07/12/2026
I've driven the connector probably a hundred times. Merritt exit, barely a glance. Just another stretch of highway between somewhere and somewhere else. I had no idea what I'd been driving past.
Corbett Lake Lodge stopped me in my tracks. White cedar trees, a lake that looked painted, fields absolutely rioting with wildflowers in every direction. The kind of place that makes you feel slightly embarrassed for every time you didn't stop. Logan came over to greet me, tan suit, completely at ease, looking like a man who had made excellent decisions recently.
Then Bobbie appeared at my elbow.
"Hey, can you text me a link to the ceremony video? I'm the mom."
Bobbie, it's in your texts. Uploaded it to YouTube yesterday. She nodded and moved on. I respect a mom who knows what she wants and goes and gets it.
The ceremony was held in front of the forest and it was exactly what a ceremony in front of a forest should be — real vows, real emotion, and the trees just standing there doing their part. They kissed, the guests lost it, and we somehow corralled every single person into a group photo that actually worked. I was running on pure adrenaline at this point.
Down to the dock. Logan spun her. Dipped her. The lake sat perfectly still behind them and the camera did not know where to look first. Good problem to have.
Then, tacos.
I want to be clear that I have eaten a lot of wedding food in my career and these were the best tacos I have ever had at anything, anywhere. I ate more than I should have. I regret nothing. They were fuel for what came next.
The sneak away.
The sun had started doing that thing it does in the Nicola Valley — dropping low and golden through the trees, the kind of light that makes every photographer slightly manic because you know you have maybe fifteen minutes before it's gone. I got them into the forest first. The light came through in beams and the shots were exactly what I needed them to be.
Then the lake. They got into a canoe and just — paddled out. The Merritt mountains sat behind them, the water caught the last of the sunset gold, and the two of them were just out there in the middle of it all, completely in their own world. I stood on the shore and shot until the light was gone.
I drove home with a smile on my face that I couldn't shake. Not the polite smile you put on at the end of a long day — the real one. The one that comes from being in exactly the right place at the right time with two people who reminded you why you do this.
These are the days. This is the whole thing, right here.
Shirly, Tye, Nikki, Bobbie, and Rick - you asked to see the photos when they're done. This is the sneak peek, but sign up at https://galleries.drahtphotography.com/client/raelynn-and-logan-are-married/register to see more.
Logan and RaeRae, thank you for trusting me to be your photographer. I can't begin to tell you how much that means to me. I hope you love your sneak peek. Wonderful guests, thank you for treating me like family. If I owe you a text, I'm sorry. I'm bad for that. Just imagine what I owe the government.
