Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

What a year 2020 was! By the time March rolled around, we weren’t sure if we were still going to be able to call ourselves “wedding photographers” this year, or if COVID was going to cancel weddings and events completely. Quite a few of our couples decided to postpone their weddings until 2021, but the rest decided to shake up their plans and go for it!

We saw a little less travelling this year, but still managed to visit Waterton many times and went as far as the Pioneers Cabin in Edmonton. Many of the weddings were made more personal by cancelling venue reservations and moving the festivities to family’s and friend’s farms and ranches, where we found some stunning views of the Alberta landscape.

With 2020 being such an oddball, it was totally fitting that it was also a leap year! We started out the year with James and Kaylene’s leap year / 1920s themed wedding before we had any idea of what was to come.

Halloween is by far my favourite holiday, so you can imagine my excitement when Jessica and Dustin contacted me while planning their Halloween sunset wedding. Jessica adores Halloween and she was not about to let the rare Saturday it fell on go to waste!

They wanted their ceremony to take place outdoors to incorporate the setting sun and chose a friend’s farm just outside of Orton. We got lucky with a gorgeous Halloween evening, and the farm had such great curvy trees to go with the theme.

Jessica wore a beautiful black wedding dress with lace accents and a black veil, and had a friend build them a coffin for a very dramatic bridal entrance. This is definitely the first wedding coffin I’ve photographed!

Congratulations, Jessica and Dustin!

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!

When both parents turn the big six-oh in the same year, you throw a party! Patty and John had their three generations come together for their 60th birthday celebration family photos. I was so excited to return to their beautiful farm for this session. All of their grandchildren had a great time playing together, with the adults, and on the swings (my favourite part every time!). We finished the session with some super fun props… they asked me if they would be too cheesy, and I insisted it was just the type of cheese I love ;)

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Siblings Carter, Payton, Maddie, and Jase needed some updated photos (at least according to their mom!) so I went out to their grandma’s awesome farm for their Welling autumn children’s family photos. The kids love hanging out here and helped me find all kinds of neat hidden spots, like a rustic barn loft. Even though the wind had hit our region hard that day, the gorgeous mountain ash tree in the yard had held itself together. Any of the leaves that didn’t survive the afternoon made perfect leaf tossing arsenal!

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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!