Before it gets too far past my birthday (3.5 weeks ago), I wanted to recap and reflect on my 30th birthday celebrations. I had fairly low expectations for this birthday with all that's going on my life this year, but it ended up being so special. It even had a few special surprises in store!
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I'm such a believer in celebrating all birthdays, but especially milestone ones! Confession though: I wasn't very excited initially for my 30th birthday. It had nothing to do with turning 30. I was just worried the celebrations would be completely overshadowed with our wedding being two months away! Due to wedding expenses and limited time off for both of us with our honeymoon quickly approaching, I knew we wouldn't be doing a big trip for my birthday. To be honest, I was a bit bummed! I know that sounds like such a first world problem, but it's the truth. Social media really had me convinced that everyone gets some big extravagant trip for their 30th, and I was a little bitter that I wouldn't be. As my birthday got closer and closer, my expectations started to get lower for it. But I'm so pleased to share that this birthday was still wonderful, and definitely exceeded my expectations! It was such a good reminder that simple celebrations can still be so meaningful. And there were also great surprises in store thanks to Ryan!
My birthday (September 6th) was a Friday this year, but the celebrations got to begin about a week before Ryan and I took a Friday afternoon together to go to Norfolk and do some of my favorite things there! We started out with lunch at a new-to-us Mexican spot, and then we popped into a few local stores I like in the Ghent area of Norfolk. We then headed over the Chrysler Museum of Art and wandered the galleries. The next stop was Vino Culture wine shop in Downtown Norfolk to partake in their Friday Happy Hour $5 wine tastings! The last stop was an early dinner at The Birch, one of my favorite casual Norfolk restaurants. It was such a great day with Ryan, and fun to "play tourists" in the city right next to ours.
The next part of the birthday festivities came two days before my actual birthday (Wednesday). Ryan's parents kindly took us out for a birthday dinner at one of Ryan and I's favorite local restaurants, Luce Secondo. The Hampton Roads area has no shortage of great Italian spots, but Luce Secondo has always been our very favorite. Ryan's brother was in town from the Midwest over my birthday this year, and it was great to have him join for dinner as well!
Ryan's mom is a huge fan of the kitchen and home brand Mackenzie-Childs. She has MC pieces all over their home! I had added a couple MC items to my wedding registry, but for my birthday she got me a classic Mackenzie-Childs Tea Kettle in the Royal Check pattern!! Such a special 30th birthday gift that I will treasure for years to come.
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| {Link to my dress} |
The next evening (Thursday), I got to celebrate privately with Ryan! The nicest hotel in Virginia Beach is the Historic Cavalier Resort & Spa. While I have been to The Cavalier numerous times over the past few years (usually for evening drinks or their Afternoon High Tea), Ryan and I had never had dinner at Becca (their fanciest restaurant) before. We'd had a gift card since Christmas that could be used at a variety of local restaurants, including the ones at The Cavalier.
I'd heard mixed reviews of dinner at Becca from friends in the area. A few people had told me they thought it was a little overhyped, so I didn't really know that to expect. But I was still excited. It worked out so well that we did dinner at The Cavalier on a Thursday night, because we got to get there early and enjoy the Thursday Veuve Clicquot special in The Raleigh Room bar first before our dinner reservation!
I thought dinner at Becca was absolutely fantastic, and one of the best meals I've had in Virginia Beach! It was truly such a great dinner and a special place to celebrate 30 with Ryan. We split a delicious baked brie appetizer, I had phenomenal lamb chops for my main course, and for dessert I had the most divine strawberry banana cake that I'm still thinking about weeks later! They also brought out a bonus rum ball dessert for my birthday. We will definitely return to eat dinner at Becca for future special occasions!
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| {My top is old, almost identical here! White jeans linked here.} |
The last bit of my birthday celebration took place on my actual birthday. And in my favorite little town- Edenton, NC! My bridal shower and bachelorette party were Saturday September 7th, the day after my birthday. I arrived in Edenton on the afternoon of Friday September 6th. My three bridal party members who came to Edenton also arrived on Friday! So did my friend Caroline's mom (who helped her the next day with my bridal shower 😊). The five of us all went to dinner for my birthday on Friday evening at a brand-new restaurant in Edenton! It's called Carriage House Culinary, and we all loved it. I also loved that they sat us at a table underneath a painting of wedding cakes. It was meant to be since my bridal shower was the next day!
My absolute favorite cake during the years in lived in Charlottesville was the Princess Cake from a local bakery there called Albemarle Baking Co. It's the most delicious light and fluffy almond cake that you've ever had! I ordered one for my birthday and my friend Emily graciously stopped to pick it up on her way to Edenton on Friday. It was the perfect finish to my birthday!
There was one more surprise in store when I got home on Sunday afternoon from my bachelorette party! On Friday after I'd left for Edenton, Ryan and my friend Bri decorated my bedroom with birthday balloons!! Bri also left a sweet gift and card for me on the bed. Ryan also had an ice cream cake waiting for me in the freezer that night.
30 ended up truly being a birthday I'll never forget! I need to give a little shout-out to Ryan for going above and beyond with gifts this year. There was so much more than I expected! The best gifts in life of course are not material ones, but things can still be special of course. 😉 Ryan made me bawl my eyes out when he gave me the surprise of my life and got me a new David Yurman bracelet for my big birthday gift. I had been hoping for one *maybe* for a wedding gift, but wasn't really expecting it with finances this year between the wedding and my job loss. The fact he still did this for me just blew my mind. A gift I will truly treasure forever! And he got me some other very thoughtful gifts as well.
My parents generously sent me money for my birthday to treat myself to things I love. So far I used some of it for a couple purchases in the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale, and bought a ticket with my friend Emily to see Megan Moroney in concert next summer! I still have a bit left and am debating what to spend the last bit on. (Or maybe I'll be a very mature 30 year old and invest it!)
God Bless,
xoxo Annaliese
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