Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

I was honoured when a friend asked me to photograph her mother’s wedding. After their children were grown up, Mary and Dale found love in each other and organized a beautiful Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden wedding ceremony. Mary hadn’t had a fancy wedding the first time around and used this opportunity to plan her dream wedding! She chose her favourite colours, planned around one of the most scenic locations in Lethbridge, and looked stunning in her flower crown and lace dress with a full train.

They invited the people who were most important to them to their intimate wedding, including Mary’s daughters in the wedding party. Mary and Dale were all smiles at each other. Dale teared up so many times early on in the ceremony! They are such a sweet couple.

Congratulations, Mary and Dale!

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Earlier this year I had another opportunity to second shoot for the lovely Photography by Andrea Hulst when she invited me to Henk and Melinda’s wedding. We started the morning in Picture Butte while the couple got ready at their family homes and then joined them at the Netherlands Reformed Congregation for their ceremony. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing their early spring Lethbridge wedding photography around the river bottom parks, hunting for the first signs of spring that were starting to appear.

Congratulations, Melinda and Henk!

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What a fantastic way to finish off the wedding season, with a Lethbridge Norland Estate autumn wedding! We got to spend the day at our favorite venue with Raiven and Jonathan, who are some of the nicest people I have met. They planned a beautiful outdoor ceremony amongst the freshly changed fall colours. I asked the rain very nicely to wait until we were done photos and it totally listened to me ;)

Raiven and Jonathan had such a laid back wedding. Raiven finished getting ready with plenty of time to have a first look with Jonathan then visit with their parents in the social room before the ceremony, and later on their reception felt more like a dinner party with family than a super formal event. With everything taking place at one location, they were able to take little breaks to spend time with loved ones in between photos.

I loved how Raiven constantly burst into laughter throughout the day and how Jonathan fought back tears at all of his first looks at her (her coming down the aisle was even more powerful than their first look!). They are so sweet together and their families are already so close, you couldn’t even tell which half of the couple they belonged to.

Congratulations, Raiven and Jonathan!

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Kelti and Matthew held their Gem of the West wedding ceremony on the cusp of autumn with the most important people in their lives in attendance. Kelti is heavily involved in the community so choosing a venue with so much historic value was such a perfect fit.

Kelti, Matthew, and all of their wedding party got ready at the Charles Street Suites, which is conveniently decorated in their wedding colours! They kept to separate floors so that they could share a first look on the staircase before heading out for photos.

Kelti and Matthew both give off so much positive energy and had us laughing all day. It was clear to see why they are so amazing together while watching them interact; they bounce that energy off each other nonstop and hardly ever quit smiling. They, their siblings, and their wedding party were constantly hilarious and never took anything too seriously – even when tackle chases gave way to ripped pants early in the day.

Congratulations, Kelti and Matthew!

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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!

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Jennifer and David have already built a life together but decided to make it official this year! They threw a party for their family and closest friends by having a Southern Alberta Art Gallery wedding.

The years they’ve already been together have only made their love grow deeper. They had the hugest grins when they saw each other during their first look and constantly fought back tears during the ceremony at the SAAG. They are such a sweet couple and are so perfect for each other.

Their reception at the SAAG was filled with lots of dancing and laughter. Instead of a sit down dinner, they served a spread of creative (and delicious!) appetizers from LA Chefs, allowing their guests more time to mingle.

Congratulations, Jennifer and David!

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