Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Stacie and Gerrit planned a romantic Lethbridge Sandman Signature Hotel autumn wedding with dark grays with deep red accents, all of which looked striking with the fall colours. In mid-October, we’re never quite sure what weather we’re going to get. Stacie and Gerrit were treated to all of the weather! The temperatures climbed early in the day, along with quite a windstorm that drove us indoors for family portraits. We refused to hide from the weather all day and sought shelter in the Helen Schuler Nature Reserve.

While Stacie and Gerrit laughed and had a great time with their wedding party in the river bottom (along with a lot of getting lost in each other’s eyes), the sky became blacker and blacker until we started hearing thunder and seeing lightning! We finished their photos in a downpour before rushing back to the safety of the hotel.

Their reception was filled with so many sweet stories from their families. Wedding receptions usually turn into a bit of a roast, but theirs was mostly a celebration of how loved they are by everyone around them (with a healthy dose of roasting from their siblings).

They took a break from their reception at the Sandman Signature Hotel (formerly the Lethbridge Lodge) for night time photos. Luckily by then the rain had stopped, and the snow hadn’t quite started yet! Stacie and Gerrit embraced tightly on the edge of the coulees – partly to stay warm but mostly because it meant they finally had a moment alone together :)

Congratulations, Stacie and Gerrit!

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Kendi and Roy had an intimate Lethbridge Sandman Signature Hotel late autumn wedding. Their immediate families and best friends got to take part in their ceremony in the hotel’s courtyard. It was such a quiet day at the hotel that it felt like they had the place all to themselves! They were all smiles and quietly joked with each other through facial expressions during the ceremony.

They made Roy’s daughter Cora an important part of their day, having her stand with them as the only member of the wedding party and then bringing her along for portraits. She even had awesome shoes to match Kendi’s!

After the family was sent off to get an early start on the reception, we headed to the Helen Schuler Nature Reserve on this beautiful day for their portraits. Now that the colours outside have subdued for the season, their red wedding accents really popped! Kendi and Roy were so easy to photograph when they spent the whole time snuggling and giggling together.

Congratulations, Kendi and Roy!

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April, Ross, and their two boys brought their love of Halloween into their Indian Battle Park fall family photography session. I asked them to bring along a few props and was delighted with the results! The amazing pumpkin was made by April, and since the Michael mask fit her the best, mom had the honour of being the creepy one lurking in their photos. (April revealed she had the hugest grin during those photos, which you absolutely cannot see!). This family is so theatrical, making them a blast to work with.

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Cassie and Christian returned to their hometown for their Paradise Canyon fall wedding. They chose a plum colour theme with autumn accents such as pumpkins and orange flowers to match the season. Despite being met with a surprise snowfall the night before the wedding, we still managed to pull out the fall colours from the Lethbridge landscape!

Their ceremony was filled with lots of happiness and laughter, especially when Christian’s nephew tried his best to steal the show. We made use of the beautiful coulees behind the golf course for photos, then headed over to Nicholas Sheran Lake to focus on Cassie and Christian. It’s no wonder Christian couldn’t stop smiling at his beautiful bride! A warm, fuzzy blanket kept Cassie going through photos, and she bravely whipped it off each time. Luckily Christian’s embrace was a warm alternative.

Congratulations, Cassie & Christian!

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Lindsay and Terry love spending time outdoors, especially if it means visiting the Crowsnest Pass. Since their wedding is taking place in Lethbridge, they wanted to include this favorite destination of theirs in their engagement session instead. It’s always so tough to narrow down the scenic locations there! They decided on Lundbreck Falls autumn engagement photos, which was a perfect time of year as nearly all the tourists were gone. We got so lucky with the weather too! Despite a heavy snowfall warning, down below the mountains the fall landscape held on in gorgeous red and yellow tones. Only the mountain tops were dusted with a coating of snow to show the seasons colliding. Terry and Lindsay did an amazing job pretending it was warmer than it was (behind the scenes I was in a poofy parka!) and we were pleased to discover how much warmer it was at the base of the falls!

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Each day in October last year was a total surprise for what the weather would do. The day before Lana and Jamie’s session we had snow, and for theirs it warmed up at the cost of a wind warning! We tucked ourselves deep into the river bottom to escape the wind and found the last few leaves before the wind took them all away. Their Pavan Park late autumn family photos had just enough colour left and tons of leaves to throw in the air for some fun action shots. Lana and Jamie have raised such a friendly family and they were so easy to work with. Being close to each other comes so naturally to them!

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