Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Ella and Mike held an intimate Waterton cottage end of season wedding celebration for their friends and family. Their friend generously offered her cottage for the ceremony. When the rain showers that day decided to arrive around ceremony time, everyone squished into the home to watch the couple say their vows. For the rest of the day we had wonderful weather and it stopped raining every time we went outside for photos! We had to take the umbrella photo they wanted in the sun. ;)

Ella and I have crossed paths many times over my years in Lethbridge because of our mutual interest in dance (she was the second dance teacher I ever had!). It’s amazing to see her so at home with Mike. In Mike she has found a shared love of nature and animals. Mike rescues and rehabilitates bears for a living. All day he expressed how amazed he is to have found a woman who loves bears as much as he does!

Their love and kindness towards animals is obvious in their interactions with Ella’s “baby” Coco. Coco goes on every nature adventure with them and can keep up on 30km hikes even with her tiny legs! She was an important part of the wedding day and had her own little white dress to match her mom.

Congratulations, Ella and Mike!

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Local model Cheri happened to be camping in Waterton during one of my many visits there this year. I met up with her for some colorful Waterton summer portraits before I made the drive home. Our timing worked out perfectly as that day happened to be her dog Jax’s first birthday! We brought him along for photos and this was a huge win for him because it meant playing in one of the lakes at the end of the session. Despite knowing Cheri through the photography community for many years, this was my first time working with her and she was amazing! I was so glad she happened to have pink hair that month so the photos could be extra colorful.

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Our summer of smoky skies hit its peak for Kyle and Julia’s wedding. The day before their Bayshore Inn outdoor wedding ceremony, the town of Waterton was put under evacuation alert due to a new nearby fire! Luckily the conditions held and everything went ahead as planned. (The happy ending is the next day saw a huge downpour that helped to lift the alert!)

Julia and Kyle have a love at first sight story and continue to look at each other with that intensity. Both of them were so emotional at the ceremony, quickly shifting from happy tears to giant smiles.

Their wedding party kept them laughing all day and made the best use of their half day in Waterton by exploring the landscape. From going barefoot in the water to using downed trees as balance beams, they made use of all the nature around them! Kyle and Julia have such special relationships with their family that their siblings are also considered friends to each of them and were an obvious choice to have in their party.

Once we completed photos in Waterton, we drove out to Cardston for their tent reception at Kyle’s dad’s ranch where they were free to party all night.

Congratulations, Julia and Kyle!

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Haley contacted me with a great vision for Waterton sunset anniversary photos. She and Stephen wanted to celebrate their anniversary trip to Waterton by recreating some of their wedding photos! They dressed very similar to their wedding day with one exception: Haley’s original wedding dress had been stolen during a break-in, and she managed to track down a nearly identical dress. Luckily they scheduled just days before the smoke got bad so we were able to get amazing views of the mountains with only a little bit of haze. After we finished in the town (which has a crazy early sunset thanks to the mountains!) we drove to the lookout to take full advantage of the setting sun.

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Matthew wanted to give his bride-to-be Sarah a proper tour of his home town area when they travelled here for their wedding. They hit the best of everything with a Bayshore Inn ceremony and Readymade wedding reception, with getting ready photos in Lethbridge. Arriving for their photos in Waterton was Sarah’s first ever visit to the national park! We all wished for less smoke so Sarah could see how amazing the mountains are, but could catch just enough of them fading into the horizon.

Sarah looked stunning with a classic, romantic look, and Matthew wore his military formal wear. They looked amazing together. Following us throughout the day was their daughter who had so much fun that she couldn’t stop shouting “Yay!”. It was contagious and made everyone around her also exclaim with joy! Sarah and Matthew could not stop grinning at each other and their daughter all day.

After a first look at Cameron Falls, portraits at the Prince of Wales, and an outdoor ceremony at the Bayshore Inn lawn, they and their guests headed closer to home. Their fun reception was held at the Readymade hall where we were joined by all of the guests who weren’t able to make it to Waterton but still wanted to help them celebrate.

Congratulations, Sarah and Matthew!

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Ruth and Cory planned Waterton mid-week wedding portraits just before their beautiful ceremony under the mountains. I met with them and their children at Cameron Falls a few hours before their ceremony. Everyone looked amazing! They chose a romantic red theme for their wedding day with tons of gorgeous lace accents. Ruth brought along a lace parasol, wore beautiful white lace gloves, and had a stunning long drape-over veil. Everyone was so happy and excited waiting for the ceremony to come!

Congratulations, Ruth and Cory!

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