Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

When Emily and Cody’s plans for a destination wedding in 2020 didn’t pan out, they kept the idea of a destination but made it a little more local! Their families joined them for an outdoor Waterton autumn wedding at the Waterton Lakes Lodge Resort. With perfect weather, they were able to have their ceremony outside on the resort’s green space. Emily’s dad performed the ceremony, making it extra special. It was such a joyful day for everyone involved. The couple weren’t the only ones smiling and laughing non-stop!

Their wedding was incredibly timed with the fall colours this year! Waterton was covered in rich yellows, reds, and oranges with still a bit of green left, and all of the new growth is so vibrant as it bounces back from the Kenow Fire. We took them to the entrance of the Bertha Lake hike to take full advantage of the colour. Emily and Cody were totally down for a small hike! They even received a few bonus congratulations from the last hikers of the season.

Congratulations, Emily and Cody!

Ami-Marie and Devin’s Readymade autumn wedding was full of laughter and happy tears… many, many happy tears. Ami-Marie spent a good chunk of the day reassuring people through her sobbing that she was very happy despite all the crying!

The couple met while working at the University of Lethbridge so we started the day there. For their first look, we picked the amazing staircase in the building where they first met. (With lots of tears, of course.) We later learned Ami-Marie would make special trips to visit Devin. They truly have a story of love at first sight!

They chose the Readymade Community Centre as both their ceremony and reception venue in large part because of its proximity to Ami’s family’s farm where she grew up. Their reception program highlighted parent speeches that felt more like comedy routines than a proper welcome to the family. It was quickly obvious where Ami-Marie and Devin get their senses of humour from!

It’s been ten years since I first met Ami-Marie at her friend’s wedding and I’m so happy to see her at this point in her life so in love with Devin!

Congratulations, Ami-Marie and Devin!

Erin and Taylor chose the most beautiful day to have their Lethbridge City Hall spring wedding. This was the first day of spring where it truly felt like summer was on its way and the air was filled with the sweet smell of tree blossoms everywhere we went.

We arrived in time for Erin to have her “assembly line” of first looks in her parents’ back yard. Her father got to have the first first look, followed by Taylor once he arrived with his groomsmen. Erin’s dad won the award for most crying during the first look :)

After portraits at Aperture Park, they headed to City Hall for their ceremony. Edgar the Barnowl presenting their wedding rings offered a unique touch to the day! He was very well behaved during the entire ceremony.

The day had already been filled with tons of laughter, but once the reception rolled around and everyone had time to relax and visit with each other, the laughter was non-stop! We had trouble prying ourselves away from all the happy dancers even after our photo coverage was over :)

Congratulations, Erin and Taylor!

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Koralee and Colin looked gorgeous for their summer wedding! We met up with them and their family at Henderson Lake, just after their ceremony and lunch, and were greeted with a beautiful sunny day.

The highlight of their day were their Diamond City cattle ranch wedding photos, kindly coordinated by one of the groomsmen and his connections. The location had everything Koralee was looking for: sprawling fields, groves of trees, coulee cliffs, and some local residents (of the cow variety plus one protective horse) to add some character to the background. We went off-roading with their driver from California Dream Limo to get there and had so many great spots to work with!

Their wedding party were hilarious and kept them giggling all day. The guys were great sports coming up with poses for holding the bouquets and the girls pulled all their strength together to lift up Colin. Every once in a while we’d send them off into the shade so Kora and Colin could have a few private moments together without teasing ;)

Congratulations, Koralee and Colin!

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I know it’s early in the year, but I think Kim and Nathaniel may be one of my most passionate couples this wedding season. The way they looked at each other and snuck kisses even when the camera was down was so romantic!

We started out the day greeting them as they arrived at the NRC church in Lethbridge and followed Kim as she walked down the aisle to her soon to be husband. For photo locations we focused on Lethbridge Research Centre wedding portraits, which was stunningly green this time of year, followed by a quick visit to Henderson Lake and the old red firehall downtown.

Kim and Nathaniel were surrounded by so much happiness and laughter throughout the day. From Nathaniel’s friends’ dry humor to Kim’s sisters’ theatrics, we rarely stopped laughing!

Congratulations, Kim and Nathaniel!

p.s. Thank you to Melanie from Photo Expressions for being my second shooter for the day!

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Cayley and Kyle put so much thought and hard work into planning a Pavan Park carnival wedding, and they really went all out! John Martin Recreation Area in Pavan Park was the perfect location for their carnival when it was already equipped with a playground, horseshoe pits, and a volleyball court. All they had to do was bring a few more games to complete the fair grounds. In addition to the games, they had face painting, fun props for photos, and carnival themed food like popcorn, cotton candy, and hot dogs.

They included so many other personal details throughout the day. The cake and cupcakes were made by family members, while Cayley and her friends made all of the flowers themselves out of paper, some of which came from books belonging to Cayley’s grandmother.

After all that hard work, they were able to let loose and have so much fun! Despite the on-again, off-again rain, everyone was so happy and full of excitement throughout the day. The wedding party loved being in front of the camera. Cayley and Kyle have really found kindred spirits in each other with their playful, youthful personalities. It was so much fun to finish off the day with their wedding mosh pit!

Congratulations, Cayley and Kyle!

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