Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

What a fantastic first wedding of the season! Jamie and Jonathan were married at the beautiful Christ Church near downtown Calgary. We had a few challenges as the wedding fell exactly one week after the horrible flood in the city. A few of our planned locations got washed out (and we just made it to a playground before it got demolished!) but we all adjusted, figured out new routes, and the wedding went wonderfully!

I first met Jamie through work at the U of L and it was so great to see her find love in Jonathan. They just looked so unbelievably happy together all day long, and especially by the reception it was difficult to tear them apart.

Congratulations, Jamie and Jonathan! (more…)

My last big wedding of the year was Dan and Heather’s celebration with all of their family and friends (some even coming from Europe!). Their ceremony was held in the beautiful St. Basil’s Church, and we followed up with photos before their reception at the Coast Hotel. The reception was tons of fun, and it’s rare to see that many people constantly dancing!

Dan and Heather are such wonderful, down to earth people and were so easy to work with again. They are absolutely joyous together in everything from their smiles and laughter to their body language. Their bridal party clearly shared in their happiness and made it such a warm, loving day :)

Congratulations, Dan and Heather! (more…)

Jacob and Bryanne were married last week at Maranatha Reformed Church and had a beautiful wedding on an absolutely beautiful day. These two are super hot and were a dream to work with, and it doesn’t hurt that they are both so sweet :)

Since they were married on the west side and we had a lot of ideas to fit in, we did all the formals on that side of Lethbridge. I always feel like the west side doesn’t have enough locations, but with some special permissions her mom dug up and a few neat little nooks, we totally rocked it! (Although the bridal party was genuinely confused at first to be taken to Taco Bell.)

We had so much fun with everyone, especially when they all cut loose at the playground :) (more…)

The rain stopped just in time for Nick and Alyson’s beautiful wedding at St. Patrick’s church. Because they live in Vancouver, I didn’t actually meet them until the week of their wedding, but instantly took to them and knew I was going to have a great time (and I was right!). This was another crazy fun wedding, and all we did all day was play with the bridal party. With our first stop being a playground, it definitely set the tone for the rest of the day. I managed to sneak serious photos in throughout the day, but it was tempting not to ;)

Later on they had a big party at the Coast Hotel with DJ Thom, and it was another of those rare receptions where the dance floor was always packed. Wonderful!

Thank you to Sarah Underwood for climbing on things and helping out! (more…)

Mike and LeeAnna had a beautiful wedding at the beginning of July; we had a gorgeous day to work with and these two were radiating so much love that you couldn’t help but be totally happy around them! When I first met them I loved how cute they were and thought they had two of the most likeable personalities I’ve ever come across.

LeeAnna and Mike chose to see each other before the ceremony, which is always my favorite thing to do to get the most genuine emotions. They were so lost in each other when they first walked up and made contact that I felt bad to interupt them when it was time for posing!

When their bridal party showed up, we took everyone out to play, and Jan Tajcnar helped me out for the day for her usual sneaky paparazzi photos. (more…)

I only became involved in Don and Anna’s wedding one week before it happened, and I’m so glad I was free that day because I had such a fantastic time with them! They had an intimate ceremony at St. Pat’s Church, which was full of endless cute and sweet moments, and despite a forecast calling for rain or snow, we ended up with gorgeous weather for their outdoor photos. They were both natural supermodels and I hardly had to provide any direction at all during the photo session. I spent most of our time together giggling at their antics; I love when people are willing to act silly :) (more…)