Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

December weddings are so much better with a nice fresh coat of snow. Kayla and Kevin had just that for their snowy Coaldale winter wedding! Even though it was a lot colder than anticipated and limited our outdoor time, we still managed to sneak out a couple times to make use of the beautiful snow. I’m glad we could after Kayla found just an awesome red barn!

We started out our photos in Lethbridge where Kayla and Kevin got to see each other for the first time and had a great time with their wedding party. I loved watching all the silly faces Kevin sneaks in to make Kayla giggle! Once we went outside, Kayla donned her gorgeous blue fur lined cape to stay warm.

Just before sunset, they had their ceremony at the Coaldale Canadian Reformed Church. Their ring bearer and flower girl totally stole the show during the sermon (evidence to follow… keep reading!).

Congratulations, Kevin and Kayla!

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Halloween is my favourite holiday so I jumped at the opportunity to second shoot for Melanie at Photo Expressions when she told me a Lethbridge Halloween themed wedding was in the works! Stephanie and Paul definitely agree with me about what an awesome holiday it is :) They loaded up on decorations last year when the Halloween stores had clearance in preparation for their big day the next year.

They started out the day in traditional wedding attire but chose Halloween colours as their accents. We had a gorgeous day to do photos out at Nicholas Sheran Lake, and even managed to find a few leaves left at the end of the month! Stephanie and Paul make each other laugh so hard that they almost collapse. There were very few moments when either of them didn’t have a huge grin on their faces.

Their reception was a costume party held at the Lethbridge Hungarian Club, and nearly every guest got in the spirit and dressed up! There were so many amazing costumes and everyone was so happy and energetic (I’m sure the Halloween candy bar helped with that).

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Dan and Deb held a beautiful fall wedding starting with their Bethel Free Reformed Congregation wedding ceremony in Monarch, bringing their families together.

Even though the wedding took place in late autumn, we were able to find a few splashes of colour at the University lake and their navy colour scheme looked fantastic against the warm fall hues.

Deb and Dan already share such an intimate bond after facing some hardships together and now uniting in marriage will bring them even closer together. I loved watching the connection they share and barely had to direct them as Dan stole a ton of kisses and Deb grinned ear to ear in his arms. They are such a great match, especially in how Dan’s goofiness plays off of Deb’s deadpan humour!

They finished off the evening by celebrating at the Coast Hotel in one of the ballrooms.

Congratulations, Dan and Deb!

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Morgan and Cameron travelled south to Morgan’s family acreage to hold their Fort Macleod backyard wedding ceremony. Their perfect sunny day really made the cotton candy pink and blue color scheme pop! I loved how they mix and matched the colors throughout the wedding party and their children, with their daughter lucky enough to get the most colorful poofy dress that was a mix of both.

They kept their wedding very small with immediate family, which made the day so special and intimate. Their DIY touches were put together so well… Morgan made the bouquets and flower girl dress herself!

After all the years their relationship goes back, the deep intimacy and comfort they share together was obvious.

Congratulations, Cameron and Morgan!

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Monika and Peter love the outdoors so it was no surprise that Waterton was the perfect fit for their wedding. Their Bayshore Inn outdoor yard ceremony took place in such gorgeous weather with their closest friends and family in attendance. All day they were surrounded by so much love!

They subtly worked a couple of their geeky interests into the wedding with superhero socks, cufflinks, and even underwear, plus a Star Wars wedding band. The rest of their theme had a romantic look with subdued colors and beautiful white wild flowers.

Videography that day was provided by their adorable dog Brian. I’m not sure they’ll be hiring him again after he missed part of their ceremony by rolling upside down ;)

I loved watching Monika and Peter interact with each other. They are so comfortable together and naturally melted into each other’s arms for every photo.

Congratulations, Peter and Monika!

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When Stephanie and I rode the school bus together many years ago, I never imagined I’d one day be rolling around in the damp grass photographing her wedding! Her and Travis had a gorgeous SpringBreak Flower Farm wedding and though their ceremony was forced inside from the threat of rain, we were lucky to be able to do all their photos outside. We were especially lucky seeing as how the day before there were tornado warnings!

It was amazing watching the interactions they had with their friends and family as they got ready for the day. I can’t count the number of times people almost broke out in tears, but always managed to catch themselves just in time not to wreck their makeup ;)

One very special part of the day was the inclusion of their dogs (their babies, of course!) Lucky and Luka. The dogs even had a special part in the ceremony as they walked down the aisle inside of SpringBreak garden centre and stood alongside the wedding party.

This was such a happy day for them and their wedding party was so energetic and happy, so they never had a chance to stop laughing.

Congratulations, Travis and Stephanie!

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