Forest Inspired Vancouver Wedding at Beth Israel

Into the Woods, Into Forever at Beth Israel

Posted June 18, 2026

In Branding, Jewish Wedding, Media, Weddings

Rabbi Philip Gibbs and Ashley Charach’s forest-inspired Vancouver wedding was a beautiful reminder that a venue can become almost anything with the right vision, the right team, and a planner who knows how to make magic happen in real time. Led by DreamGroup planner Brynn Belisle, this forest inspired Jewish Vancouver wedding at Congregation Beth Israel was anything but expected. Ashley had always dreamed of being married in the forest. So, naturally, we brought the forest to her with Into the Woods, Into Forever at Beth Israel.

Instead of leaning into a traditional ballroom-first layout, Ashley and Philip wanted to experience Beth Israel in a fresh and deeply personal way. They imagined an outdoor ceremony, an outdoor Hora, an open-air dinner, and a late-night party that still carried the same woodsy, North Shore-inspired feeling they love so much.

As captured by Sambajoy, these photos show the heart of the day… the sacred traditions, the joyful laughter, the family connection, and all the beautiful moments in between.

Hair & Makeup provided by Save the Date Beauty.

The Ketubah Signing: A Quietly Powerful Beginning

Before the main ceremony, the wedding included one of the most meaningful Jewish traditions: the signing of the Ketubah. Set inside Beth Israel’s warm wood-paneled Chapel, this moment carried a beautiful sense of intimacy, history, and joyful anticipation.

Tree of Life artwork on the Ketubah was meaningful as it echoed the forest-inspired wedding design that would unfold later in the day. Surrounded by family, tradition, and the people closest to them, Ashley and Philip made their commitments to each other.

Rabbi Paula Rose guided the moment with warmth, while Philip’s Shofar call added a powerful layer of tradition. There were smiles, laughter, and a few quiet emotional pauses. Then came the Bedecken, where Philip gently placed the veil over Ashley — a tender moment filled with emotion, smiles, and quiet anticipation. Ashley, glowing beneath her veil, leaned into the moment with a heartfelt presence. Philip was focused but joyous. Together, their energy felt sacred.

The ketubah itself was displayed on an easel, featuring a tree illustration that felt perfectly aligned with the couple’s love of nature. It was more than a legal or ceremonial document; it became part of the visual story of the day.

Once Ashley and Philip signed, the room shifted from quiet anticipation to celebration. The laughter, hugs, and emotional reactions captured by Sambajoy show the kind of in-between moments that make a wedding day feel so important. Before the chuppah, before the Hora, before the long-table dinner and packed dance floor, this was the moment where everything became beautifully real.

Bringing the Forest to the Eastern Courtyard

The ceremony took place in the Eastern Courtyard at Beth Israel, where guests were welcomed into a lush, romantic, and earthy setting. The couple exchanged vows beneath a wooden chuppah beautifully covered in greenery and florals by Dushan Flowers.

The design direction was whimsical, woodsy, and organic. No pink in sight which was a specific request of the bride, Ashley. Instead, the palette leaned into dark green, brown, cream, lavender, sage, champagne, and beige. It felt soft, grounded, and completely true to Ashley and Philip’s love of hiking, nature, and the North Shore.

Guests were seated in wood crossback chairs beneath the tent, giving the ceremony a warm, forest-floor feeling while still feeling polished and wedding-worthy. It was the kind of setting that felt like it had always belonged there, which is exactly the kind of transformation we love.

Stationery by Making Memories with Stationery

“Hiring Brynn from DreamGroup to plan our wedding was easily the best decision we could have made. She understood and had expertise with our religious and cultural needs. I had always dreamed of getting married in the middle of the forest, but it wasn’t realistic given our guest count and logistics. Brynn was able to help us bring the theme of a forest wedding to our venue. Having a list of recommended vendors to choose from was a game changer, and Brynn was able to perfectly match these vendors to our needs. Our wedding was truly the best day ever.”

~ Ashley Charach

An Outdoor Hora? Yes, Please.

One of the most memorable moments of the day was the cocktail reception on the Boxer Plaza. Ashley and Philip didn’t want their Hora tucked away inside the ballroom. They wanted it outside, full of energy, and surrounded by their people.

Enter Side One Band.

With live music filling the space, the Hora kicked off the cocktail hour in the most electric way. Guests absolutely loved it! The energy was joyful, unexpected, and completely contagious — the kind of wedding moment people talk about long after the last song has played.

