Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

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!

Tori and Dustin were our first wedding rescheduled from 2020 so it felt so good for this to finally happen! They even had special signs made celebrating the fact that they waited so long that extra partying was required. Their day started with a Purple Springs country wedding ceremony on a family farm. The property had a beautiful long lawn lined with trees that was a perfect spot.

All the anticipation of the past year was finally let go. Their ceremony was full of so much laughter from everyone involved… and a few blunders at the ceremony definitely helped contribute to that ;)

After their ceremony, we drove out to the Grand Forks where they had gotten access to a beautiful private property along the river. The space had so much character with a giant tree house, old wheels, and lots of greenery.

Congratulations, Tori and Dustin!

And we’re back! It felt amazing to be back at weddings now that the restrictions are starting to lift. Kari and Terry were so sweet and welcoming, so their wedding was such a fantastic start to the season. They started planning their Prince of Wales spring wedding early so we lots of time to look forward to it.

Normally we spend the day zipping around Waterton, but Kari and Terry planned to spend their whole day at the hotel. After getting ready in the beautifully renovated rooms, they had their ceremony in the hotel’s lobby with the huge floor to ceiling windows overlooking the mountains.

We had just the right amount of breaks in the rain to get Kari and Terry outside for their family and couple’s portraits, and the rainy weather meant for once there wasn’t a hint of wind!

Kari and Terry kept their guest list small with the people who are the most important to them. Between these valued relationships and the relief of finding out everyone could come, there was a lot of crying! Kari’s daughter had to keep reminding her not to cry off her makeup and during the ceremony at least half the guests had tissues ready.

p.s. I think it’s so cute they have rhyming names, but quickly found out a mask muffles who I am actually speaking to when posing! We had to fall back on “K & T” for directions ;)

Congratulations, Kari & Terry!

After a few guest list adjustments, Elsa and Larry were able to have very close to the wedding they had planned out! Our most important stop of the day was for Indian Battle Park wedding photos. Larry had proposed to Elsa in the river bottom so it was a very special place for them (we even visited it for their engagement photos!).

Like every other time I’ve worked with them, Elsa and Larry constantly made each other laugh. Even with others vying for their attention, they rarely left each other’s side or stopped holding hands, which I think is absolutely adorable. :)

It was also a very emotional day as the family paid tribute to Elsa’s mother, who passed away less than a year ago. Her mother had traditionally written a poem to each of her children on their wedding day and started Elsa’s early so that she could have one as well. Elsa’s father gave a poignant reading of the poem during the reception. The couple are starting their newly married lives well backed by the support of this tightly knit family.

Congratulations, Elsa and Larry!

Something beautiful has been happening out of the challenge of adjusting weddings to fit into an ever-changing set of rules this year. We are seeing weddings become so much more meaningful and often tying in the couple’s roots. Nicole and Brayden had to transform their big Lethbridge wedding into a more intimate Skiff backyard wedding when their original venue could no longer accommodate their event. Instead of the usual go to spots in Lethbridge, Nicole’s family’s farm was an incredibly personal and beautiful backdrop for their ceremony and portraits.

Everything about their day was so perfect. Their outdoor ceremony took place with a chorus of birds singing in the trees behind them. The gorgeous yellow fields had just flowered and were easily within walking distance. The hamlet of Skiff was only a couple minutes away where we could make use of the old grain elevator and train cars, perfect for Nicole and Brayden’s love of trains!

There was so much love throughout the day and everyone in the family played a part in making the day run smoothly. Their wedding party, entirely made up of their siblings, doted on them all day and helped them pack whatever they needed. They were also great for encouraging kissing when Nicole and Brayden didn’t quite hear what I asked. ;) Nicole and Brayden are so sweet and their wedding was such a perfect way to start their lives together.

Congratulations, Nicole & Brayden!

Ami-Marie and Devin’s Readymade autumn wedding was full of laughter and happy tears… many, many happy tears. Ami-Marie spent a good chunk of the day reassuring people through her sobbing that she was very happy despite all the crying!

The couple met while working at the University of Lethbridge so we started the day there. For their first look, we picked the amazing staircase in the building where they first met. (With lots of tears, of course.) We later learned Ami-Marie would make special trips to visit Devin. They truly have a story of love at first sight!

They chose the Readymade Community Centre as both their ceremony and reception venue in large part because of its proximity to Ami’s family’s farm where she grew up. Their reception program highlighted parent speeches that felt more like comedy routines than a proper welcome to the family. It was quickly obvious where Ami-Marie and Devin get their senses of humour from!

It’s been ten years since I first met Ami-Marie at her friend’s wedding and I’m so happy to see her at this point in her life so in love with Devin!

Congratulations, Ami-Marie and Devin!