Jenelle & Christopher | Highberry Vineyards Wedding
“A hundred hearts would be too few to carry all my love for you.”
Some couples just fit. You can see it in the way they look at each other, the way they laugh together and the way they seem completely comfortable being themselves around one another. Jenelle and Christopher were one of those couples for me. From the moment I photographed them, it was obvious that they weren’t just having a beautiful wedding at Highberry Vineyards wedding venue. They were having fun, they were completely in love and they genuinely enjoyed being together.
Their Highberry Vineyards wedding quickly became one of my favourite weddings to photograph and the venue has now firmly earned a place in my personal top three.
As a Highberry Vineyards wedding photographer, I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful combination of couple, setting, styling and light. Everything came together so naturally and then, just when I thought the day couldn’t get any better, we had the most spectacular sunset. Of course, that meant I had to steal the couple away for a few photographs. And I’m very glad we did.
Jenelle & Christopher’s Highberry Vineyards Wedding
Jenelle looked absolutely beautiful in her white wedding dress while Christopher chose something a little more unexpected and completely suited to him: an emerald green suit. I loved that choice.
It immediately gave his look personality and worked beautifully with the rest of the wedding styling. The bridesmaids wore green dresses while the groomsmen wore brown suits with green ties, creating a colour palette that felt sophisticated without becoming overly formal.
The combination of emerald green, warm brown and white worked particularly well against the natural surroundings of Highberry Vineyards wedding venue. It brought the outdoors into the styling without making the wedding feel overly rustic. Instead, there was a beautiful balance between elegance and nature at the Highberry Vineyards wedding venue.
The reception continued that feeling with large, bold green leafy centrepieces placed against crisp white tablecloths. Candles added warmth to the tables and softened the overall look as the day moved towards evening.
It was elegant and timeless while still having plenty of personality. But honestly, as beautiful as all of those details were, Jenelle and Christopher were always the main attraction. That is exactly how it should be.
A Couple Who Just Fit
One of my favourite things about being a wedding photographer is watching the relationship between two people throughout their wedding day.
You get to see them when they are excited, nervous, emotional and completely overwhelmed. You also get to see the moments when they forget that anyone else is around. Those are often my favourite moments to photograph. With Jenelle and Christopher, there was such an easy sense of fun between them. They were comfortable with each other and genuinely enjoyed being together. There was no need to manufacture happiness for the camera because it was already there.
They laughed together, enjoyed the day and seemed to have that lovely ability to make everything feel a little lighter simply by being together. That kind of connection makes such a difference to wedding photographs.
As a Highberry Vineyards wedding photographer, I can guide a couple into beautiful portraits but I can’t manufacture the connection between them. When that connection is already there, my job becomes much easier. I can simply give them a little space, watch what happens and capture it. And with Jenelle and Christopher, there was plenty worth capturing.
Emerald Green and Timeless Wedding Details at the Highberry Vineyards wedding venue
The colour palette was one of my favourite elements of this Highberry Vineyards wedding.
Christopher’s emerald green suit immediately stood out and tied beautifully into the green dresses worn by the bridesmaids. The brown suits of the groomsmen brought warmth into the palette while the green ties connected everything together.
The reception styling at Highberry Vineyards wedding venue followed the same natural elegance. The tables were dressed with white tablecloths and dramatic green leafy centrepieces. Candles added a soft glow and created an atmosphere that became even more beautiful as the afternoon light began to change.
I love wedding décor that complements the couple rather than competing with them. Jenelle and Christopher’s styling did exactly that. The greenery felt completely at home within the wine farm setting and the clean white details kept everything feeling elegant. It was the kind of styling that photographed beautifully from the smallest details right through to the wider reception photographs.
Highberry Vineyards wedding venue: A Dream for Wedding Photography
Highberry Vineyards wedding venue is one of those places where, as a photographer, you can look around and immediately start seeing photographs everywhere.
Highberry Vineyards wedding venue sits amongst the Schapenberg hillocks overlooking False Bay and is surrounded by vineyards, dams and horse paddocks. From the farm there are views towards False Bay, the Helderberg Mountain and the Hottentots Holland Mountain range. It is an incredible landscape.
Highberry Vineyards wedding venue is also surrounded by some of the Cape Winelands’ most well-known wine farms and sits in an area known for its unique terroir and cooler climate. Highberry’s vineyards reach elevations of around 200 metres above sea level and the surrounding landscape creates a beautiful combination of mountains, vines and open countryside.
For a Highberry Vineyards wedding photographer, that variety is fantastic because the surroundings give you so many options throughout the day. The light changes. The landscape changes. The atmosphere changes. And the photographs change with it.
Highberry Vineyards wedding venue itself has a contemporary countryside feel with its steel and glass structure, while the surrounding gardens and vineyards keep the setting connected to nature. It means you can have photographs that feel elegant and editorial alongside images that are relaxed and completely natural. That combination is one of the reasons this venue has become such a favourite of mine.
The Wedding Reception at Highberry Vineyards wedding venue
By the time the reception was underway, the atmosphere had completely settled into celebration mode.
The elegant tables were ready, the candles added warmth and the green foliage created a beautiful connection to the Highberry Vineyards wedding venue vineyards outside. The setting felt sophisticated without becoming stiff or formal.
And somewhere amongst all of this were Jenelle and Christopher simply enjoying being married. That is something I always look for when photographing a reception. There are the obvious photographs, of course. The speeches, the reactions, the details and the people gathered around the couple.
But there are also the little interactions happening between everything else. A laugh between friends. Someone leaning over to tell a story. A family member watching the couple from across the room.
A moment of excitement when everyone realises the day is moving towards the evening. These photographs may not always be planned but they are an important part of telling the story. Wedding photography isn’t just about documenting what happened in chronological order. For me, it is about documenting what the day felt like.
