Lethbridge Portrait & Wedding Photography & Design by Tanya Plonka

Wondering how “Like a Prayer” can find its way into a wedding slideshow? Be sure to click on Read More and check out the full entry here :)

I’m starting to see why wedding photographers stop posting blogs during wedding season, but I vowed to keep up with these! As long as I make it before the next weekend I am happy :) The problem this week is that Al and Lindsay were so cute AND had me booked for longer, so I had so many great shots to sort through! Their fun attitude lent itself well to a lot of great photos.

Lindsay and Al chose to see each other before everyone else was around and do the photos as the first part of the day, allowing them to be totally ready to party once the ceremony was done and the tables rolled out. I love being there to capture when the couple sees each other for the first time all done up; there is always such a look of awe and appreciation they give each other.

I loved being a part of their day. The bridal party was a riot (I had to be told a few times not to encourage certain members by laughing at their crude jokes!) and we had a beautiful sunny day to work with. Late last year I shot his brother Tyler’s wedding (who was in the bridal party this time around), and it makes it so much easier (and fun!) when you already know a chunk of the family; at the very least, it saves me from calling a few extra people “hey you!” throughout the day ;)

A big thank you again to Michael for assisting! He had lights out and ready to go when I needed them!

I’m on a roll catching flying birds in wedding photos!

Lindsay and her “girls” – I had to keep referring to “bridesman” Ryan as a girl, and for that I am sorry… a little ;)

Al and the boys shared a sweet moment, but I think Al felt a little awkward about it…

It was the perfect wall for the dresses!

Getting sexy:

Al toning down the sexiness:

You may not have caught it in the other photos because she’s so tiny, but Lindsay and Al are expecting their first baby later this summer, so we snuck in a mini-maternity shoot.

Lindsay and Al made a reservation at Earl’s for a few photos in the booth where they had their first date.

I am so amazed we got that many people in one booth. I liken it to filling a clown car!

The Earl’s menu was a perfect backdrop!

Peacock feathers were a great addition to the table center pieces, and complimented the dress colors so well.

They had their ceremony at the El Rancho just before dinner, so the guests didn’t need to leave their seats when it was time to enjoy the meal.

I came back later that evening for their first dance and was lucky enough to catch Al’s hilarious speech. I was almost in tears I was laughing so much.

Some of my favorite excerpts:

“When I was a young boy, imagining my wedding at three years old, I hoped we would one day live in a time where it would be acceptable for a man to be a bridesmaid.”

“A more experienced man would know that when his wife sits down, it’s time to quit talking.” (He continued to talk for another five minutes.)

The cake cutting was pretty amusing as well :)

The reason I came back for the first dance was a bit of a secret throughout the day. The first dance was announced and Lindsay and Al began a slow dance to “When You Say Nothing At All” by Allison Krauss, a pretty standard first dance song. Suddenly the record screeched and a mix of dance music came on, and the couple began improvising some crazy dance moves. Then, the highlight of the “choreography” – “Like A Prayer” came on and the bridal party hit the floor, and the entire group finished off their crazy dance number. Fantastic! I was pretty impressed at the moves these guys pulled out!

Okay, here’s a more “traditional,” show your mom version of the slideshow:

Tags: couples, Event, people, Portrait, Wedding