Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Ian proposed to Marcella while they were snowboarding at Castle Mountain with friends, so having a Castle Mountain Resort wedding was the most natural fit for them! The two love spending time outdoors having adventures and travelling, so were happy to make the trip to the ski resort for their wedding.

After their outdoor ceremony overlooking the mountains, we did photos in the nearby forest and then made our way to Castle Falls. On the way, we made a quick stop so the two could skateboard with the stunning mountain range behind them.

It was such an honour to be asked by the couple to photograph their wedding. I have danced with Marcella since long before I even met Cam and before Ian was in her life. Dance family is family! I loved seeing how happy the two are together and how perfect they are for each other. They have such a strong support network of family and friends around them too.

Congratulations, Marcella and Ian!

This was such a special wedding for me to photograph! Rebecca and I used to work together at Sears ages ago and outside of work hours we’d go around the city modelling for each other’s photography (very MySpace worthy photoshoots). When her and Chris were planning their casual Lethbridge backyard wedding, she immediately thought of me. It was such an honour to be included in her wedding day after all these years!

Rebecca and Chris held both the wedding ceremony and reception in their own backyard with their closest family members in attendance. We didn’t want to take them away from their guests too long, so we kept portraits close by at Chinook Park in the Uplands. I loved being able to photograph Rebecca again and her and Chris are so sweet together.

Congratulations, Rebecca and Chris!

Chantelle and Josh went with bold colours and rustic details for their Castle Mountain boho wedding. Chantelle’s gorgeous dress was custom made and it is a miracle she was able to get it in time… you may have heard something in the news related to that business! (She managed to pick it up only a week before the bankruptcy shutdown. So lucky!) Castle Mountain Resort was the perfect backdrop for their wedding to reflect their connection to the mountains.

The couple places so much importance on family and made sure they were an integral party of the day keeping all of their parents close during getting ready and having all of their siblings in the wedding party. A great comment during the toasts was that the perfect match for a man with only brothers was a woman with only sisters. ;)

Congratulations, Chantelle and Josh!

Prescilla and Dane planned their entire Payne Lake summer wedding so that they could enjoy the beautiful views outside of Waterton Park all day. They rented a property along the lake so that they could have everything in one place! After getting ready at the house, they had their ceremony at the lakeside with a tented outdoor reception right next to it. It’s so beautiful there that we didn’t even need to leave for photos in another location!

Their son Levi played an important part in the day, standing in the wedding party with Dane. We made sure he was included in a bunch of their portraits, and I only made him hold his mom’s hand a couple times! They are already established as a family, and this wedding was just to officially celebrate that.

The entire day was full of laughter and many failed attempts to keep things PG. Their dogs partied harder than all of the other guests combined and were passed out before the reception even started.

Congratulations, Prescilla and Dane!

Skye and Dave held their Lethbridge County farm wedding at their own place. It made the outdoor event so much more meaningful for them and their guests, and meant the dogs got to take part throughout the day. Just like at their engagement session, their dogs were absolutely excited about everything. Once they got used to all the people there, the dogs followed us around for photos and were easily distracted with a game of fetch.

A lot of work had been done since I was last at their farm. Dave cleaned up all of the areas we had discussed using for portraits, and Skye put so much work into the flower arrangements throughout their yard. They decorated their back patio and yard with hanging lights for an evening outdoor reception, and created a beautiful laid back country wedding.

Congratulations, Skye and Dave!

Hannah and Mark’s Springbreak Flower Farm greenhouse wedding centred around their love of adventuring outdoors. They chose their mountain venue in the Crowsnest Pass and wore hiking boots with their wedding attire. Any adventure they’ve embarked on with hiking boots has worked out, so why not extend those good vibes to their marriage? :)

The couple opted to have a first look in the greenhouse before their early evening ceremony, and we visited the nearby waterfall for their portraits. Their hiking boots meant we could get right up to the falls.

After the outdoor ceremony, their reception started with speeches inside the greenhouse, and finished off the night with one of the most active dance floors we’ve seen!

They had such huge smiles on their faces through the entire day that we barely needed to direct them. It’s so amazing to see high school sweethearts have a love that flourishes into such a happy life together. They are such sweet, caring people surrounded by that same love from their family and friends, and we were so grateful they extended that warmness to us sharing the day with them.

Congratulations, Hannah and Mark!