Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Josh and Roxy are high school sweethearts who understand the value of patience. Once they finished university, moved apart and then back together again, and got a house, they decided it was time to take the next step and get married! They planned a laid back De Winton Community Hall wedding with beer coolers and lawn games to keep their guests entertained.

After their outdoor ceremony and some hiding indoors from a thunder shower, we explored the town of De Winton for some major rustic feeling. From grain elevators to canola fields, Roxy and Josh had a country wedding with the Calgary skyline visible in the background. With a handful of siblings in the wedding party to keep teasing them and some long time friends to keep them laughing, Roxy and Josh had the party vibe of the day follow them everywhere they went.

Roxy first came into my life when I photographed her best friend’s wedding six years ago. Their group of friends has been tightly knit since college so there were a lot of familiar faces from the last wedding, with one notable exception! The absence of the maid of honour on Roxy’s wedding day was bittersweet. While she missed her bestie’s wedding day, it was because she went into labour the night before! The wedding day was full of gossip among the guests… “Did the baby arrive yet?” Luckily Roxy came prepared with two best friends assigned to that role and her man of honour did a fantastic job filling both roles (including standing in the rain holding an umbrella over the bride).

Congratulations, Roxy and Josh!

Tacey and Brendan planned a romantic and fun morning of photos before heading to their ceremony. They had their first look on her family’s Fort Macleod farm. Once their families were ready, everyone met us outside for portraits and we explored the farm while an adorable assortment of curious animals followed us.

After doing weddings for over 12 years, I’m always surprised when I encounter something new. This was my first time doing bridal portraits with a cow! Sweet little Lucy is halter trained and important to Tacey. Her brother in law wrangled the cow out and got her ready for photos. Lucy was not having it at first, probably because seeing a wedding dress for the first time can be quite terrifying to livestock! She eventually warmed up to the idea and even let Brendan be the one to lead her (and then thanked him by licking his suit).

We were also continuously photobombed by Chloe the dog who loved being with all the people, while Cassie the dog (who loved rolling in mud a little too much) was under lockdown until it was her turn. The rain stopped just in time for photos, but not in time to keep the dogs dry!

Tacey and Brendan are so sweet and laid back. Tacey was so chill about her dress getting dirty with the animals that we and her family had to convince her to take a little break to clean some of the mud off! It was wonderful to work with her family again and get to know her and Brendan a little better.

Congratulations, Tacey and Brendan!

After photographing many of their family member’s weddings, I was excited to hear Makayla and Cornell were the next in line to wed! We started off their Picture Butte late summer wedding photos at the family’s beautiful property that backs onto the coulees. Just like a few years ago at a sibling’s wedding, the view was very smoky! Luckily the smoke looks amazing in the coulees :)

Their nieces and nephews were (mostly) excited to have a photographer come visit and gave us all kinds of adorable poses! We had quite a few family members tasked with removing photobombing children from photos, and later the dogs and barn kittens started crashing the shoot too!

The Picture Butte Golf Club was very generous with letting us run around the course for photos and explore the grounds with a whole fleet of golf carts.

Makayla and Cornell have such a great group of people they call friends. Like the other weddings, we spent the day in laughter and never knew what silliness to expect when we turned around. They have such great senses of humour and will have an amazing lifetime together making each other laugh.

Congratulations, Makayla and Cornell!

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All summer I’ve looked forward to returning to Monica and Dave’s beautiful property for their Claresholm outdoor ranch wedding. If the landscape looked that great for engagement photos, I couldn’t wait to see Monica in her dress there! (One amazing detail about their wedding is that Monica is very talented and made her own wedding dress.)

Monica and Dave chose the open field near the treeline to set up their reception tent and scenic ceremony, and invited their closest family members to witness the event. Their children stood with them as their wedding party and all played key roles in the ceremony. Monica’s son walked her down the aisle, Dave’s two boys read bible passages, and Dave’s daughter played guitar.

Their guests got to relax while we explored the ranch for photos and took in the amazing views. Monica and Dave were even more giggly when they looked at each other than at their engagement session!

Congratulations, Monica and Dave!

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It’s such an honour when couples have us spend the day with them when everything else is otherwise very intimate. Kelsie and Scott had a Lundbreck ranch outdoor wedding ceremony at his parents’ place and planned a low key event for their small but important guest list. To embrace the ranch theme, Kelsie wore a beautiful summer dress and cowboy boots and they used their vintage pickup truck both for photos and transportation.

After their ceremony overlooking the mountains, we travelled around the area making stops at Lundbreck Falls, the Burmis Tree, and Hillcrest for portraits. This gave Kelsie and Scott tons of private time during driving to spend with each other before rejoining their friends and family for their dinner reception in Waterton.

Kelsie and Scott were so great to work with! We took them through water and trees, and Kelsie was thrilled to have a chance to go barefoot in the creek for a few photos. (It was a welcome relief from the heat that day so I understand her excitement!) They are so happy together that I never had to remind them to smile at each other :)

Congratulations, Kelsie and Scott!

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I went out for a bit of a drive to join Monica and Dave for their Claresholm ranch engagement photography a few miles outside of the town. We took their vehicle up to the rocky hill overlooking the ranch, through the herd of inquisitive cows enjoying their dinner. From up there we had sweeping views of the foothills surrounding their property, starting to pick up the soft green tones as spring began to spread throughout the fields.

Monica and Dave were so easy to photograph together. They are always making each other giggle and it’s probably lucky for me I was just out of earshot during when I’m pretty sure he was telling her dirty jokes to get more laughs! Even when my camera was placed down to plan the next photo, they’d pull each other in for another embrace and I’d quickly start snapping again.

I can’t wait to explore the area further on their wedding day this summer when they’re dressed all fancy!

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