Photos by Drew
Dress: Dear Creatures Bonny Stargazer Dress, c/o Modcloth
Tights: Toasty Warm Tights, c/o Modcloth
Shoes: Swedish Hasbeens
’90s Coach bag: thrift store
I always love the Thanksgiving holiday since my birthday falls right around it, but this was the year I turned 30 so I’d been pretty much dreading it since I was, oh, 25. This whole month I’ve been a little bit down in the dumps because of it. I’ve gotten small cases of the birthday blues ever since I turned 20 and got sad I couldn’t be a kid anymore, so this birthday was especially tough to see on the horizon. Fortunately I was in Tennessee with my family and with Drew and had about as perfect a birthday I could wish for, complete with my mom’s pumpkin pancakes for breakfast, homemade vegetable pot pie for dinner, and of course chocolate cake for dessert. I did perfect day sorts of things like run on the treadmill and read and play piano, and when my mom asked how I’d like to spend my birthday I said I wanted to go to a nerdy historic site. So we went to Carnton Plantation in Franklin, Tennessee.
I knew about Carnton because my mom had told me about it and how during the Civil War it was used as a field hospital for Confederate soldiers after The Battle Of Franklin. She told me about the little graveyard on the side of the place, with over 1,000 soldiers buried under tiny simple headstones. But I didn’t know how creepy the place would be or how sad the whole thing was. There are still blood stains on the floor in the children’s nursery-turned-operating room, and I left the place wanting to take a ghost tour and read up more on Civil War history.
The day was weirdly cold, and I definitely had to pull out my new-old thrift store winter coat that I’ll show you later. For now here’s my birthday dress. This whole outfit is pretty much a bigger version of my niece Stella’s outfit, with the brown sandals and sweater tights and blue drop-waist dress, but I promise I didn’t plan it. One of my fashion-y resolutions for my 30s is to start dressing a little bit more grown-up and I wanted my birthday dress to show it, but when I saw this Dear Creatures dress I couldn’t really resist it, school uniform shape and all, so then I end up dressing just like my five year old niece. Oh well, there’s always next year.
55 Comments
The Birthday Dress looks great! Love the Carnton Plantation House with all the porches.
I’m glad your birthday was everything you wanted.
See you soon!
Thanks so much, Anthe, and thanks also for the gift!
Is your birthday November 28th? MINE IS TOO!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Happy birthday!!! Mine was the 26th . . . it’s funny how many bloggers have birthdays this time of year!
Oh how beautiful, love it! And Happy Birthday!!! Do you mind me asking, what kind of lens does Drew use? I’m fascinated by your photos!
Thanks, Gracie! I think it’s a Canon 35 mm lens . . .
Thirty, schmerty. You’re still you, and you look adorable. You can dress like a “grown up” when you turn 40! Happy birthday :n )
That sounds perfect, thank you!!
Happy Birthday Rhiannon! I can completely sympathise with the birthday blues, but you can console yourself with the fact that you still look 25 (or younger)!
my four year old niece is my fashion & life inspiration often! You look adorable in this Dear Creatures dress. I really like the white version of that dress too. You are young! Happy Birthday!
Crystal, I think I like the white version best too!
Happy Birthday! I never thought you were 30, more like you were my age (24)!
I must say I have been oogling that dress on Modcloth for a while now. It is the perfect little drop waisted dress and you wear it so well.
Amber, you should get it! It’s really gorgeous in person.
Wow! I would have never guessed that you were 30! You seriously don’t look any older than 25. It’s always a pleasure to see your outfits and gorgeous photography.
WOW! These photos are so beautiful :D I adore the dress! Dear Creatures is such an amazing label and I’m super envious of not only the drop waist, but how you pull it off perfectly!
I love that you went to a historical site for your birthday. Sounds like a lovely day. I know exactly what you mean by dreading the next birthday. I get so sad about growing up. It broke my heart when I turned twenty, then this year I turned 21 and I couldn’t stop it! I think you dress perfectly grown up. You always dress very vintage classy and I find people that ‘dress older’ just end up looking boring (not that I think you ever could) Happy Birthday and you should be super proud of being 30 and gorgeous! (after all it’s just a number :D)
Aww, thanks, Ayesha! I always got the same way about my birthday but now I wish I hadn’t, because being 21 is so, so young! You should just enjoy it. :)
Happy birthday dear (I too thought you were younger). I turned 30 last year and musat say I hugely enjoyed it – suddenyl I felt like ‘right, I am a real grown-up now. I can stop trying to please everyone else and just do what I like’. It felt great.
Hope you had a great day, I love all the pictures of your historical site visiting (these ones and all your others). Just what I like to do as well, but obviously the history in and around London is very different to where you so I love seeing how different it is! x
Wow, I’d trade you historic sites in a second. When I was in Ireland the historic sites were so old I couldn’t really get my head around them.
Also I think I know what you mean about being 30 . . .My 20s were so dramatic and angsty at times. 30 seems so much calmer. I really like it so far.
Shut up. :O You aren’t 30. You look younger than me and I’m 24. Well, Happy birthday!
Age ain’t nothin’ but a thang.
Aww no way, but thank you. :)
I’m flabbergasted. All along I’ve been thinking you were in your early twenties… but 30?! You seriously don’t look your age!
Aww . . well if I actually showed my face here I think you’d be able to tell. :)
Happy birthday! I love your Dear Creatures dress, it’s on my christmas list this year. These photos are really beautiful. Who needs to dress like a grown up anyway? I actually think the dress looks quite sophisticated on you.
