Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Isabelle and Andrew love the serene beauty of Waterton Lakes National Park and knew there was no other place they could have their wedding. They chose to have their Waterton Catholic wedding ceremony at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and then explore the park for portraits until their reception.

This time of year means lots of rain, but the rain didn’t slow us down at all! Their siblings tagged along during portraits and very graciously chased the couple with umbrellas in between photos. Isabelle chose a perfect hairstyle with a pretty fishtail braid which completely hid any effects of the rain on her hair. Luckily for us, the Prince of Wales Hotel had opened for the season the day before, so we were able to hide inside for portraits while the worst of the rain came down. And best of all, Isabelle and Andrew were carried through the day with so much intense joy that they hardly noticed the weather!

The most memorable part of their wedding day was how contagious their happiness was. Andrew’s nervous anticipation grins quickly turned to genuine smiles once he saw Isabelle walk into the church. I tried to get Isabelle to be straight-faced for a few photos and it was a struggle for her. She was just too happy! Even through their ceremony, they could not stop looking at each other and breaking out into giggles.

Congratulations, Isabelle and Andrew!

Kord contacted me to do surprise Waterton winter anniversary photos for himself and his girlfriend Jenny on their third anniversary. What a fun gift idea! Jenny was so happy with this perfect gift that she had a lot of trouble putting away her smile. Whenever I’d ask her to be serious for a photo, she would try then exclaim, “I can’t, I’m having too much fun!” (Good thing I’m fast… I got a few serious ones in there!).

This was a rare year that Waterton hasn’t yet experienced its snowpocalypse. We were very flexible in where we could do photos and even had trouble finding snow in a few places! The usual Waterton wind made things a little difficult on the cliffs and shoreline (as in I could barely stand up). On the plus side, we missed the hurricane force winds a few days later and the ridiculousness of the wind made Kord and Jenny laugh even harder as they tried to casually pose in it!

They are such a cute couple and I had a blast exploring Waterton with them. I wish them many more anniversaries!

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Part 2 of the year in review features the portrait side of things! This year marked a few firsts, including my first bunny session and my first family dressed in Batman costumes. I had so much fun with every group I worked with. Thank you for letting me bring your personalities out in your photo sessions!

This year for portraits I stayed pretty local in Lethbridge, but also took a few special trips to the Crowsnest Pass, Waterton, Claresholm, and Magrath. The yearend marks a very special occasion – the 10th anniversary of when I started my business! So many of the people in these photos have been with me for years and I couldn’t have made it this far without their love and support.

I hope you enjoy looking through our best portraits of 2018 as much as I liked choosing them!

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Our summer of smoky skies hit its peak for Kyle and Julia’s wedding. The day before their Bayshore Inn outdoor wedding ceremony, the town of Waterton was put under evacuation alert due to a new nearby fire! Luckily the conditions held and everything went ahead as planned. (The happy ending is the next day saw a huge downpour that helped to lift the alert!)

Julia and Kyle have a love at first sight story and continue to look at each other with that intensity. Both of them were so emotional at the ceremony, quickly shifting from happy tears to giant smiles.

Their wedding party kept them laughing all day and made the best use of their half day in Waterton by exploring the landscape. From going barefoot in the water to using downed trees as balance beams, they made use of all the nature around them! Kyle and Julia have such special relationships with their family that their siblings are also considered friends to each of them and were an obvious choice to have in their party.

Once we completed photos in Waterton, we drove out to Cardston for their tent reception at Kyle’s dad’s ranch where they were free to party all night.

Congratulations, Julia and Kyle!

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Haley contacted me with a great vision for Waterton sunset anniversary photos. She and Stephen wanted to celebrate their anniversary trip to Waterton by recreating some of their wedding photos! They dressed very similar to their wedding day with one exception: Haley’s original wedding dress had been stolen during a break-in, and she managed to track down a nearly identical dress. Luckily they scheduled just days before the smoke got bad so we were able to get amazing views of the mountains with only a little bit of haze. After we finished in the town (which has a crazy early sunset thanks to the mountains!) we drove to the lookout to take full advantage of the setting sun.

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Matthew wanted to give his bride-to-be Sarah a proper tour of his home town area when they travelled here for their wedding. They hit the best of everything with a Bayshore Inn ceremony and Readymade wedding reception, with getting ready photos in Lethbridge. Arriving for their photos in Waterton was Sarah’s first ever visit to the national park! We all wished for less smoke so Sarah could see how amazing the mountains are, but could catch just enough of them fading into the horizon.

Sarah looked stunning with a classic, romantic look, and Matthew wore his military formal wear. They looked amazing together. Following us throughout the day was their daughter who had so much fun that she couldn’t stop shouting “Yay!”. It was contagious and made everyone around her also exclaim with joy! Sarah and Matthew could not stop grinning at each other and their daughter all day.

After a first look at Cameron Falls, portraits at the Prince of Wales, and an outdoor ceremony at the Bayshore Inn lawn, they and their guests headed closer to home. Their fun reception was held at the Readymade hall where we were joined by all of the guests who weren’t able to make it to Waterton but still wanted to help them celebrate.

Congratulations, Sarah and Matthew!

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