Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

It wasn’t fair that only one grandparent got to have photos with adorable twins Iker and Enara! Just a few months after our first session, they got to see me again for their twins spring family photos with their grandma and grandpa. It was kind of shocking to see how much more grown up the twins got in that short amount of time!

This time around their parents also joined in plus the twins were a little more accepting of the whole posing business I was asking of them. We ended up with all kinds of cute combinations of family groups plus lots of action shots (because being thrown in the air is SO much fun).

Mackenzie moved out to Alberta for school and only planned to stay during her studies, but soon those plans involved falling for Chase! Her family surprised the couple with a portrait session for Christmas. The two of them chose a gorgeous spring day to head down to Indian Battle Park with me and take some photos!

The white and purple lilacs were fully in bloom throughout Lethbridge’s river bottom. Everywhere we turned was a beautiful spot for photos! Mackenzie and Chase were so easy to get laughing, whether through piggyback rides or tickle fights with each other. Judging by how sweet they are together, I can see why Mackenzie stuck around Lethbridge!

Serena and Dave’s family took a break from their busy schedules to update their personal photography collection. We met on a warm summer evening for their Lethbridge nature center family photos. They were a blast to work with when every few minutes, at least one of them would burst into being silly!

Elsa and Larry’s adorable interactions together stood out at a family member’s wedding last year when we first met them. I was so excited when they called me to photograph their own wedding. As I expected, they got even cuter when all the attention was on them! They were full of non-stop laughter during their Lethbridge winter engagement photos.

We chose the river bottom as their photo location because of the importance the area has to them. It’s been the location of their favourite dates and was where Larry popped the question. Elsa had a few spots in mind for their wedding photos later in the year, so we picked an alternative this time and ventured into the Helen Schuler Nature Reserve. It was such a gorgeous winter day, which was ironic since the wedding where I met them was much colder and snowier but in the autumn!

I love JJ and Shaun’s annual tradition of an autumn portrait session. As was a common theme this year, it took a few reschedules for us to escape the snow blizzards but we ended up with a beautiful evening and lots of vibrant orange colours remained. This year we went with Helen Schuler fall family photos. Each year they have me choose so I try to pick a different location, and we haven’t run out of new places yet!

Shaun’s career has him working for the railway so we made sure to get a few photos with the high level bridge, and spent the rest of our time exploring the nature reserve in the river bottom. Even though the girls are getting older, their energy hasn’t diminished and their antics (including asking their parents hilarious and inappropriate questions) had me laughing through the whole session.

Amberlea and Kevin knew they wanted their wedding ceremony somewhere beautiful outdoors while still making everything easy for their small guest list. A rooftop garden was the perfect solution! They decided on a Helen Schuler wedding elopement. Only their limited guests, mostly made up of their parents and children, knew the big secret… until Amberlea posted the news on Facebook to invite everyone to their reception at the Owl Acoustic Lounge later that night!

After their emotional rooftop wedding, they headed downtown for photos of just the two of them. Their vintage Chevy owning friend met us by Drunken Sailor, a very special place to Amberlea who used to work there. It’s also where she bought her wedding dress! We had a bit of a scare when the truck wouldn’t start but it pulled through just in time for us to use it in the nearby alley.

Congratulations, Amberlea and Kevin!