Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Andrew invited me out to the cattle ranch where he works to have Diamond City couples photos with his girlfriend Nicole. I first met Andrew and Nicole two years ago when their close friends got married and we visited this same cattle ranch for photos. This time we weren’t constrained to where a limo could take them and got to off-road a bit!

The ranch is gorgeous! Coulees and the river form a U-shape around the ranch, giving us river access with tons of yellow wildflowers leading the way to the water. The cows curiously watched us for a few minutes then got bored. This posed a challenge when Andrew and Nicole actually wanted photos with the cows, but the animals all turned their backsides to us!

Nicole and Andrew are adorable together. This would have been a great date night if I hadn’t been the third wheel ;)

Nancy and Brett had their hearts set on the mountains for their session while still capturing rustic engagement photos. Coleman in the Crowsnest Pass had just the right feel for everything! After some woodsy vibes at the Miner’s Path, we went to the wide open valley that overlooks the mountains and then to downtown. They had one of their first dates in downtown Coleman near where we did the later portion of their photos. As soon as we arrived, they started smiling and reminiscing!

Despite having to get up early for the drive to the Crowsnest Pass, Nancy and Brett were so cheery and energetic. Their adoration for each other is almost contagious. Only a few minutes into our session, Nancy apologized: “Sorry if we’re kissing too much; we just can’t stop!”

A chilly spring engagement shoot with Sam, Brietta and their trusty side-kick, Bakon the Dog

A surprise April snowfall didn’t dampen Brietta’s spirits when I told her the forecast.

“I bought a dress,” Brietta said. “I am going to wear it anyways! Haha.”

I’ve known Brietta for a few years, I first met her when she was the Event & Volunteer Engagement Coordinator for the MS Walk when I did volunteer photography for the walk. Brietta’s fiery; a go-getter. So her resolve to embrace the moment didn’t surprise me one bit!

My clients already put a lot of trust in me, but there is no trust quite like being in on a big secret! I was so excited when Kit contacted me to capture Lethbridge proposal photos of this important moment in her life. She planned to ask her girlfriend Tee to marry her on their anniversary. Kit decided on the Casa art gallery downtown with the ruse that they were simply having couples photos taken.

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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Jordanna and Deiter managed to sneak in vibrant Lethbridge autumn engagement photos before the snow arrived! We used lots of snuggling and hand holding to get them through the crisp cold that day. I think they did a great acting job making it look like a warm autumn evening. It definitely helps that they are so cute when they cuddle each other! I had a great time exploring the Helen Schuler Nature Reserve with this upbeat couple and can’t wait for their wedding in a few months.

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