenly distributed throughout the year. The wettest month of the year is March with an average rainfall of 2.74 Inches.
Normal Climate
Normal Temperatures
(ASPEN 1 SW Weather station, 1.03 miles from Aspen) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual Max °F 34.0 38.9 44.6 51.0 61.3 72.1 77.2 75.4 68.5 57.7 42.5 34.8 54.8 Mean °F 20.7 25.1 31.7 37.9 47.4 56.4 61.7 60.5 53.6 43.4 29.8 21.7 40.8 Min °F 7.4 11.2 18.8 24.8 33.5 40.6 46.2 45.6 38.6 29.1 17.0 8.6 26.8
Normal Precipitation
(ASPEN 1 SW Weather station, 1.03 miles from Aspen) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Annual Inch 1.72 2.05 2.74 2.56 2.10 1.26 1.76 1.37 1.65 2.06 2.24 1.75 23.26