Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

When Michael and Chantelle told me that their dog Wyatt was going to be a big part of their wedding day I knew we would have a lot of fun! We started out their casual Waterton wedding day with an intimate ceremony at Linnett Lake on the docks with a background of changing autumn leaves and spent the afternoon taking photos around Waterton. I was so happy that they scheduled so much of their day for photos! We didn’t have to feel rushed at all and got to visit so many different locations.

We finished up at Red Rock Canyon just as a few rain/snow clouds rolled in, but luckily it’s still only up in the mountains that the season is really changing! In the evening they held their reception at the old school house in Waterton with lots of dancing and delicious food.

They were so much fun to work with and since they are huge outdoor enthusiasts (both in their careers and hobbies), they were totally fine with hiking to the best spots. Wyatt came along all day and was such a good model, even if he’s a little excitable most of the time :)

Congratulations, Michael and Chantelle! (more…)

We love Waterton and were so excited to go there again for Michael and Ashley’s Waterton mountain getaway wedding. Their event was held at the beautiful Bayshore Inn, with lots of help from Louise at Perfect Day Ventures.

We had so much fun spending the day with them; we were pretty much in non-stop laughter the whole time. They (and their bridal party members) are such warm, kind people and are a complete joy to be around. :)

I definitely appreciated their commitment to the photos. Halfway through our portraits the rain storm hit, but once it let up a little and we wrapped our gear in plastic they were totally fine with going back outside and getting a little damp! We only had to cut things short once lightning was striking around us (yikes!). Luckily the clouds parted in the evening and we gave them a little break from their reception for some gorgeous evening portraits.

Congratulations, Michael & Ashley! (more…)

Danny and Stacey came all the way from Manitoba for their dream intimate Waterton mountain wedding, and they had such a perfect day! With only their parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews in attendance, the ceremony was really quiet and meaningful, and they choose such a beautiful day (no hail storms for once!). They were awesome to work with, especially since Stacey was totally up for scaling the rocks in Red Rock Canyon!

Congratulations, Stacey and Danny! (more…)

Two mountain weddings in a row, I’m in heaven! :) This one in particular was such a fun Waterton wedding.

I first met Amy when we both took New Media in university, but she was a year ahead of me so I never really got to know her. Thanks to the wonders of Facebook, though, we were able to keep in touch later, and I was so excited when she chose me to photograph her wedding! Her and Andrew live very close to Waterton, so they decided that would be the perfect location to have their wedding. They kept it very small and intimate with only their parents, her grandmothers, and their “baby,” Beans the dog, in attendance at the ceremony; after we were done photos, they had a small reception in town for their extended family.

What a perfect wedding! We all met on the main road, then headed towards Red Rock Canyon where we pulled over and did a small hike to a field of wildflowers. From that spot, we were surrounded by mountains and couldn’t even see a peak of any of the roads. It was such a romantic location.

Amy was up for anything for photos, and was luckily able to talk Andrew into the same! We had no trouble keeping up with each other, and I was thrilled by all the things she was willing and wanted to do for photos :)
It’s hard to top a rock climbing, canoe rowing bride!

I was assisted by my buddy Sarah, who luckily happened to be back in town from Kamloops that day. (more…)