Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Christine and Joe planned their Galt Museum summer wedding ceremony and reception as a celebration of their families coming together. They each gained two amazing children out of their union, as well as all of the extended family that goes along with it.

Joe’s uncle graciously let us borrow their rural property for portraits and for Christine’s getting ready location, and what a stunning place it was! Only a few steps away we had wooden swings, cute bridges, and rustic walls. Christine and Joe began their portraits with a first look. They both did a wonderful job of keeping it together, especially when it was clear either could burst into happy tears at any moment.

Their children were hilarious! They all had the best silly faces, great attitude when I asked them to be super serious, and busted out their amazing dance moves the moment the music started at the reception. The strong friendship makes it nearly impossible to tell they are a blended family and not biological siblings.

Christine and Joe were all grins for each other right up until the end of the night. They are so perfect for each other. :)

Congratulations, Christine and Joe!

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Just one day after second shooting for Melanie, I got to do it again with Kassey from Red Tree Photography! This time we had a Trinity Reformed Church wedding with Jessica and Josiah, who met at college and fell in love. Josiah’s family travelled from Ontario to meet Jessica’s Alberta family and have their beautiful ceremony at Jess’s family’s church.

Jessica and Josiah looked amazing, especially with her flower crown and his red bow tie. We took the wedding party to Indian Battle Park for portraits after the ceremony, then just the bride and groom downtown before heading to their reception at the Coast Hotel.

Congratulations, Jess and Josiah!

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Earlier this year I had another opportunity to second shoot for the lovely Photography by Andrea Hulst when she invited me to Henk and Melinda’s wedding. We started the morning in Picture Butte while the couple got ready at their family homes and then joined them at the Netherlands Reformed Congregation for their ceremony. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing their early spring Lethbridge wedding photography around the river bottom parks, hunting for the first signs of spring that were starting to appear.

Congratulations, Melinda and Henk!

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Each fall, Mishaela and her sister have their photos taken together for their parents to display in their home. This year marked a break in that tradition while Mishaela was away for school, but she couldn’t let her mother’s wall go empty! She surprised her parents for Christmas with beautiful Lethbridge autumn portraits of herself. I can’t believe the day we chose – Mishaela got the absolute best of the fall colors two days before the snow and wind knocked them all down!

To celebrate her time away at school, Mishaela incorporated props from her education into a few of the photos. Once in a while her stethoscope, textbooks, or flute would make an appearance. She chose just the right number of textbooks to be the perfect height to lean onto! Mishaela has such a positive, upbeat personality and was so much fun to work with.

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When we needed to hide from the wind, retreating into the Helen Schuler Nature Reserve for Jennifer and Trevor’s Lethbridge fall family photos was the perfect solution! The weather was kind enough to have a few leaves on the trees stick around. The leaves that did fall left a beautiful blanket of autumn colors over all of the sidewalks.

This family was a dream to work with. All four of their children were so well behaved and loved playing together (the end result being an epic leaf throwing battle). I’m sure they have normal sibling fights at home, but they kept it a secret from me ;)

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Kelti and Matthew held their Gem of the West wedding ceremony on the cusp of autumn with the most important people in their lives in attendance. Kelti is heavily involved in the community so choosing a venue with so much historic value was such a perfect fit.

Kelti, Matthew, and all of their wedding party got ready at the Charles Street Suites, which is conveniently decorated in their wedding colours! They kept to separate floors so that they could share a first look on the staircase before heading out for photos.

Kelti and Matthew both give off so much positive energy and had us laughing all day. It was clear to see why they are so amazing together while watching them interact; they bounce that energy off each other nonstop and hardly ever quit smiling. They, their siblings, and their wedding party were constantly hilarious and never took anything too seriously – even when tackle chases gave way to ripped pants early in the day.

Congratulations, Kelti and Matthew!

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