Canon Charanza Weds Tate Sawyer | Modern Glam North Texas Wedding

Canon and Tate have a romance that could be straight from a storybook, and their modern glam North Texas wedding was the perfect beginning to their new chapter as husband and wife! Classic black and white wedding invites from Paper Planet set the tone for the big day. The incredible reception took place at The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth with lighting by Beyond, gorgeous gold linens, white and subtle soft pink florals and bright show lights that spelled “The Sawyers.” The bridesmaids wore black floor-length satin gowns from Bella Bridesmaids that complemented Canon’s strapless Vera Wang ball gown, and their makeup was perfection thanks to the pros at Grand Slam Glam. Creme de la Creme Cake Company crafted the incredible six-tier wedding cake, and at the end of the perfect celebration the happy couple was whisked away by Blue Diamond Limousines! Cheers to Canon and Tate and their fabulous celebration!

Photos // Sarah Kate, Photographer

Written by Megan Hemmelgarn

Just like a scene out of a fairytale story book, Canon met her prince charming Tate at the age of 15. She was without a date to the debutante ball and needed a last-minute escort for her big night. She was set up on a blind date and wasn’t sure if her knight in shining armor would make it back from a baseball tournament in time to save the day, but he did. Nearly six years later, she would once again wear a white dress but this time to marry her prince.

Canon and Tate had a romantic start to their relationship, so the proposal had to be just as special. The couple was vacationing in Europe during the summer of 2016. During their visit to Italy, Canon was waiting to meet Tate for their date but noticed he was nowhere to be found. Instead, a personal driver picked her up with a rose sitting in her seat with a bible verse saying “My beloved spoke and said to me ‘Arise my darling, my beautiful one and come with me.’” Canon’s mom, knowing what dress Canon was going to wear that night, had also sent a pair of earrings to complete her look for this special day. After a twenty minute drive around Florence, she was dropped off at the Villa Cora estate and was given another bible verse and rose by her future father-in-law. Canon was completely taken by surprise to see him there. He then escorted her through a trail of candles while a harpist played “A Thousand Years.” Tate handed her the final rose and verse, got down on one knee and asked to be hers forever. The Italian phrase “Sono Sicuro” was stitched inside the ring box meaning “I’m sure,” and she couldn’t agree more. Tate also gave her the same ceramic tile that he gave her their sophomore year of high school, asking her to be his girlfriend. This time, she checked the box yes in permanent marker.

The celebrations continued when another surprise guest, Canon’s father, appeared with a tray of champagne and both moms came out from hiding in the bushes. She was elated that her family had made this special trip to surprise her. Since family and friendships are very important to Canon and Tate, they made sure to include every one that was special to them in their wedding planning process. “Planning our wedding gave me a new appreciation for all of the selfless, intentional people that surround me each and every day,” Canon said. “Our loved ones were so incredibly steadfast in their commitment to making Tate and I feel loved and celebrated at every turn. I learned not to take a single moment for granted, because the sweetest memories are often made at the most unexpected and seemingly simple of times.” Canon says she was blessed to have her maid of honor Ashton around to help plan the wedding as they were roommates and planning their weddings that were just one month apart. The couple also wanted to include Tate’s sister Tara, who went to be with the Lord at age 10, into their big day. Canon had photo charms made for all of Tate’s immediate family members to have Tara close to their hearts that day. The men wore the charms on the inside of their tuxedo jackets and the women tied the charms around their flowers. “Tara was also listed as a ‘heavenly bridesmaid’ on our ceremony programs,” Canon said. “I know she would have been standing by my side that day and wanted to honor her in that way.” Canon also kept her mother, future mother-in-law and grandmothers close to her that day by incorporating parts of their wedding dresses into a wedding garter as her “something blue.”

Canon and Tate kept the sentiments flowing by choosing wedding gifts that reminded them of their courtship. For Tate’s gift, Canon made a personal book filled with memories during their relationship – ticket stubs, handwritten notes, boarding passes and other things. Tate surprised Canon with a gorgeous clutch purse made with material from the debutant dress she wore when they first met. The purse also had material from Canon’s mother’s debutante dress, plus both mother’s and grandmother’s wedding gowns. The wedding date was stitched inside along with Canon’s new married initials and “Sono Sicuro.” The Italian phrase that Tate had on the inside of the ring box during the proposal. Canon also had a few surprises up her sleeve and had that same phrase engraved into Tate’s wedding band. She also walked down the aisle to the same song that the harpist played during the proposal.

The newlyweds chose a modern-glam theme for their July wedding and kept all of the decor and flowers very elegant and classic. The place where they held their ceremony, the Christ Chapel Bible Church, featured several bare tree branches filled with white florals. The theme continued into the reception area at the Modern Museum of Art in Fort Worth with gold linens, white and subtle soft pink florals and bright show lights that spelled “The Sawyers.” The bridesmaids wore black floor-length satin gowns that complemented Canon’s strapless Vera Wang ball gown. She later changed into a sparkly gown by Inbal Dror for the reception fun.

One of the big hits for the reception was the live painter that painted the couple’s first dance. “Because our reception was at an art museum, we couldn’t get enough of this personal touch,” Canon said. “She beautifully represented the event and many of our loved ones in the painting. Our guests loved watching her in action.” For most of the night the Jordan Kahn Orchestra was in charge of entertaining the guests until a special performance was made by the mothers of the bride and groom. At age 10, Canon’s mom had promised to perform one particular song from the musical “Mamma Mia!” at her daughter’s wedding reception and she lived up to the promise. “I will never forget hearing the intro of “Dancing Queen” playing from the band stage and seeing my mom, my mom’s best friend, and my mother-in-law run out onto the dance floor in their black, sparkly head-to-toe Mamma Mia outfits and performing a dance choreographed by my childhood cheerleading coaches,” Canon gushed. “They rocked it and the crowd went crazy! It was truly unforgettable.”

Another highlight of the night was the food. The couple wanted to feature some Texas favorites, like honey butter chicken biscuits and candied bacon and served French fries for a late snack. They also named the mashed potato station after the groom as the Mashed Po-“Tate”-O bar. Creme de la Creme had made cakes for Canon’s family since she was a little girl and crafted a massive 6-tiered wedding cake with rows of flowers in between each tier. But the biggest talk of the night was the 14-foot donut wall by FunkyTown Donuts. Many guests claimed it was their favorite photo backdrop of the night. Since Tate and Canon both attended TCU, the band played the fight song for all of their college friends to gather and chant together. The final song of the night was “All the Small Things,” another classic ode to their fraternity and sorority brothers and sisters. After the final song, the newlyweds were showered with flower petals and hopped into a white vintage 1936 Touring Sedan Oldsmobile. “In the end, I’m thankful beyond words to walk away with the greatest blessing of all: my precious husband, Tate!” Canon said.

“There is no greater feeling than finally being his wife! Truly my life’s greatest gift.”