From Carys of La Ville Inconnue
Thank you! Ooh, you’ll love the dress . . . it’s gorgeous
You look lovely Rhiannon, and no one should ever grow up! Beautiful photos as always, and a very happy birthday..
Gorgeous photos! happy birthday. And, you know what? I absolutely hate my birthday, for a multitude of reasons! even though I may be younger than 20 they still stress me out, I find them deeply unpleasant and have for years! But, thirty isn’t really so old! And you certainly don’t look any older at thirty than when your in your twenties!
Maddy, you should enjoy your birthdays! I was the same way when I was in my teens. I think one of the things that stresses me out about birthdays is being the center of attention.. This year I didn’t even tell people my birthday was coming.
Happy Birthday!!! :) Glad you had a lovely day to herald in a new decade!
I know what you mean about kind of dreading the 30-birthday; now that I’m 25 I realize it’s creeping closer and closer. haha. I really adore your outfit and how chic it is–and think that you don’t need to dress “more grown up”! ;) Your style suits you to a “t” and changing it to fit into the “grown up” mold would be tragic. ;)
♥ Casey | blog
Thanks so much, Casey! And 25 is so so young! I got the same way when I turned 25, but now I look back and wish I just enjoyed it. :)
It is so much fun learning about histories of places in the country. Very much so. What a very scary time it must have been for many people and for the nation as a whole. . since it was split and all. I have been dreading 30 since I turned 26 (I’m 27 currently). It was the idea that I was closer in age to 30 than 20 that did it. You don’t look 30. My mom had a bit of a break down when she turned 30. I fear that happening to me, but hopefully it won’t. Maybe as you get further along through this year you’ll feel much better about it. You’re gorgeous and make me actually look forward to 30. I hope you have a very happy birthday.
Victoria, aww, you’re still young! Yeah, I didn’t know if a breakdown was coming . . . I got sad for a while, but I think that’s really normal.
And it must have been terrifying during Civil War times! Esp. for the south . . . I can’t even imagine.
I already said this over facebook, but Happy Birthday! And don’t worry, you look twenty-three max to me.
Happy birthday Rhiannon! What a cool way to spend your day :)
Oh and I haven’t said it yet, but the pictures are so beautiful, as usual. Drew is so talented at taking simple but splendid photos, and I really like the way you write your articles too – simple but lovely, it makes your whole blog a pleasure to read!
Karla, thanks so much, that means a lot!!
Looks like you had a fantastic birthday, the pictures look lovely and I can only imagine what a delicious meal your mom had prepared for you! I loved that Dear Creatures dress from the first time I saw it on the lookbook. It’s so pretty!
Don’t worry about dressing young, I will turn 30 in a few months and we basically wear the same clothes ;) If you are young in your brain and in your heart, it shows outside so you are totally allowed to look young too! I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to grow up, I work in animation so I even chose a job that forces me to keep being a kid ;)
Aww, that’s a perfect job! Yeah, I think you’re right . . . a lot of it is youthful outlooks. :)
happy birthday! you don’t look a day over 25!!
have been a silent reader thus far, but i would like to let you know that i really like the layout + pictures on your blog! :)
cheers!
If your birthday is on Novermber 28-mine is too! It’d be pretty neat if we had the same birthday. I even posted my birthday dress :)
Anyway it looks like you had a pretty ideal one. You look like you’re in your early 20s still and I would say you have very lady-like style already. Grown-up but still full of character!
Bea from A plus B
I agree with Siri! You should dress how you feel, and if you feel young, dress young! As far as the down in the dumps feelings about aging … you have a lot to be proud of … you own your own successful business and run a very successful blog — you have friends and family and loads of internet fans! You shouldn’t be sad about 30! :-)
Happy birthday! I bet it was cold there because of all the ghosts. It seems like all my favorite bloggers just had their birthdays…what’s up with that?
These pictures are so lovely… I just wanted to say you have a great blog darling, inspirational wise is amazing.
Congrats
xxx kissmequick
Perfectly beautiful photos, and happy late birthday to you! :–)
A 30 year old has never looked so good. I seriously never would of guessed that you are 30! You look 24!! I hope you had an amazing birthday though – I love this dress on you, its just perfect! Chin up buttercup, 30 will be a good year!! x
Happy Birthday! and wow, I didn’t even know you were 30, you look much younger! hope your day was magical :)
Happy birthday!! <3 Don't worry, you honestly don't look a day over 21. No one would never, ever guess that you're 30. And I'm sure your 30th year will be absolutely fantastic!
Happy Birthday darling !
I never in a million years would have thought you were older than…22 at most.
Be a kid, it’s a much healthier and happier lifestyle.
That cemetery looks amazing, hope it was wonderful!
Happy Birthday! As a 28 year old who still loves glitterey headbands and peter pan collars I know what you mean about dressing your age. But then I look at pictures of Sarah Sophie Flicker, who must be 40 looking amazing in high waisted sequin shorts and think that age appropriate is a ridiculous concept.
Happy birthday. Don’t grow up. Its hopelessly dull.
wait a minute? You turned 30? For real? You look like 20 or something, not 30! Wow, im so in shock right now – cant believe it. However, happy birthday!
Just wanted to drop by and say Happy Birthday, love! :)
Aya of Strawberry Koi
Happy Belated Birthday and you don’t look a day over 25. :)
Thanks so much, everyone! All these comments really helped make a tough birthday a lot better!
Happy birthday dude!! 30 does seem calm. I know a bunch of folks who just turned 30 this year or last year, and it definitely seems like a nice mellow time! I still have a couple years in the 20′s but I feel like I left my crazy 20′s self behind so long ago already! Hope you have a real cool year.
Beautiful photos, j’adore le style.
Valérie