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The Tropics in Tennessee

The Bride: Dana Holmer
The Groom: Tad Miller
Wedding Date: June 27, 2009
Venue: Cedarwood

Dana Holmer and Tad Miller always thought they would get married on the beach. Years later, after developing a deep connection to the city of Nashville, Tennessee, and knowing it would be easier to plan a wedding from home, they decided to bring the beach to Nashville with a tropical wedding at Cedarwood estate. Though Cedarwood’s Southern charm is well established, dating back to the mid 1800s, Dana and Tad managed to transform the grounds with island-themed food and a steel-drum duo.
Ceremony – Gone Fishing
Officiated by a dear friend, Reverend Jody Hines, Dana and Tad’s ceremony was a testament to their sense of humor. During the vows, Hines asked, “Tad, do you promise to love Dana more than you love fishing?” and then later, “Dana, do you promise to love Tad more than Tad loves fishing?” Jokes aside, their ceremony was filled with meaningful moments like the reading of a poem written by Tad’s late grandmother.
Ceremony – Gone Fishing
Officiated by a dear friend, reverend Jody Hines, Dana and Tad’s ceremony was a testament to their sense of humor. During the vows Hines asked, “Tad, do you promise to love Dana more than you love fishing?” and then later, “Dana do you promise to love Tad more than Tad loves fishing?” Jokes aside, their ceremony was filled with meaningful moments like the reading of a poem written by Tad’s late grandmother.
Venue – A Neat Package
Cedarwood, an Antebellum farm estate, was built in 1830 and offers a wide variety of indoor and outdoor spaces, from the historic Yarborough house with its sprawling gardens to a 300-square-foot open-air dance floor and entertainment area. Dana and Tad crossed their fingers for good weather so they could enjoy the estate’s lush grounds. “Besides being a beautiful venue, we were sold on the package part of it,” Dana recalls. The all-inclusive approach allowed the couple to customize every detail of their event directly through the venue.
Venue – A Neat Package
Cedarwood, an Antebellum farm estate, was built in 1830 and offers a wide variety of indoor and outdoor spaces, from the historic Yarborough house with its sprawling gardens to a 300-square-foot open-air dance floor and entertainment area. Dana and Tad crossed their fingers for good weather so they could enjoy the estate’s lush grounds. “Besides being a beautiful venue, we were sold on the package part of it,” Dana recalls. The all-inclusive approach allowed the couple to customize every detail of their event directly through the venue.
Venue – A Neat Package
Cedarwood, an Antebellum farm estate, was built in 1830 and offers a wide variety of indoor and outdoor spaces, from the historic Yarborough house with its sprawling gardens to a 300-square-foot open-air dance floor and entertainment area. Dana and Tad crossed their fingers for good weather so they could enjoy the estate’s lush grounds. “Besides being a beautiful venue, we were sold on the package part of it,” Dana recalls. The all-inclusive approach allowed the couple to customize every detail of their event directly through the venue.
Venue – A Neat Package
Cedarwood, an Antebellum farm estate, was built in 1830 and offers a wide variety of indoor and outdoor spaces, from the historic Yarborough house with its sprawling gardens to a 300-square-foot open-air dance floor and entertainment area. Dana and Tad crossed their fingers for good weather so they could enjoy the estate’s lush grounds. “Besides being a beautiful venue, we were sold on the package part of it,” Dana recalls. The all-inclusive approach allowed the couple to customize every detail of their event directly through the venue.
Theme – Tropical Punch
The tropical theme was consistently represented through the exquisite décor. Karen Wright, Cedarwood’s on-site florist, displayed exotic tropical arrangements in coconut shell vases and tied them to the wooden chairs with raffia. Hot pink and soft green linens graced the tables where monteria leaf chargers were a fun twist on the traditional place settings. Paper lanterns that mirrored the wedding colors hung both inside the pavilion and out over the open-air dance floor.
Theme – Tropical Punch
The tropical theme was consistently represented through the exquisite décor. Karen Wright, Cedarwood’s on-site florist, displayed exotic tropical arrangements in coconut shell vases and tied them to the wooden chairs with raffia. Hot pink and soft green linens graced the tables where monteria leaf chargers were a fun twist on the traditional place settings. Paper lanterns that mirrored the wedding colors hung both inside the pavilion and out over the open-air dance floor.
Theme – Tropical Punch
The tropical theme was consistently represented through the exquisite décor. Karen Wright, Cedarwood’s on-site florist, displayed exotic tropical arrangements in coconut shell vases and tied them to the wooden chairs with raffia. Hot pink and soft green linens graced the tables where monteria leaf chargers were a fun twist on the traditional place settings. Paper lanterns that mirrored the wedding colors hung both inside the pavilion and out over the open-air dance floor.
Cake – Hot Sweets
No surprise for a late June wedding in Nashville, it was hot, sticky, and close to 100 degrees. So hot, in fact, that even though their pink and green, five square layer cake was stored inside, by the time the couple cut it, the buttercream was melting – and fast! “We thought it was hilarious,” Dana says. “There was plenty of cake to go around, and that’s all that mattered.”
Stationery – Part of the Package
Cedarwood took care of the stationery as part of their all-inclusive package. A pink hibiscus flower was chosen adorned the invitations, table numbers, and seating chart. The venue created ceremony programs that doubled as fans to help guests beat the heat, featuring magenta text on a thick ivory cardstock attached to a handle where a tiny magenta ribbon acted as the final accent.
Music – Steel Drums & Superman
During the ceremony and cocktail hour, Deep Grooves Steel Drum Duo’s relaxing sounds encouraged guests to forget the searing heat and enjoy the moment. Tyrone Smith Revue took over for the reception. From classic rock to funky soul, Smith and his band, who are famous throughout the south, put on quite a show. Smith staged freestyle dance contests and later in the evening trading his classy white suit for Superman costume.
Music – Steel Drums & Superman
During the ceremony and cocktail hour, Deep Grooves Steel Drum Duo’s relaxing sounds encouraged guests to forget the searing heat and enjoy the moment. Tyrone Smith Revue took over for the reception. From classic rock to funky soul, Smith and his band, who are famous throughout the south, put on quite a show. Smith staged freestyle dance contests and later in the evening trading his classy white suit for Superman costume.

The Tropics in Tennessee

Dana Holmer and Tad Miller always thought they would get married on the beach. Years later, after developing a deep connection to the city of Nashville, Tennessee, and knowing it would be easier to plan a wedding from home, they decided to bring the beach to Nashville with a tropical wedding at Cedarwood estate. Though Cedarwood’s Southern charm is well established, dating back to the mid 1800s, Dana and Tad managed to transform the grounds. From the island-themed food to the steel-drum duo, every detail of their June 27, 2009, celebration emanated the warmth and relaxed vibe of the Caribbean islands.

The Tropics in Tennessee

Dana Holmer and Tad Miller always thought they would get married on the beach. Years later, after developing a deep connection to the city of Nashville, Tennessee, and knowing it would be easier to plan a wedding from home, they decided to bring the beach to Nashville with a tropical wedding at Cedarwood estate. Though Cedarwood’s Southern charm is well established, dating back to the mid 1800s, Dana and Tad managed to transform the grounds. From the island-themed food to the steel-drum duo, every detail of their June 27, 2009, celebration emanated the warmth and relaxed vibe of the Caribbean islands.