Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Meagan and Jesse care deeply about the people close to them and made sure everyone was an important part of their Castle Mountain summer wedding. Castle has been SO popular as a wedding venue this year and we got to start things off this season with one of our biggest weddings of the year and with amazing people.

We have had a lot of emotional weddings this year, but this one is definitely in the running for one of the winners. I think everyone cried at some point during the day, but it didn’t take long for the jokes to quickly dry the tears and get them going again (everyone made sure the day was as fun as it could possibly be!). Their dog Ellie also brought a light to the day with her dramatic head tilts and affinity for water. (The wedding party got their exercise protecting Meagan’s dress from wet dog.)

Meagan and Jesse’s wedding feels like such a milestone in my career. Usually when a client comes through a referral, it’s through a single friend or family member. In their case, I had photographed two different cousin’s weddings on each side. One of these was the 2nd or 3rd wedding I had ever photographed on my own. It blows my mind for there to be a 5th wedding and that I am still a part of their lives! Both sides of the family joked all day that I was their official family photographer. Meagan and Jesse, I am so thankful for you to continue to trust me with your family’s memories and it’s been an honour to watch your families change shape over the years.

Congratulations, Meagan and Jesse!

Annie was one of the university grads who lost their chance at an in person graduation due to COVID. This year the University of Lethbridge added a bonus convocation for students like Annie who graduated before 2022 so they could still walk up and accept their degrees, which was so awesome! It was great to see her again for her U of L convocation photography session. This was not our first time working together, but it was the first time being able to focus so much on her!

Her family members who came to cheer her on also took part in a few photos, most notably her husband who was a huge support while she took classes. When you have a child, getting a degree is a group effort!

The U of L had all of its normal convocations again, much to the delight of all the students who spent a lot of time learning online. Valerie made a long trip south to Lethbridge to attend her graduation in person with her proud family along for support. For her University of Lethbridge graduation session, we met just after her ceremony and then wandered around the campus to hit all the best photo spots.

Valerie attended the Calgary campus so she never had a chance to grow tired of the Lethbridge campus’s architecture. We made sure to cover a few of the landmarks at the university like University Hall and the Aperture sculpture in the bus loop. Valerie came prepared with a backup pair of walking shoes so I didn’t have to make her hike around in her heels ;)

Good luck on the next leg of your education, Valerie!

Shannon and George celebrated their 50th anniversary with their children and took some time for casual autumn family photos. It was especially a big deal for their granddaughter Ainsley since her family doesn’t live in Lethbridge and seeing her grandparents is a special occasion! Her energy level kept everyone going through photos, and at the end the adults were glad to sit down when she hit the playground :)

If you are planning a local wedding, your engagement photos are a great chance to go out on a photo adventure! Emily & Benjamin had a Crowsnest Pass wild flower engagement session in advance of their Lethbridge wedding to make use of our nearby mountain landscapes.

Emily and Ben loved the look of the field at the end of Willow Drive in Coleman, so we did all their photos there. Waterton may be known for its wild flower season, but the flowers in the Crowsnest Pass last spring were just as incredible! We got so lucky with the day we chose for their engagement session. It was just a coincidence we chose the best spot to see them. :)

I’ve known Elizabeth and Brian’s family for many years, but back then it was much smaller! Now that it has grown in size it was time for an update with river bottom multi-generation fall photos. They were cutely colour-coordinated with golden hues contrasting with soft blue, which really popped amongst all the yellow colours in Indian Battle park.

Their family is always so fun to be around and posing for photos was no exception. Even Tali had a blast through the whole session playing with her cousins and grandparents… normally kids her age are done right away!