Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Sheridin and Ian based their wedding around the mountain landscape of their hometown. Their Willow Drive outdoor wedding, entirely held at Ian’s brother’s place, provided sweeping views of the mountains in the Crowsnest Pass and made it easy for so many family members to be there.

This wedding was a celebration of the life Sheridin and Ian have already built together. After meeting in high school, education and work pulled them in different directions for many years while they successfully maintained a long distance relationship. They have finally been able to build a home together and were ready to have a party to celebrate that fact!

After getting ready at their own home and having a backyard first look, we headed to Willow Drive for portraits. Having their wedding there made it so easy to hop between the amazing views in the field and at the Starcreek Falls trail.

They really wanted to center the reception around their love for their families. The heartfelt speeches resulted in so much laughter and crying (sometimes both in the same breath).

Congratulations, Sheridin and Ian!

Stephanie and Nathan had to plan around a lot of changes for their Kimberley Alpine Resort wedding. The COVID restrictions were made even more difficult with it being a cross-province destination wedding, and in the end their guests were notified of the final date without much time to plan. Stephanie and Nathan were elated that despite the tight timeline, nearly all of their invites were still able to show up!

They started the day getting ready at the Polaris Lodge and then had a first look before the ceremony. They decided they would be more comfortable privately reading their personal vows to each other rather than in front of all their guests, so chose their first look as an intimate time to do this.

Everyone rode the chairlift to get to their mountaintop ceremony, so there was a bit of sight seeing involved! Between the smoke and incoming rain, at times it looked like Stephanie and Nathan were getting married in the clouds. The cloud cover was just light enough that we still had views of the mountains from their ceremony, and even a little blue sky popped out.

Their guests finished off the evening with a fun reception at the Stemwinder Bar & Grill, with the dance being held outside to help accommodate social distancing.

Both Cam and I knew Stephanie and her family before we even met so this was a very special wedding for us to be a part of. We had even photographed her bridesmaid’s wedding last year! The whole day was like being with family and we loved spending it with them.

Congratulations, Stephanie and Nathan!

When Lexi and Aaron asked me to join them on their Window Mountain Lake adventure elopement, I jumped at the chance! They knew the Crowsnest Pass lake was where they needed to get married from the very first time they hiked to it.

They made use of the new temporary marriage commissioner license we have in the province for Lexi’s sister to perform the wedding, while Aaron’s sister and myself were their witnesses.

In the morning, we met up to begin the very bumpy ride up to the lake to save on hiking the extra distance.

After a beautiful hike to the lake, everyone (except for me) changed into their wedding clothes to have the ceremony in a special spot the couple had chosen on the lake. Everyone cried at least once during the ceremony. It was short but very emotional! As Lexi and Aaron shared their first kiss, we heard cheering and applause from across the lake. I guess their wedding wasn’t as private as we thought!

Lexi and Aaron did an incredible job somehow hiking back to the truck in their formal wear as we stopped for photos along the way. However, wearing hiking boots the whole day definitely helped with that!

Congratulations, Lexi and Aaron! And thank you for taking me on such a fun adventure :)

When distancing rules made it so that they couldn’t have the large traditional wedding they had originally planned in Lethbridge, Julie and Nathan turned their event into an intimate Alberta foothills ranch wedding.

After their church ceremony at home, the couple and their immediate families travelled out to a family ranch past Claresholm. The property overlooked a stunning view of the valley in multiple directions and had gorgeous forests and vistas we could easily hike to for photos.

Julie has been in a few of the wedding parties we have photographed so it was a blast to do her wedding this year! Her and Nathan were always excited to have their photos taken and their own wedding was no exception. Although their plans of having a 10 member wedding party fell through, most of their original party was still able to attend as guests and take part in a few photos.

Congratulations, Julie & Nathan!

2019 was a busy one for us with Cam and I travelling all over the province! We got to take photos in some fun new places this year, including Heritage Acres and Boulder Run in Pincher Creek, the town of De Winton, and the rooftop patio of the Helen Schuler Nature Centre. Waterton was a very popular destination this year and we spent so much time there, I considered setting up a tent!

The winter weddings started in September with our first huge snowfall of the season, giving their Brazilian guests a real taste of Canada.

Animals stole the show many times this year. One couple was stalked by a cat, another bride included her pet cow in photos, and so many dogs got to witness their people get married.

From a red wedding dress to Harry Potter magic to alleyway beer shotgunning, 2019 was an unforgettable year.

I hope you enjoy looking through our best wedding photos of 2019 as much as I liked choosing them!

Mackenzie and Scot knew they wanted their wedding to take place somewhere with a view of beautiful mountains. After hunting through the cutest places on Air BnB, they decided on a Twin Butte wedding elopement! They found an adorable cabin at the Drywood Creek Hide-A-Way, located in the foothills just outside of Pincher Creek.

Scot had been kicked out of the cabin just before I arrived so Mackenzie could get ready without spoiling her finished look. When she emerged and Scot saw her for the first time, a huge grin washed over his face! They had their private ceremony in front of the wood cabin, then we went right into photos.

The cabins are located down by the winding creek, and the nearby highway was just out of view. We found some beautiful pops of autumn colour that the snow hadn’t stolen, and Mackenzie and Scot kept each other warm with lots of snuggles and a blanket on hand nearby.

If you know that area, you know it’s windy, and that day was no exception! Mackenzie wore a cathedral length veil that was so perfectly dramatic in the wind. We were also on high alert and had to chase it several times when the wind tore it out of her hair! We saved the windiest spot, the mountain view, for last and it was worth every gust we had to endure.

Congratulations, Mackenzie & Scot!