Stealing Jenelle and Christopher Away for Sunset
And then came my favourite part.
The sunset.
I don’t think any Highberry wedding photography story would be complete without talking about the incredible light this venue can offer, but this particular evening was something special. As the sun began to drop, everything changed. The vineyards became warmer, the mountains started to soften and the whole landscape seemed to glow.
I looked at Jenelle and Christopher and knew immediately that we needed to go outside. So we slipped away for a little while. This is one of the things I love most about being a wedding photographer. Sometimes you have to look at the schedule, look at the light and make a quick decision. The photographs are important, but so is giving the couple an opportunity to breathe.
Getting away from the reception for a few minutes gave Jenelle and Christopher some quiet time together while I captured them in that beautiful evening light.
And honestly, it was worth it. The combination of the emerald green suit, Jenelle’s white dress and the warm sunset against the vineyards was absolutely beautiful. These are the photographs that make me love what I do. Not because everything was perfectly posed, but because the setting, the light and the couple all came together at exactly the right moment.
Why Sunset Portraits Matter
There is something about sunset portraits that feels different from photographs taken earlier in the day.
By this point, the couple has usually settled into the wedding. The nerves from earlier have faded and they have had time to simply enjoy being married. Jenelle and Christopher were no different. By the time we went outside for their sunset photographs, they were completely in the moment. That made the photographs feel natural.
I could guide them when I needed to but there was plenty of space for them simply to interact with each other. This is one of the reasons I always encourage couples to allow a little flexibility in their wedding timeline. You don’t need an hour-long portrait session if that isn’t your thing. Sometimes ten or fifteen minutes at exactly the right time can create some of the most memorable photographs of the entire gallery. The sunset at this Highberry Vineyards wedding was one of those moments.
A Venue That Has Its Own Story
Highberry Vineyards wedding venue is not simply a beautiful backdrop.
The estate has its own history and character, which adds another layer to photographing a wedding there.
The farm has a strong connection to biodiversity and has returned around 12 hectares of land to indigenous Renosterveld habitat after previously being planted with alien pine trees. Over time, the natural landscape has begun returning, attracting birdlife and small wildlife. That relationship with the natural environment is part of what makes the estate feel so special.
As a photographer, I notice those things. I notice how the landscape changes from one area to another. I notice the way the vineyards sit against the mountains. I notice where the evening light falls and how the architecture interacts with the surrounding gardens. All of those things become part of the photographs. And when you combine that setting with a couple like Jenelle and Christopher, you have everything you need for a beautiful wedding story.
The Team Behind Jenelle and Christopher’s Day
A wedding this beautiful is never created by one person. There are always people working behind the scenes to make sure the day comes together exactly as the couple imagined it.
For Jenelle and Christopher, the wonderful team included A-Z Eats and Treats for the cake and canapés, Flowers from Heaven for the flowers, bouquets and candy table, Toast and Tassels Events and Stationery for the décor and stationery and RR Entertainment for the DJ.
Sade Sweets Adams took care of the makeup while Funky Z Hair and Beauty looked after the hair. The overall celebration took place at Highberry Wine Estate and I had the absolute pleasure of documenting the day through my camera.
Venue: Highberry Wine Estate
Cake & Canapés: A-Z Eats and Treats
Flowers, Bouquets & Candy Table: Flowers from Heaven
Coordinator: Flowers from Heaven
DJ: RR Entertainment
Décor & Stationery: Toast and Tassels Events and Stationery
Makeup: Sade Sweets Adams
Hair: Funky Z Hair and Beauty
Photography: Poplap Photography
Every one of these details became part of the story, but ultimately it was Jenelle and Christopher who gave the day its personality.
Why This Wedding Made My Top Three
I’ve photographed a lot of weddings over the years, and there are certain ones that stay with me for reasons that are difficult to explain.
This is one of them. Highberry Vineyards wedding venue was already one of my favourite venues to photograph but Jenelle and Christopher took the experience to another level.
They were simply so much fun together. They were in love, they laughed, they enjoyed each other and they allowed themselves to actually experience their wedding rather than spending the entire day worrying about photographs. That makes such a difference.
As a photographer, I want my couples to remember their wedding day rather than remember spending the entire day being photographed. My job is to capture the memories without taking over the experience.
And sometimes that means stepping in and giving direction. Sometimes it means quietly watching from the side. Sometimes it means grabbing the couple and saying, “Come on, the sunset is incredible!” With Jenelle and Christopher, that last one definitely happened. And I’m so glad it did.
Final Thoughts on Jenelle & Christopher’s Highberry Wedding
Looking back at Jenelle and Christopher’s Highberry Vineyards wedding venue, there are so many things I love about their story.
I love the emerald green suit Christopher chose. I love how beautifully the green carried through the bridesmaids and groomsmen. I love the bold leafy centrepieces and the elegant white tables. I love the candles and the way everything looked as the afternoon moved towards evening.
But most of all, I love the couple. Some people simply make sense together. Jenelle and Christopher were one of those couples. They were fun, completely in love and comfortable enough with each other to forget about the camera and just enjoy the day. That gave me the opportunity to capture something much more valuable than perfectly posed photographs. I captured their relationship. And then we had that sunset.
Standing outside at Highberry with the two of them while the light changed across the vineyards was one of those moments where I was reminded just how lucky I am to do what I do.
This Highberry Vineyards wedding will always be special to me and the venue has officially earned its place in my personal top three. Jenelle and Christopher, thank you for trusting me to tell the story of your wedding. Thank you for being yourselves in front of my camera and for making the day so much fun to photograph. And thank you for giving me an excuse to sneak outside for those sunset photographs.
I think we all know they were worth it.
Evelene
Poplap Photography & Design
