Disclosed herein are photonic package assemblies, packages, and devices that include photonic dies and optical coupling structures aligned with photonic dies to enable exchange of electromagnetic signals. In one aspect, a photonic package assembly includes a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) die having one or more PICs, and an optical coupling structure (OCS) positioned adjacent to the PIC die such that electromagnetic signals may be exchanged between at least one of the one or more PICs and the OCS. The assembly further includes a structure that forms a bridge, and, thereby, provides mechanical coupling, between the OCS and the PIC die. Providing a bridge structure that directly attaches an OCS to a PIC die may improve achieving and maintaining the desired alignment between the OCS and the PIC die, which may lead to an improved coupling performance over the lifetime of products.