Sweet Austin Engagement Session with a Lush Bouquet

periwinkle engagement session dress and golden retriever

Well this Austin engagement session is goals, don’t ya think?! And not just because of the adorable fur baby gracing us with its golden presence. Meg and Jacob have a story as sweet as they come, and the way he talks about her simply makes our hearts melt. You’ll see why when you read his words below! Meg is actually a member of the Whim Hospitality team (one of our wedding pros!), so implementing lush blooms from her colleagues during the engagement session was a no-brainer. Paired with a periwinkle dress that has the shopaholics in us squealing, these photos from Brittany Jean Photography could not be more idyllic!

From the groom, Jacob: Our story starts on February 7th, 2017, the night I answered the door and welcomed the girl I would fall in love with to my missional community for the first time. Swiftly returning to the kitchen to cook dinner, I watched a bright pair of blue eyes strike up conversation with everyone in the room. Meg brightened that room again and again each week as we began getting to know each other in community. We shared stories and laughter and guacamole and we sat around God’s word, leaning into his love for us together.

When spring break came, we headed out on different trips: Meg to Seattle and I to New York City. As it turned out, my favorite way to end a day in NYC was to check Instagram for another glimpse of her in Seattle. As soon as we got back to Austin, Meg invited our MC to a study party at the PCL. I was all about it. God surprised me that night at the PCL when NO ONE showed up to study from our MC—no one but her. And we didn’t get any studying done, either. Four hours felt like minutes as Meg and I talked over open textbooks warmly. Walking away from walking her home, I was praising God with a ticklish, happy heart.

All the sweet tangents we had talked about played in my head like fireflies after that. I wanted to know her whole story, cover to cover. So, with a tailwind of others’ prayers, I asked if she’d like to grab juice with me and finish telling the rest. Well she did! As Meg looked me in the eyes and shared what God had done in her life, I saw a fierce joy in her that I could not resist. I realized that I didn’t want to hear the end of this woman’s story—I wanted to be a part of it. Welling up with courage, I asked her to go on a date with me, and she said yes!

Our first date was a swashbuckling hike and picnic at the Barton Creek Greenbelt with beauty & creation all around us. It was riveting and refreshing to pursue each other through the next dates because we were both after Jesus most. God grew our affections for one another through quality time, sunshine, hammocks, good music, friends and Tex-Mex. He smiled on us as we both celebrated graduating from the University of Texas with each other’s families. Meg took a summer trip to Europe; I began raising support for my dream job. While she was away, I learned a song on guitar to play her over FaceTime and we talked everyday. The day she was back stateside & by my side, I knew I was falling in love with my teammate and best friend.

God wrote so much favor and fun into the pages as we got to travel to the east and west coast that summer and dance till we couldn’t feel our toes. One rainy day, I brought Meg to our favorite hiking trail to brave water crossings and cold air when no one else would be out there. It was that day that I couldn’t wait any longer, and, after praying together, I looked up and told Meg I loved her.

Always leaning into honest moments and hard questions along the way, Meg and I chased the sunset together as summer flowed into life after college. We talked about our dreams like they were familiar photographs and pressed into new challenges as partners. We trusted Jesus and made him our light at the end of the tunnel as we expressed desires for marriage one day. What we found in the meantime was greater joy in knowing Christ and honoring him one day at a time.

The ring was being made when I met her parents for a secret breakfast at their home in Magnolia the morning before Thanksgiving. Bringing only my Bible, fresh-baked pumpkin bread, and a plan, I asked Randy and Sara if I could marry their daughter. They said I was already like family to them and gave me their blessing with a hug! December 2017 was a whirlwind month, every weekend teeming with thrills. Meg and I visited my grandparents in Tennessee & meandered through Music City, I was the best man at my brother’s wedding, and then, just before Christmas, it was time.

I brought her to our spot, a quiet panorama of downtown tucked away in the hills. Lights all around us evoked skylines of some of the dazzling cities we had explored together as Austin glimmered in the background. Meg and I reflected on our story: it all started here in Austin and God couldn’t have written more kindly. All the places we’d been together, all the banner days had brought us to this dreamy moment standing still in time. I leaned in and said that I don’t know where God will take me, but I know I want to go there with you, Meg. And I got down on one knee.

Shivering, spinning, laughing, she said YES and we celebrated with live music all night surrounded by our closest friends & family. We were served by such a vibrant community that looked like Heaven that night; men and women who had been there from the beginning showed us how God’s family celebrates love. December 22, 2017 will forever be one of the most captivating, rich blurs of worship I got to live. And so it is with this journey we’re on. Jesus gets all the glory because he loved us first, and we get to respond together, free in grace.