Lethbridge Portrait & Wedding Photography & Design by Tanya Plonka

I first met Jen and Brad a few years ago when Brad’s best man Kurt got married, and I photographed his wedding with Cara. It was so great to get to work with them all again and I had just as much fun as the last time! Jen and Brad are sweet and easygoing, and seem so amazingly comfortable together.

They had a beautiful outdoor wedding at the Research Center, though we definitely could have used fewer mosquitoes! The entire bridal party was a blast to work with. Jen and Brad even included their blonde “children” in a few photos, and though the drool getting near her dress was quite terrifying at times, I’m so glad they brought the dogs along. Special thanks to Starsha Battrick for assisting all day! (more…)

Mike and LeeAnna had a beautiful wedding at the beginning of July; we had a gorgeous day to work with and these two were radiating so much love that you couldn’t help but be totally happy around them! When I first met them I loved how cute they were and thought they had two of the most likeable personalities I’ve ever come across.

LeeAnna and Mike chose to see each other before the ceremony, which is always my favorite thing to do to get the most genuine emotions. They were so lost in each other when they first walked up and made contact that I felt bad to interupt them when it was time for posing!

When their bridal party showed up, we took everyone out to play, and Jan Tajcnar helped me out for the day for her usual sneaky paparazzi photos. (more…)

I only became involved in Don and Anna’s wedding one week before it happened, and I’m so glad I was free that day because I had such a fantastic time with them! They had an intimate ceremony at St. Pat’s Church, which was full of endless cute and sweet moments, and despite a forecast calling for rain or snow, we ended up with gorgeous weather for their outdoor photos. They were both natural supermodels and I hardly had to provide any direction at all during the photo session. I spent most of our time together giggling at their antics; I love when people are willing to act silly :) (more…)

What a way to welcome in wedding season! Sarah and I joined Jonny and Gerda, their families, and their sharp dressed friends last week for their exceptionally fun wedding. Everyone was lively and so happy, and Gerda and Jonny are so cute together. I absolutely loved their stylish, unique choice of wardrobe for the bridal party. (Can you believe Jonny picked out the dresses?) The yellow was so striking everywhere we went, and the guys’ suits were absolutely classic (and a little gangster, which I love!).

We also lucked out with the weather. The week before their wedding, it kept snowing and raining, and the ground everywhere was white and muddy. I begged the snow the night before to melt before we set outside to do the formals, and it listened to me! We even found a lot of green space even though Lethbridge isn’t really in bloom yet. It’s all about faking it :)

I had such a great time with everyone and loved that these two wanted photos that reflected their youthful vibrant personalities… even if that meant climbing up on pool tables! (more…)

For something completely different than some of my last few blog posts, I joined baby Sierra’s family last weekend to capture all the important moments of her Baptism in Cranbrook. Though the crowd of guests were a little smaller than those who had attended parents Krista and Giacomo’s wedding a few years ago, family still came from as far away as Lethbridge and Red Deer for this important occassion. First of all, Sierra is an awesome baby because her birthday date is a palindrome! She’s also quite the cutie as you will see… (more…)

One of the highlights of my year for the past few years has been going to the annual WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) Convention in Las Vegas, and this year was no exception. The morning after my big dance show I drove out to Montana (cheap flights!) then flew to Vegas, only to go to the convention the next morning at 7am! It was four days of intense classes and a killer tradeshow with few breaks, and I learned so much and came home with a notebook full of ideas. This was definitely the most informative year for me; finally, I was focused! Now onto the photos and stories… (more…)