Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Catherine and Douglas planned their event from across the country and returned to Douglas’s home town for their Springbreak Flower Farm summer wedding. With family members traveling from near and far, it was like a mini destination wedding!

Catherine swore she would never marry a military man, but then Douglas came along! The two are so compatible, including their mutual love of taking their cats on backpack adventures. What stood out the most in their personalities was how happy and positive they are. Despite some significant setbacks, from skin burns to a tray of cupcakes falling to the floor to botched dress alterations (Catherine’s mom ended up having to sew her into the dress that day), their positivity never faltered. They were just so happy to be marrying the love of their life! Douglas could not stop looking at his beautiful bride all day.

Catherine was a natural at wedding planning. She is a French language teacher and used to doing lots of planning! (She even laughed about how she had highlighted Douglas’s parts in their speech.) This attention to detail meant the day ran so smoothly, they had plenty of time to relax in between parts of the day (even if that contributed to a few extra tummy butterflies!).

Congratulations, Catherine and Douglas!

A chilly spring engagement shoot with Sam, Brietta and their trusty side-kick, Bakon the Dog

A surprise April snowfall didn’t dampen Brietta’s spirits when I told her the forecast.

“I bought a dress,” Brietta said. “I am going to wear it anyways! Haha.”

I’ve known Brietta for a few years, I first met her when she was the Event & Volunteer Engagement Coordinator for the MS Walk when I did volunteer photography for the walk. Brietta’s fiery; a go-getter. So her resolve to embrace the moment didn’t surprise me one bit!

Lindsay and Terry love spending time outdoors, especially if it means visiting the Crowsnest Pass. Since their wedding is taking place in Lethbridge, they wanted to include this favorite destination of theirs in their engagement session instead. It’s always so tough to narrow down the scenic locations there! They decided on Lundbreck Falls autumn engagement photos, which was a perfect time of year as nearly all the tourists were gone. We got so lucky with the weather too! Despite a heavy snowfall warning, down below the mountains the fall landscape held on in gorgeous red and yellow tones. Only the mountain tops were dusted with a coating of snow to show the seasons colliding. Terry and Lindsay did an amazing job pretending it was warmer than it was (behind the scenes I was in a poofy parka!) and we were pleased to discover how much warmer it was at the base of the falls!

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Ashley and Scott celebrated the upcoming arrival of their baby with Coleman, Alberta maternity photos just before the Easter weekend. Ashley was a stunning mother to be in her white lace dress, which showed off her tummy so perfectly. Her and Scott are so romantic together from the quiet way he holds her to the gentle way he kisses her hand. They’re going to be amazing parents.

We started out the session on the Miner’s Path in Coleman. Even though the leaves aren’t quite out yet for spring, the evergreen trees and abundance of moss gave us enough color. We just had to be careful to avoid the little patches of snow that were still hanging around! After that, we went over to “Scott’s mountain” (the one nearest his home town) and their dog Josie finally got to be included. Josie is a big softie despite her size (choosing to sit in my lap for a moment) and was so excited to smell all the interesting things in the field. She was so excited by the smells that it took a good 5 minutes before she cared about the silly noises I usually make for dogs!

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Alyssa and Drew had such a beautiful wedding in Lethbridge surrounded by so much love from their families.

The couple originally wanted a mountain summer wedding but with so many relatives who couldn’t make the trip, they decided to keep the party in Lethbridge and just drive out to the mountains for their portraits in the afternoon. After a beautiful drive out to the Crowsnest Pass, Drew and Alyssa got to spend time in the forest and under the mountains, giving them the landscapes they love so much.

Alyssa is a very talented country singer so it was a natural fit for their wedding to have country-inspired themes and involve lots of music! Alyssa even performed at her own reception, which was such a fun touch. I’m so glad we could bring one of her guitars out for photos!

Congratulations, Drew & Alyssa!

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Tennille and Jim’s wedding was a very special one for me, not only because it was held in my home town, but because I have known Tennille since we were in grade 2! The day was spent with people I’ve known most of my life so everyone felt like family. Tennille and Jim are such a great match for each other and I love seeing them together with their daughter Ava.

They held their ceremony at the Springbreak Garden Centre in Hillcrest, and luckily it was just warm enough to have it outside as they originally planned. It was so beautiful with the mountains in the background and the leaves changing color. Ava totally stole the show with all the peekaboo she played with Tennille’s dress during the ceremony.

We had such a great time at their reception and it was wonderful to catch up and dance with everyone! Andrea at Elegant Weddings and Events did a great job organizing everything.

Congratulations, Tennille and Jim! (more…)