The Dallas Housewives Get Texan

Hey Babes!

If you’ve been following along, you know I’m Real Housewives of Dallas’ Stephanie Hollman’s party planner. Today I’ve got ALL the details of the Season 5Ppremier of the Real Housewives of Dallas. We like to refer to it as “Busting out of the Quarantine Bubble.”💯

I’m so thankful we could come out of quarantine and plan this party for Stephanie. When she called and asked me to plan it, I was quick to say yes…no hesitation when planning a fun event after being in the Q.

She knew she wanted some sort of pool party, something in her backyard, but not sure what. All I knew is that we were going to keep it quaint and small, just for the Housewives. We didn’t want to have this huge party with tons of people—we wanted it to be as safe and comfortable as possible. Just having the cast there was key. So I put together a couple of different ideas and themes on vision boards and presented those to Stephanie.

The obvious choice for this Texas event was “Backyard Texas Barbeque”.  It just seemed to be the right fit. Not only was it perfect for a backyard event, it was for the Real Housewives of Dallas. BBQ just fit the entire theme!🤠

Fast forward to the day of the party.  It is June in Texas and it’s make-up melting HOT.🥵  We began setting up early to avoid the heat at 8:00 am and finished around noon. But, June= sweltering heat. There’s no way around it.

The purpose for this party was to start Season 5 with a bang and introduce the new cast members. We created an intimate atmosphere, kept COVID measures in mind and made it as comfortable to meet the new girls as possible.💕

The flow of the event was what every backyard bash should look like: We started with a small dinner party, followed by a fun backyard pool party. The funny thing is, on the show they didn’t actually air the backyard pool party. That was a bummer because so much was missed by the viewers. Don’t fret, I’ll cover those behind-the-scenes details here!

We created a Texas feel with tons of sunflowers in the floral and decor to give it a true backyard vibe.  Bandana and gingham print helped create a casual feel along with the wooden tones in the tables and napkin rings.  Wood brings in another casual element that’s a must.  In the pool, we had Texas flag pool floaties and even an inflatable bull the girls could sit on and simulate mechanical bull riding. How fun is that?! We incorporated a wooden bar facade with hay bales, cowboy boots, cow skulls, red barstools, and red lanterns to give it that over-the-top western feel.

The menu was, of course, BBQ!  Our chef was cooking as the girls arrived. Imagine the smell as they walked through the door! Something about the smell of  BBQ just defines what it means to be a Texan and in the heart of Dallas. This was the first time the veteran cast met the two new castmates, the rookies. From my perspective, it was such a sweet moment. They went girl to girl at dinner and shared their life updates and the intimacy was real, something the camera couldn’t catch.

Then, THE MOST FUN was left off for the viewers…the pool party.💦  I’m talking slip-n-slides, the bull float, a custom marshmallow smores bar, drinks flowing, and late-night chats! What a fun way to end the perfect night!

All in all, this event was incredible- from all the planning to working with Stephanie again, post quarantine! And, that’s not the only party I planned for Season 5… stay tuned for details of another AMAZING party soon!🎉