Lethbridge Weddings & Portrait Photography by Tanya Plonka

Ashley and Stefan took a detour while on their way to visit family and made a special stop for Crowsnest winter engagement photos. We lucked out with a fresh snowfall just in time because even the Crowsnest Pass was looking a little brown and dry for this time of year!

The couple were involved with another wedding I’ve photographed, so it was so much fun to get to focus on them this time! They have such great energy and are so cute and snugly together.

We started with the Miner’s Path for a forest look then headed into the wind to get a mountain view. (At this point Stefan pondered why he let his hair grow long, ha ha.)

I can’t wait for their wedding!

Meaghan and James made their Canadian Reformed Church winter wedding extra personal by including family members in all of the important parts of the day. James’ older brother performed their ceremony, which made it more special but also meant a few hilarious jabs at James were included. Their twin nephews did an amazing job as ring bearers, and siblings were included in their wedding party so they could spend all day together. Meaghan’s little sister may be one of the youngest maid of honours we’ve had, and she did an amazing job helping her sister!

Both of them were a little nervous excited in the morning, but that all melted away once they saw each other at the church. James absolutely lit up once Meaghan and her father came through the doors. He looked like he was fighting back exclaiming, “Wow!” out loud. :)

After weeks of little to no snow, their wedding day ended up being one of those rare days the snow came down! Meaghan and James were able to get the winter wedding they had hoped for (who would have thought February would be so warm?). Luckily the sun was also out and the bridesmaids all had shawls. We appreciate everyone freezing to get such great photos in the river bottom :)

Congratulations, Meaghan and James!

Heather’s family had a very non-wintery set of Christmas photos for two years in a row now! We were able to make use of a rare windless day for their Pavan Park warm winter photos. Braxton had just as much fun as last year, especially since I got him to do all kinds of action shots! He even insisted on wearing sneakers to the session in case I made him run (which I totally did). That kid knows what’s up!

It was so great to see Mandy and Chris again at their Henderson Lake winter mini session! I hadn’t seen them since their wedding and they’ve since added to their family. The older boys really had their work cut out for them with wrangling their little brother, and we soon found a magical stick that convinced him to take photos.

We were lucky this year that their Christmas family photo actually got to have snow in it!

I was so excited when Joshua contacted me that he wanted to do a Winter Light Festival proposal for his girlfriend Makayla. Our original plan was for me to creep in the bushes, but once Makayla started dropping hints that she’d love professional photos for Christmas, Joshua and I had a much easier plan to work with!

I met up with them just outside of Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden so we could do the proposal in the lit entrance way and then head inside for the rest of their engagement photos. We almost hit a snag with how super busy the garden was that night. Not only would privacy be impossible, but there was barely room to even pose in the spot we had planned! Somehow, just as it was time, the crowd disappeared and everything went perfectly. According to Makayla, the proposal was not a surprise at all ;)

We had the most perfect night that had snow on the ground, was warm enough, and not at all windy. Makayla and Joshua were constantly congratulated by the other guests, and everyone was so awesome for making sure we had uninterrupted space for photos. They were so much fun and had me laughing all night! Even one of the staff members commented on how much he loved their vibe!

Kendra and DJ already have a family together, but their Norland Estate winter wedding was a party to make it official! They invited their closest family and friends and themed the event around the Christmas holidays. Kendra hoped for snow but in true Lethbridge fashion we got a wind warning instead. In the end this worked to our advantage because it gave us the most beautiful golden hour!

Despite the wind, everyone was great about taking photos outside. There was even enough snow left for Kendra’s wintery wishes! Once twilight hit, we went back out for a few more photos. The gazebo is so beautifully lit at night and the Norland looks incredible decked out for Christmas.

Their daughter Addison had an absolute blast all day and didn’t even need a nap break! Kendra and DJ made sure a lot of the day focused on her. After she spent the afternoon getting ready with her parents, she was ready to greet all of their guests and then take part in photos. She didn’t mind the wind one bit! At dinner, she got to sit right between her mom and dad at the head table.

It was so great to spend another day with this sweet family (we also did Kendra’s brother’s wedding).

Congratulations, Kendra and DJ!