When Wade asked Chareta to marry him, she was thrilled, but the first thing she asked him was, “Did you ask my dad?” When he explained how far he’d gone to get their blessings in person, Chareta could only think one thing: “He was definitely sent from God!”
“My wedding dress was a Maggie Sotero gown,” Chareta tells us. “It was difficult for me to get in the right mindset to search for it, but once I found it, I knew it was the one.”
“My veil had Swarovski crystals all over it,” says Chareta. “I wore sparkly metallic pumps. My most favorite accessory was my new ring. It was a gorgeous sapphire stone surrounded by diamonds. I love sapphires!”
“I had my hair styled in a loose side-do with curls during my bridal portrait session, and I was sold on the look,” says Chareta, who also wore that style on her wedding day.
“I knew I wanted pink and yellow flowers for my wedding,” says Chareta. “I also knew I liked roses, but after that, I just let my florist and planner design something fabulous. My bouquet was made of soft pink roses, ranunculus and hydrangeas.”
Chareta said she knew Wade was the man for her when she realized they had the same views and values. “Plus, he reminded me a lot of my dad,” she adds. “And, I’m a true daddy’s girl.”
“Wade is laid back, strong, caring, loving, thoughtful and sweet,” says Chareta. “This list could go on and on.”
“We knew we wanted to have our vow renewal in Dallas because that is where Wade is originally from,” the bride explains. “Our first wedding was small and simple, in a small church in Lauderhill, Florida, on a Tuesday afternoon (NFL off-day). This time around, we wanted a venue and event that represented our love for each other and our growth over the last 10 years.” Plus, the couple needed to accommodate 250 guests.
The back side of the room was draped with white chiffon to create a dreamy entrance just for the wedding party. Silver chameleon chairs were set up in a semi-circle around a large white chiffon chuppa and there was a white aisle lined with large fluffy piles of rose petals. Candle stands lined each side of the aisle with glitter beeswax pillar candles that were draped with an assortment of flowers.
Chareta was determined to find a gown that her bridesmaids could wear again but that was still chic and elegant enough for a wedding. These Bill Levkoff gowns really covered all bases. For their bouquets, the ladies carried bouquets of roses and freesia with some hydrangeas and a pop of yellow to contrast with their soft pink dresses.
“Before the ceremony began, guests enjoyed wine and cheese in the foyer where a live artist painted a portrait of a monarch butterfly,” says Chareta. “Wade’s grandmother passed away just before the wedding and he was very close to her, so I wanted to do something to remember her in a special way. She loved butterflies, so after the canvas painting was complete, we placed it on an easel inside the ceremony space for the guests to see when they walked in. This was my way of paying tribute to her.”
“In that moment, I just felt accomplished,” Wade explains. “The fact that we made it 10 years, and that I could provide an opportunity for her dad to walk her down the aisle in front of everybody was special. At our first wedding, there were only eight of us there. There was a lot of hard work that we put into the wedding, and it came to life at that moment when I got to see her walk down the aisle.”
“I walked down the aisle with my dad to ‘Never Felt This Way’ by Brian McKnight,” says the beaming bride. “Wade actually surprised me and had Brian McKnight live and in person serenading me while he played the grand piano when I came into the room. It was amazing!”
“There are no words for how I felt in that moment,” Chareta shares. “Knowing that I was about to renew my vows to Wade in front of all of our close family and friends, I was excited, anxious, happy and overjoyed.”
The same officiant who married them 10 years before was there to help them renew their cherished vowels.
“We renewed our traditional vows and we also read our special vows that we wrote for the occasion,” Chareta shares.
Wade and Chareta each had six attendants by their side on the big day. Her bridesmaids included her sister Chandra, Wade’s sister Tony, three of her close girlfriends and her niece. Wade’s groomsmen included his brother and five of his longtime friends. Plus, they had seven flower girls—their nieces and three daughters, Arissa, Aaliyah and Arielle.
Wade and his family pose for a memorable moment that they won’t soon forget. What a beautiful family. #BlackLove
“Our cake was huge,” the bride recalls. “It was provided by Susie’s Cakes, a bakery in Houston, TX. I didn’t know what I wanted, but when I walked into her showroom, I saw a replica of a cake that I knew was almost exactly what I wanted. It was six tiers, tall and white with pink stenciling. The topper was the number “10” made out of Swarovski crystals. The best thing about our cake is that it tasted even better than it looked.”
The couple filled their reception space with flowers to create a romantic, fairytale vibe.
“I wanted every table to be grand in its own way, so we used both mirror tables and soft linens, mixed metals, mercury glass and crystals,” Chareta shares. “There were candles everywhere—floating candles, votive candles and glittered, beeswax pillar candles—in addition to two different table arrangements.”
Brian McKnight stuck around for encore performance during their cocktail hour and reception party. “Not only did he sing our first dance song, but he also sang while I danced with my father and then performed for another 20 minutes before he finished up with an acoustic guitar rendition of ‘Crazy Love,'” gushes the bride. “It was amazing.” (Well done, Wade!)
A custom ice fountain with blue ocean water featured the couple’s custom monogram and wedding date.
Thanks to wedding planner Alexia McWhinney of The Savvy Consultants and florist Bahara Jamea, of Planets n’ Petals, Wade and Chareta’s wedding and reception space looked like something out of a fairytale. Wow!
We love it when a bride and groom go out of their way to put a smile on the other’s face. Chareta surprised Wade with a sweet table representing his entire football career from high school to the present day.
The sweets table had all of Wade’s favorite candy bars, the brownies that he loves and some custom cookies representing Lake Highlands High School, University of Memphis, and his current team, the Houston Texans.
Jersey cookies anyone? We love the custom details, guys. They just keep getting better!
“It was just so special to us to be able to spend this night in front of our family and friends, especially since we didn’t have that same opportunity the first time around,” explains Chareta.
Two DJs entertained the crowd. Wade’s longtime friend DJ Lil Bro and well-known Dallas DJ ASAP took turns spinning. The couple also hosted a social media kiosk, which was like a photo booth where guests could upload their selfies from the booth straight to their Twitter and Facebook pages.
Don’t Wade and Chareta make a beautiful couple? Their love shines through in each photo and it’s contagious.
Chareta’s single friends were all smiles when it was time to catch the bouquet.
Did you enjoy Chareta and Wade’s fairytale wedding as much as we did? Leave them a little comment love below and tell us which details you loved most. You can see more photos from the couple’s big day over at The Bride’s Cafe now. Want to see your wedding featured in Bridal Bliss? Email us now!
