Evergreen Ever After at Fairmont Pacific Rim

Posted July 9, 2026

In Branding, Luxury Weddings, Media, Weddings

Some wedding visions begin with a colour palette. Others begin with a feeling. For Issy and Charlie, the starting point for Evergreen Ever After at Fairmont Pacific Rim was personal… no fresh florals! Issy was concerned that a sensitivity to fresh flowers could interfere with enjoying her wedding day. For DreamGroup Planner Bonnie Wong, that was not a limitation—it was an invitation to approach the design differently. Issy and Charlie’s elegant winter wedding proved that a celebration can be lush, romantic, and completely alive without including fresh flowers!

The result was a striking, greenery-forward winter wedding filled with preserved botanicals, sculptural branches, soft dried textures, and just the right amount of glamour. Against the contemporary setting of the Fairmont Pacific Rim, the celebration felt timeless, relaxed, and beautifully unexpected.

Fashionably Winter White

Issy looked luminous in a romantic gown from Vimo Wedding, styled with delicate sheer gloves, layered pearl jewellery, and an airy veil. Her dress was classic, yet the architectural bodice and dimensional skirt gave it a distinctly modern personality.

Her beauty look by The Love Team Makeup and Hair was equally timeless: radiant skin, softly defined eyes, and romantic waves gathered away from her face.

Charlie complemented her beautifully in a winter-white dinner jacket with black lapels, formalwear from The Tux Store. Together, they looked polished without appearing overly styled, a perfect reflection of the effortless elegance they wanted for the day.

Their first look unfolded among the natural light and abundant greenery of the hotel. Charlie’s emotional reaction was priceless, and Issy’s smile said everything.

Twenty Friends = Energy + Love

Issy and Charlie celebrated with an impressively large wedding party… ten attendants on each side! This brought an incredible amount of joy, personality, and lively energy to the day. They also required careful logistical planning. With a group of this size, extra time for beauty services, transportation, portraits, and gathering everyone into position was essential.

Bonnie intentionally built generous buffers into the wedding-day timeline so the group could enjoy the experience without every transition feeling rushed. That thoughtful preparation paid off in the wedding-party portraits captured throughout downtown Vancouver by Danaea and Silas of The Godards Photography.

Set against glass towers, heritage architecture, and the dramatic winter light of the city, the captures were sophisticated, playful, and unmistakably Vancouver. Danaea and Silas also captured the quieter in-between moments beautifully—the laughter, emotional reactions, subtle glances, and unmistakable excitement surrounding Issy and Charlie.

Meanwhile, Maclean and Erin of Hello Tomorrow Films documented the movement and emotion of the day through their story-driven approach to filmmaking. Check out the beautiful Highlight Reel from Issy & Charlie’s wedding…

A Ceremony in the Round

One of Bonnie’s favourite design elements was the dreamy collection of limonium and lunaria “clouds” that surrounded Issy and Charlie during the ceremony.

Instead of placing the couple at the front of the ballroom in a conventional arrangement, the couple stood in the centre of the room. Guests encircled them in gold Napoleon chairs provided by Éclat Décor, creating a ceremony that felt personal, immersive, and beautifully connected.

Soft clouds of preserved white botanicals lined the aisle and gathered around the couple, while expansive greenery arrangements added height and movement throughout the room. Overhead, the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s sculptural ceiling treatment cast a warm, flattering glow across the ceremony.

The circular layout brought everyone closer to the vows. There was no distant “back row” — only Issy and Charlie, surrounded by the people they loved most.

Richard Teng with Vancouver Officiant guided the ceremony with warmth and ease, allowing the emotional significance of the moment to shine.

A Seating Chart Worthy of Its Own Moment

The botanical theme continued into cocktail hour with one of the day’s most memorable installations.

A custom seating-chart wall was surrounded by dense winter greenery, preserved foliage, delicate branches, and soft white botanicals. Flowing linen panels printed with guests’ names added movement and contrast against the deep green backdrop.

Designed by Heirloom Stationery, the stationery felt modern and editorial while remaining cohesive with the romantic woodland aesthetic.

It was practical, certainly—but it was also a beautifully styled welcome into the reception experience. Guests did not simply locate their seats; they encountered another thoughtful chapter of Issy and Charlie’s design story.

A Classic Winter Palette Reimagined

Issy and Charlie envisioned something understated yet elevated: effortless winter whites, deep hunter green, and sophisticated black accents. They wanted the wedding to feel romantic and refined without becoming overly formal or elaborate.

Bonnie enlisted Celsia Floral to curate an entirely fresh-flower-free botanical story. Preserved florals, textural greenery, wispy grasses, branches, ferns, lunaria, and delicate limonium were layered together to create arrangements that felt wonderfully organic.

From Issy’s bouquet to the ceremony installations, reception arrangements, and statement seating chart, every element reflected the same woodland-inspired aesthetic.

And Bonnie was absolutely in love with the result.

Rather than attempting to imitate traditional floral arrangements, the Celsia team leaned into the distinctive movement and character of preserved materials. The compositions felt almost as though they had been gathered from an enchanted winter forest—wild in texture yet thoughtful in form.

A Team That Knows What Comes Next

For Bonnie, one of the greatest successes of the wedding was the collaborative spirit behind it.

“I truly believe the vendor team—and having everyone’s talents shine through with their unique contributions—is what makes a wedding memorable, personal, and successful. Often, without specific direction, experienced vendors already know what needs to happen next. It is their experience, passion, and personalities that make the day feel so magical.”

The team at the Fairmont Pacific Rim — shout out to Merina & Richard — provided the polished hospitality and exceptional service for which the hotel is known. Éclat Décor helped define the ceremony and reception spaces, while Celsia’s botanical artistry established the celebration’s distinctive visual style.

The Love Team guided a busy morning of beauty preparations, and The Godards and Hello Tomorrow worked seamlessly together to document the experience. As the evening unfolded, DJ Johnny with About Town Entertainment kept the energy moving and the celebration going.

It was a true team effort—and precisely the kind of creative collaboration Bonnie values most.

Remembering the Heart of the Day with Evergreen Ever After at Fairmont Pacific Rim

No matter how carefully a wedding is planned, unexpected circumstances can arise. Bonnie’s greatest takeaway from Issy and Charlie’s celebration was the importance of remaining grounded in the couple’s priorities. Stay calm. Control the emotion of the moment. Keep the day moving. Adapt thoughtfully. And never lose sight of why everyone is there.

The ultimate goal is not rigid perfection. It is to create the very best experience possible for the couple and the people they hold dearest.

A Thank You for Bonnie…

“We appreciate you so much, and we are so thankful to have you on this journey with us. It’s been a week since the wedding, but it feels like everything happened yesterday! We are grateful for all you did for us. It was a good team to have on our big day, and it is for sure a day that we will remember for the rest of our lives—and remembered by many of our friends too. Everything was so lovely and beyond our expectations.”
—Issy & Charlie

Fresh flowers may have been absent, but beauty certainly was not.

Issy and Charlie’s wedding was lush without feeling traditional, glamorous without being overstated, and elegant without sacrificing warmth. Most importantly, it felt completely and authentically theirs.