The Courtyard Flip: Big Vision, Quick Work, Beautiful Result

Ashley and Philip also dreamed of having dinner outdoors in the same Eastern Courtyard where their ceremony had taken place. That meant one thing: a very hands-on space flip in a very short window of time. With a stellar vendor team and a clear plan, the ceremony space was transformed into a 200 -person forest-inspired long table dinner in just 90 Minutes! Phew!

The wood crossback chairs from the ceremony were repurposed for dinner, while beige table linens, sage napkins, dark green ruscus vine garlands, and glass cloches with twinkling string lights created a warm woodland glow. The overall feeling was intimate, immersive, and so beautifully connected.

After the movement and excitement of the outdoor cocktail reception, guests returned to the courtyard for a dinner experience by Nava Creative Kosher Cuisine, that felt relaxed, heartfelt, and wonderfully atmospheric.

Planner Insight: Guest Communication Matters

One of Brynn’s biggest takeaways from this wedding was the importance of guest communication tools, especially for large weddings.

Escort cards, seating charts, maps, table numbers, and place cards with entrée identifiers all play an essential role in helping guests move smoothly through the event. While these details can absolutely be beautiful, their purpose goes beyond aesthetics.

As Brynn noted, the guest perspective matters. Stationery is not just about how it looks. It is about how it supports the guest experience.

For a large wedding with multiple event spaces, thoughtful communication tools help guests feel confident, welcomed, and cared for. And when guests know where to go, when to move, and where they are seated, the whole event feels more seamless.

Forest Vibes, Signature Cocktails, and a Happy Crowd

Ashley and Philip’s signature cocktails — an Old Fashioned and a Gimlet — were a huge hit. The drink service was designed with guest experience in mind, especially for a group of 200 people.

With design support from Le Marais Decor, the bar moments were layered with wood stumps, black lanterns, greenery, and other thoughtful accents, creating a cohesive guest experience from ceremony to cocktails to dinner to dancing.

Sweet Kosher Candy Favors

As one more thoughtful guest touch, Ashley and Philip included a kosher candy cart from The Candy Curio. Guests could help themselves to sweets throughout the evening, creating a playful and generous favor moment that felt easy, fun, and perfectly suited to the flow of the party.

Bringing the Outdoors Inside for the Late-Night Party

After dinner, heartfelt speeches, and cake cutting, guests were invited into the Gales Family Ballroom for the late-night party. However, this was not a typical ballroom reveal. Instead, Brynn and the vendor team carried the forest feeling indoors.

A gorgeous champagne drapery wall with ruscus vines hanging down, six tall maple trees, a wooden bar, wood stump accents, and black lanterns rounded out the theme exquisitely. Cocktail tables from the reception were repurposed with beige linens, while eight large round tables with dark green linens, ruscus vines, and cloches with twinkly lights brought the outdoor dinner aesthetic into the party space.

The result was moody, elegant, and immersive. It felt like guests had stepped into another chapter of the same forest-inspired story.

And then Side One Band did what Side One does best: they rocked the party. Professional, polished, and packed with energy, they kept the room alive and the celebration going strong.

Why This Beth Israel Wedding Felt So Different

Many people have attended weddings at Beth Israel before, but this celebration surprised them. Instead of experiencing the venue in one predictable way, guests moved through a series of distinct and memorable spaces:

Outdoor ceremony in the Eastern Courtyard
Lively cocktail reception and Hora in Boxer Plaza
Forest-inspired long table dinner back in the Eastern Courtyard
Late-night dancing in the Gales Family Ballroom

Each transition gave guests something new to discover. More importantly, each space still felt connected to Ashley and Philip’s vision.

That is where experienced planning really matters. A wedding with multiple locations, major space flips, and 200 guests requires more than pretty design. It requires timing, logistics, communication, guest flow, and a planner who can keep the whole experience moving beautifully.

A Wedding That Felt Like Ashley and Philip

At the heart of this wedding was a couple who knew what they loved and trusted their team to bring it to life.

Ashley and Philip live on the North Shore and love hiking, so a forest-inspired wedding was not just a pretty concept. It was personal. It reflected their lifestyle, their connection to nature, and the feeling they wanted to create for their guests. This wedding was everything Ashley and Philip had dreamed of — and then some.

It was unexpected, immersive, energetic, and beautifully them.