Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Don’t let the warm colours in Meredith and Guerrino’s Indian Battle Park autumn extended family photos fool you. It was starting to snow during their October session and that may have been my fastest extended family shoot ever to get them back to warmth!

I have photographed their son’s family-in-law a bunch of times, so it was great to meet his side this time. All of their children and grandchildren were able to be there and despite the cold, it was so pretty in the river bottom that afternoon.

Thank you for freezing with me, everyone! :)

Children’s sized kimonos get twice as cute when it is for twins! Lear and Noah’s family came to visit Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden in Lethbridge for their Shi Chi Go San photos just before the garden closed for the autumn season.

From Britannica:

Shichi-go-san, (Japanese: “Seven-Five-Three”), one of the most important festivals for Japanese children, observed annually on November 15. On this date girls of three and seven years of age and boys of five years of age are taken by their parents to the Shinto shrine of their tutelary deity to offer thanks for having reached their respective ages and to invoke blessings for the future.

The boys had gorgeous nearly matching kimonos and especially loved the ceremonial swords they got to carry. Nikka Yuko was such a perfect location for this and we caught the early fall colours in the garden.

Jacqueline and Matthew’s Galt Museum late autumn wedding couldn’t have fallen on a better year. The gorgeous fall we had meant they still had fall colours and (sort of) warm temperatures for their wedding day. They chose the exact date of their 10th anniversary to get married since the date was already so special to them. The couple went with a starry night theme with blues and purples, which looked beautiful with the autumn colours.

Their ceremony involved lightsabers and such a huge reaction from Matthew when he saw Jacqueline enter the aisle. So many family members couldn’t stop their happy tears, including Matthew’s grandma who I overheard several times exclaiming, “It’s just so beautiful!” Matthew’s sister performed the ceremony (and managed to just barely make it through without crying too much). Jacqueline has younger siblings so she was able to include them in the wedding party as an older flower girl and ring bearer, matching in the wedding colours. All siblings were included somehow in the ceremony!

Partway through photos, we had their dog Fenrir specially escorted to us. He was so excited to see them that we could hardly get him to sit still! Basically he had an even bigger reaction during his first look with Jacqueline than Matthew did ;)

Congratulations, Jacqueline & Matthew!

“Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place.”
-A Midsummer Night’s Dream

If you saw Shakespeare in the Park’s summer performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Lethbridge last year, you’ll definitely remember Titania, played by the talented Megan! Between the incredible presence she had as the character and how dreamy her whole look came together, I had to get her to step into the role one more time for a creative photoshoot.

I waited until the wall of leaves turned its vibrant red colour in the fall, knowing it would be a perfect match for Megan’s hair. And it was even more close than I expected!

The most important part of my vision was a light painting portrait once it was dark enough out. Megan and our helper Leslie were amazing and committed – it started snowing on us as soon as we arrived at the final location and I needed Megan to hold still! None of us could feel our hands by the end but it was worth it :)

Gown by Amanda Epp
Makeup by Leslie Van Zwol

???When I saw the birthday outfit Sadie put together for herself, I knew I had to get her in front of my camera for some goth Halloween vibes!? It had been way too long since I last worked with Sadie and I was waiting for just the right photoshoot to have her model for me again. (I love how different this was from our last one too!) I managed to squeeze her in during a golden hour for these goth styled portraits. While the initial goal of my photoshoot was to use some old film, I’m definitely glad I brought my mirrorless camera too.

Alice and Aaron started their laidback day with Henderson Lake autumn wedding photos and a first look at the park. Aaron arrived in an orange Corvette belonging to Alice’s parents (which he drove very, very carefully) – a perfectly coloured car for a fall wedding!

This was my third time working with Alice’s extended family this year and I’m so honoured they have made me a part of their important moments like this. We had so much fun with this couple who kept us laughing the whole time! Within an hour we managed to crash a medieval club, almost cause a car accident (not our fault!), and witness a new record of tongues sticking out in family photos.

After photos were finished, they had their intimate ceremony in Firestone Restaurant‘s private room. It was the perfect size for their guests and a perfect match for the warm fall vibes of the day.

Congratulations, Alice & Aaron!