Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

After Krysty styled her engagement session so beautifully, I was excited to see what she had in store for her wedding day! Her and Kole carefully planned out each beautiful detail of the day, from their lemonade stand to keep their guests refreshed at the ceremony to their 200 sparkler exit at the end of the evening. Continuing with the cycling theme, they featured gold-painted bicycle wheels as decorations, Kole wore cufflinks shaped like bikes, and they rented a tandem bicycle for their wedding photos.

Their Lethbridge Research Centre outdoor wedding ceremony could not have taken place on a nicer day! They had warm sunshine and no wind, while just a hint of the autumn colours were starting to appear. Their ceremony was so emotional with each of them fighting back tears through their huge grins.

Krysty’s attention to detail gave us so much creativity during portraits (they also rented a super cool large vintage couch!) and their wedding party made the day so much fun. We even took a detour to visit the Love and Records music festival. Kole and Krysty were just as photogenic as at their engagement session so they made our job pretty easy ;)

By reception time, everyone was ready to party. The dance floor was never empty and grandma danced more than anyone else there! Krysty and Kole totally nailed their first dance choreography after their many dance lessons… even though it was Krysty’s first time ever doing it in the wedding dress.

Congratulations, Krysty and Kole!

(more…)

Raylene and Mitchell chose an amazing location with their Flumerfelt Park outdoor wedding ceremony at the entrance to the Miner’s Path in Coleman. Surrounded by trees and their favorite people, they said their I do’s while constantly grinning at each other. When Raylene reached the top of the aisle, Mitchell took her hand, faced their guests, and gestured to her saying, “Wow! Am I right?”

Their ceremony location made it super easy to start photos after! We headed down the Miner’s Path with their hilarious wedding party who knew how to flawlessly switch between smiles and super serious intense model posing ;)

Next we took the couple over to Crowsnest Lake where they could have a little more romantic alone time. To finish off their day, they met back up with their friends and family for the reception at the Bamboo Bistro in Blairmore.

Congratulations, Raylene and Mitchell!

(more…)

Our last few weddings at this amazing venue were forced into the greenhouse because of rain, but Amanda and Jesse got lucky and had the SpringBreak Flower Farm outdoor ceremony they planned for!

We met up with the girls at the flower farm’s bed and breakfast where Brio Salon and Katt Panic were finishing making them all look stunning. Amanda and Jesse were both so excited to see each other that they were full of nervous jitters before the ceremony. Amanda, her mom, and her bridesmaids had to keep distracting themselves so they wouldn’t tear up, and Jesse could hardly contain himself while he watched Amanda walk down the aisle.

For photos they brought along their adorable corgi Sadie. She had a great time exploring and didn’t seem too phased by her mom wearing a big white dress ;) Sadie was cheered on by the entire wedding party every time she was a good girl for her photos.

After photos, they headed back to the SpringBreak Garden Centre where they celebrated their reception with food from Country Encounters and music from Prime Entertainment.

Congratulations, Amanda and Jesse!

(more…)

Erik and Alena began planning their Mount Norquay Banff wedding well in advance. It was so exciting when the date finally arrived as this was our first time photographing a wedding in Banff!

The couple got ready in adjacent rooms at the Hidden Ridge Resort so we were able to easily bounce back and forth between them. While we were there they opened heart felt gifts from each other. They hadn’t even seen each other yet and the tears were starting!

Their ceremony took place outdoors at Norquay under the gorgeous mountain vistas. Everything was so beautiful there that we didn’t need to travel very far for their portraits! Wind blew smoke from the forest fires to line the mountain tops, but enough of the amazing view still peeked through the haze. The best spot to make use of this was when we rode the chairlift up to the Cliffhouse Bistro. Even with the smoke hugging the mountains, it was so scenic. While up there, Alena and Erik were serenaded by some tourists who gave their well wishes. :)

Alena and Erik are so perfect together. I loved watching the kind way they interact and the twinkling in their eyes when they look at each other. It was amazing for them to be surrounded by their dearest friends, especially since it’s all thanks to these friends that the two of them met in the first place!

Congratulations, Erik and Alena!

(more…)

Jodie and Steven found so many perfect ways to make their Pincher Creek country wedding personalized to them. Nestled under the mountains on the farm where Jodie grew up, their outdoor ceremony was a gorgeous way to bring their lives together. Jodie and her dad rode down to the ceremony by a horse drawn cart similar to one her grandfather used to have.

Steven and her said their vows amongst the trees and were able to make use of all the beautiful locations around the farm for their wedding photos. All within walking distance were mountain vistas, dense trees, and a beautiful stream that cuts through the property. We were even able to incorporate the family’s pets! Jodie’s horses were pretty cautious about her dress, but managed to get in close enough for a few photos ;)

Jodie and Steven are so natural together. In between posed photos it was so easy to sneak in candid pictures of gentle kisses and loving embraces, or just the sweet way they looked at each other. They are so kind to each other and everyone around them. I don’t think they could have found a more perfect companion in each other.

Congratulations, Jodie and Steven!

(more…)

Nicole and Derek planned for their beautiful day to take place in Waterton, a favourite travel destination for them, with a Bayshore Inn outdoor summer wedding. Their theme of “Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars” was gorgeously put together with star decorations, motifs of constellations, and a blue colour scheme to reflect the dusk sky.

They are both so easy going and able to laugh about things that go wrong. This came in handy with some of the memories they made that day! The mere 30 minutes it rained all fell on their outdoor ceremony, but with enough umbrellas and speedy vows, they didn’t have to compromise and move the wedding indoors. Just when they thought that was enough of a challenge, Nicole angered an entire colony of ants who got trapped in the lacy layers of her dress! She rolled with it and once we teamed up to clear them out, she was happy and ready to go for photos again :)

We spent the day with them and their fun wedding party visiting Red Rock Canyon and Cameron Lake. The free Canadian parks this year meant these beautiful locations were packed with tourists, but we used photography magic the best we could to make it look like Nicole and Derek were sharing private, intimate moments without a hundred eyes watching them!

Congratulations, Nicole and Derek!

(more…)