360 Bridge Engagement Photos in Austin

Summer romance takes on a whole new meaning in the vibrant city of Austin, Texas. Against the backdrop of the iconic 360 Bridge, Morgen and Ryan’s engagement session captured the essence of their shared love for adventure and the water. Their story is one of serendipity and passion – bound together by their mutual love for boating and the thrill of the open water!

From the photographer: Love Set Sail. 360 Bridge Engagement Photos in Austin, Texas. This engagement session is the perfect kick off to Summer! In the heart of Austin, Texas, where the Colorado River winds its way through the cityscape, love found its anchor in the shared passion for boating for one special couple. Meet Morgen and Ryan, two souls drawn together by their love for the open water and the thrill of adventure. Their engagement session ends with a playful dip in Lake Austin and wakesurfing at their favorite spot.

How did you two meet? What were your first impressions of one another? We met in 2018 when our career paths in the boating world just so happened to cross. Out of a shared love for the water, bonding over boats, and a friendship rooted deeply in the lake life came a relationship ready to last a lifetime!

Ryan grew up in the panhandle of Texas and had lived in several places within and out of the state throughout the years working in sales. The success of his career led him to the ability to buy his own used boat, which spurred on an already existing love of the water, and eventually to take a job as a boat salesman at a local Austin-based dealership. This is what eventually led him to New Braunfels, Texas, where he met me (Morgen).

My first impression of Ryan was “who’s the new kid” – thinking he was like 18 years old. Turns out, he was almost 30 haha!

As we got to know each other through being in close proximity at work and around boats/watersports, we quickly became friends and frequently spent time together out on the water. Meeting up to swap boats for each other, hopping on the same one with a group of friends, and finding one another out on the lake quickly became normal routine. From the close friendship formed something even stronger, and soon getting out on the boat became romanticized and used as a date-night activity. It was an opportunity to stay active together and even help each other out – the day Ryan will say he fell in love with me came from a day spent on the lake coaching a friend’s two young kids how to wakesurf. The effortless teamwork that eventually lead to the biggest grin of happiness on everyone’s face when both kids finally succeeded is something that sticks in both of their minds. One of my favorite and most memorable date nights was a sunset cruise on Canyon Lake. Once night fell, they simply drifted in the quiet, with the motor turned off and the underwater lights on, sitting on the back of the boat watching the fish come up and the stars go by. Needless to say – being on the water is deeply rooted in the core of their relationship.

Now, we live in New Braunfels, Texas with our two dogs – Rixen and Rio, who will both be making an appearance for the wedding ceremony – and recently adopted cat, Karma. Traveling is a special way that brings the two of us together, whether in their camper up into the mountains or exploring beautiful outdoor spaces around the country, there’s no shortage of excitement. Both of us are highly dedicated to our careers – Morgen the Director of Marketing at Boat Town and Ryan the Regional Sales Manager for Vermeer – but are equally dedicated to our relationship. Ryan loves to play golf and entertain groups of friends, all of whom he cherishes deeply, and I love all things art and music. I think we really compliment each others strengths and help each other find balance in life.

Tell us a funny story relating to your wedding day or relationship! We will both argue about “who came onto who” to this day (6 years later haha). I had to get Ryan’s phone number for work purposes but he’ll tell you I was into him (we were both dating other people at the time), and he’ll also tell you that I kissed him first – but he’s the one who showed up at my house with a bottle of wine and ice cream for a movie night. He knew what he was doing! (And he TOTALLY kissed me haha) Describe a hurdle you had to overcome in your relationship or during your wedding planning. Both of us travel a good bit for work these days, so figuring out how to use a calendar has been a big one for Ryan in particular, and us finding balance in how to prioritize quality time with each other and plan out who’s watching our fur babies.

In November of 2021 we actually embarked on a brand new adventure for both of us and bought a fifth wheel camper in order to take to the mountains and have a little mountain home! Both of us are avid snowboarders and love the mountains, so it was the way were able to bring both our dogs and head up there for several weeks at a time. The things is – neither of us had owned an RV before, much less lived in one in sub-freezing temperatures at 9,000ft elevation! It was really fun (and at times stressful) to figure out everything together and learn all about how to make our adventure work. We still have the camper and love our little home on wheels.

Any special ways you incorporated your family or family history into your wedding day? Our dogs will both be part of the ceremony, as they’re a big part of our relationship. Ryan found Rio on the side of the road right around the time we started dating, and I’ve had Rixen since 2016 when she was a puppy, so neither of us really know each other without them. What part of your wedding day was/is most important to you? The ceremony itself is super special for us. We are not planning to do a first look, wanting to keep that element very traditional – Ryan adamantly wanted the first time seeing his bride that day to be when she’s walking down the aisle (which I loved). We are also planning on writing our own personalized vows, and Ryan’s cousin will be our officiant – we wanted someone we know and love, and who knows us, to marry us. He’s the first member of Ryan’s family that I met personally, and has been around since day one. I think we’re also both really excited for all of the first dances!

The other thing I was adamant about is the style of wedding video – I want a full-fledged documentary style filming and edit – audio from the day, maybe some interviews with our friends – I want to feel like I’m there again! I’m really excited for that aspect, too.

What is the best thing you’ve learned from one another? How to communicate effectively with someone who’s the opposite of you! The phrase opposites attract is definitely true for us. While we share a lot of common interests and have the same core values, so much of our personalities are different from one another, which can occasionally make communicating a bit of a challenge. We’ve really worked hard to listen in order to understand rather than respond, and it’s something we’ll probably always continue to work on, but it’s something we get to grow in and learn from together! What is your favorite thing about each other? For me, it’s Ryan’s heart and genuine care for the people close to him. There’s no one on this earth that he wouldn’t be friends with, but I like to describe him as a German Shepard rather than Golden Retriever. He’s a little quiet at first, and fiercely loyal and protective over his people.

I think Ryan’s favorite thing about me is probably my work ethic. Whether I’m working on something for the two of us or for my career, it’s hard for me to slow down until something is up to my own standards. Ryan is super similar in that way, and it’s motivating to have two people with big dreams and big goals working hard together to make the life they want to have.

What was your favorite part about planning your wedding? I have a few very specific visions and am a very artistic/creative person, so it’s been really fun to plan out special elements of the ceremony and reception – all the way down to my dress. I’m kind of making my dress my own by adding things to it along the way and turning it into a bit of an art project, which as been fun. We also had a TON of fun taking our engagement photos out on the lake – we both love being on the water and even just the process of taking photos is really fun for us! If you had one piece of advice for other couples, what would it be? Don’t ever shy away from hard conversations – putting those off only makes things worse – and never assume you know or understand what the other is thinking or feeling if things are unclear. Ask each other as many questions as you can to fully understand, and know that there still may be disconnects that you can work through together. Knowing that you’re a team is always priority number one, so if that’s at the top of your mind when things get hard, it will make the hard moments a lot easier. What is the most honest thing you can say about love? Love is a choice – not a feeling. It may start as a feeling, but as you grow together and apart, loving someone is putting them first. Choosing them first. People will naturally change throughout their life, but the most successful couples and marriages come out of people who always choose their partner and their relationship above all else.

Photographer / Mylah Renae Photography / https://mylahrenae.com / @MylahRenae
Wedding Planner / Lila Lane Events / https://lilalaneevents.com / @lilalaneevents
Boats / Boat Town / https://boattown.com / @boattownatx