Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Sheridin and Ian based their wedding around the mountain landscape of their hometown. Their Willow Drive outdoor wedding, entirely held at Ian’s brother’s place, provided sweeping views of the mountains in the Crowsnest Pass and made it easy for so many family members to be there.

This wedding was a celebration of the life Sheridin and Ian have already built together. After meeting in high school, education and work pulled them in different directions for many years while they successfully maintained a long distance relationship. They have finally been able to build a home together and were ready to have a party to celebrate that fact!

After getting ready at their own home and having a backyard first look, we headed to Willow Drive for portraits. Having their wedding there made it so easy to hop between the amazing views in the field and at the Starcreek Falls trail.

They really wanted to center the reception around their love for their families. The heartfelt speeches resulted in so much laughter and crying (sometimes both in the same breath).

Congratulations, Sheridin and Ian!

We always joke about how Alberta can have all four seasons in one day, and no where is this more true than in the mountains. Nicole and Derek’s session had to be postponed so many times because of October blizzards, and they finally got the proper autumn session they wanted in November! Other than the usual Crowsnest Pass wind, it was such a beautiful day for their Willow Drive family photos.

The kids loved the adventure we went on in the valley. The older kids especially loved being able to pose with their little brother, and had a ton of photo requests they listed off for me :) They were also pretty excited to let me know they had met my dad another day!

This area is one of Nicole and Derek’s favourite places in the Crowsnest Pass. It was so sunny and perfect to take in all the mountain vistas.

Nancy and Brett had their hearts set on the mountains for their session while still capturing rustic engagement photos. Coleman in the Crowsnest Pass had just the right feel for everything! After some woodsy vibes at the Miner’s Path, we went to the wide open valley that overlooks the mountains and then to downtown. They had one of their first dates in downtown Coleman near where we did the later portion of their photos. As soon as we arrived, they started smiling and reminiscing!

Despite having to get up early for the drive to the Crowsnest Pass, Nancy and Brett were so cheery and energetic. Their adoration for each other is almost contagious. Only a few minutes into our session, Nancy apologized: “Sorry if we’re kissing too much; we just can’t stop!”

Jena and Daniel are getting married in Kananaskis next summer and I finally got to meet them in person for their engagement session. I love having a chance to do Crowsnest Pass winter engagement photography; the snow stays so thick all winter and the beautiful streams in the area turn such a gorgeous blue. I was thrilled when they wanted to go to Miner’s Path for the first part of their photos because it’s so pretty there this time of year. Jena was home from school for the weekend and it was a perfect time to get photos from a different season than their wedding will be. They are so ridiculously adorable… I can’t wait to see how amazing they will look when they aren’t pretending to enjoy being in freezing wind ;)

(more…)