Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

I was so excited when Joshua contacted me that he wanted to do a Winter Light Festival proposal for his girlfriend Makayla. Our original plan was for me to creep in the bushes, but once Makayla started dropping hints that she’d love professional photos for Christmas, Joshua and I had a much easier plan to work with!

I met up with them just outside of Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden so we could do the proposal in the lit entrance way and then head inside for the rest of their engagement photos. We almost hit a snag with how super busy the garden was that night. Not only would privacy be impossible, but there was barely room to even pose in the spot we had planned! Somehow, just as it was time, the crowd disappeared and everything went perfectly. According to Makayla, the proposal was not a surprise at all ;)

We had the most perfect night that had snow on the ground, was warm enough, and not at all windy. Makayla and Joshua were constantly congratulated by the other guests, and everyone was so awesome for making sure we had uninterrupted space for photos. They were so much fun and had me laughing all night! Even one of the staff members commented on how much he loved their vibe!

Lisa and Jim planned an intimate Sunday wedding to celebrate with their immediate families. After a beautiful Nikka Yuko wedding ceremony, we did all of their portraits in the Japanese Garden. Between the heat and the smoke, tourists mostly stayed home and it was like they had the entire garden to themselves!

You only need to spend a few minutes with Lisa and Jim to get a feel for their great senses of humour. Once you meet their families, it’s obvious where they got it from! The day was filled with roaring laughter from everyone and lots of enthusiasm when the Elvis sunglasses were brought out. It’s so important to find someone who makes you laugh. Lisa and Jim absolutely have that covered.

Lisa and Jim were wonderful to spend the afternoon with. We really appreciated that they were willing to take full advantage of the garden’s lack of boundaries when it’s booked for weddings. We had them going even more off-road than normal and it was so worth it!

Congratulations, Lisa and Jim!

Eva and Corney celebrated 20 years of marriage with a Nikka Yuko wedding anniversary photo session. This was their very first visit to Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden with their six children and one of many fun activities they had planned for that weekend.

We got to privately tour the garden on this beautiful summer evening. It was so peaceful and a wonderfully romantic way to celebrate their anniversary.

They get a special shout out for how well they coordinated their outfits into matching pairs while all following the same colour scheme. The family looked so good!

Weddings and events may have been postponed in 2020 due to COVID, but once restrictions eased up in the summer, everyone was grateful to spend time outdoors with their families! I was so thankful we have such beautiful, wide open outdoor spaces around Lethbridge so I could keep photographing all of these awesome families. I ended up hoarse on many occasions from yelling through my mask, but it was always worth it.

Two of the biggest trends I noticed this year were all of the babies who arrived (and these aren’t even the quarantine babies yet!) and all of the larger families who made an effort to celebrate important anniversaries and birthdays. I adapted quickly by bringing most of the newborns outdoors on warm days and talking their parents through poses. Everyone did so well!

Some highlights from 2020 include not one but TWO marriage proposals, a cat birthday, and a few more secret projects to come that I can’t share yet, including album art for local musicians and a children’s book. Each season was so amazing this year, from the long blossom season we had to the vibrant colours in the fall. Even the early snow was warm enough for outdoor photos!

Sonny turned the exciting age of 70 this year and was able to break his birthday into several small celebrations to practice social distancing and keep group sizes down. For one of these celebrations, he booked Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden autumn portraits with his wife Kimiko for the final weekend the garden was open for the season.

Everything aligned perfectly for us! The colours were extra vibrant this year, there wasn’t a hint of wind, and Sonny’s actual birthday happened to coincide with this beautiful day. Sonny and Kimiko are adorable together after nearly 50 years of marriage, and their garden host and I shared in the delight of watching the couple giggle and embrace.

I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend this extra time at Nikka Yuko this year. (One of my hobbies is taiko drumming, and we got to be the final performance of the season!) The garden is by far one of the most beautiful places in Lethbridge, and I can’t decide if I like the fall colours or spring blossom season more!

Natasha followed the advice to find someone who makes you laugh in her relationship with Ernest. During their Japanese Garden engagement session, Ernest never went more than a few minutes without cracking a joke and making Natasha (and me) laugh!

I first met Natasha through her work. She is an amazing florist in Calgary who owns Flower Aura by Natasha, so it was fitting many of the flowers in the garden were still in bloom.

Nikka Yuko is currently offering photoshoots outside of regular garden hours to better accommodate social distancing. This meant we had a super private photoshoot and walking tour of the Japanese Garden with not a single person around! It was definitely worth the couple making the drive down for the day to take advantage of this gorgeous spot.