Palm Royale: A Palm Springs-Inspired Sunday Funday Birthday

Last year, I threw myself a big mahjong birthday party at the Mahj Clubhouse in Fort Worth. So this year, when I was playing mahjong with my friends Katie and Lizzie, they naturally asked what I was doing for my birthday.

“Nothing.”

Apparently, that was not an acceptable answer.

They immediately decided we needed to do something and suggested the most obvious location: my newly finished backyard and solarium, which I lovingly call Palm Royale.

And just like that, Sunday Funday was born.

Why Palm Springs?

If you've spent five minutes at my house, the theme makes perfect sense.

I love Palm Springs. It just makes me happy. My pool bath has Palm Springs wallpaper, my back porch has green-and-white furniture, and two pink umbrellas sit by the pool. The whole space already has that slightly retro, colorful, resort-y feel.

So instead of transforming my house into something completely different for my birthday, I leaned into what was already there.

Pink. Green. Palm leaves. Stripes. Rosé. Poolside lounging.

Done.

The invitation set the tone: Sunday Funday — an afternoon of cocktails, poolside lounging, swimming, mahjong, delicious bites and chair massages.

Yes. Chair massages. More on those later because they may have been the hit of the entire party.

Hosting My Own Birthday Party…With Hostesses

Birthday girl with my fabulous hostesses

Technically, I planned most of my own party—which I genuinely enjoy doing—but I had hostesses: Katie, Lizzie, and Char.

And this may be my new favorite way to throw yourself a birthday party.

They each contributed to the food, but more importantly, they helped me set up, clean up, organize everything, refill food and drinks and generally keep the party moving so I wasn't spending my entire birthday playing hostess.

We ended up with 19 women, which felt like the perfect number. Enough people for the afternoon to feel festive, but still small enough that everyone could mingle, swim, play mahjong and actually talk to one another.

What I Wore: Palm Springs, Obviously 🌴

If I’m going to throw a Palm Springs party, I’m going to dress for a Palm Springs party.

I rented the long pink-and-yellow one-shoulder dress from Nuuly specifically for the occasion, and it could not have been more perfect. Bright, happy, a little dramatic—it immediately felt like the right dress for Palm Royale. I paired it with some seriously fun statement earrings and a big amethyst ring my husband had given me for Christmas.

And yes, I planned my pool look too. I pulled out a palm-leaf-inspired cover-up, bought myself a new swimsuit with palm leaves from Vetchy, and topped it all off with my brand-new Puffers by A$AP Rocky sunglasses from Sunglass Hut. The oversized white frames were probably my favorite accessory of the day.

Was all of this necessary? Absolutely not. Did dressing for the theme make the party more fun? Absolutely.

The Palm Royale Bar

I kept the bar very pink and very Palm Springs.

I found the cutest glass drink dispenser with etched palm leaves and a wooden lid at HomeGoods, then used glass pitchers I already owned plus one borrowed from a friend. My oldest daughter, who has beautiful handwriting, made handwritten labels for each drink.

A pink-and-white striped runner from Amazon underneath everything pulled the whole setup together.

We served:

Palomas
Frosé from my slushie machine
Prickly pear margaritas
Bubbly rosé
Still rosé
White wine
Cucumber-and-mint sparkling water

And, of course, espresso martinis.

Espresso martinis are my drink. I had one while everyone was arriving and made a small pitcher in case anyone else wanted one.

Exactly one person did.

😂

Apparently my friends do not share my level of enthusiasm for espresso martinis. Most of the group gravitated toward white wine and rosé, which is a good reminder when you're hosting: serve the fun specialty cocktail, but don't underestimate how many women will simply want a glass of wine.

My copper ice bucket and large copper beverage tub are old Frontgate purchases that I've used over and over again through the years. They're the kind of entertaining staples that were worth buying once because they seem to appear at nearly every party I throw.

The Palm Springs Party Menu

This was an afternoon party, so I wanted food that felt fresh, summery and easy to eat without anyone needing to sit down for a formal meal.

Cocktails & Drinks

Palomas • Frosé • Prickly Pear Margaritas • Bubbly Rosé • Still Rosé • White Wine • Cucumber-Mint Sparkling Water

Lunch

Charcuterie Board • Lemon-Herb Grilled Chicken • Greek Orzo Salad • Watermelon, Mint & Feta Salad • Pita & Hummus • Crudités

I bought premade chicken skewers from Costco and topped them with CAVA lemon tahini dressing from Whole Foods—a very easy shortcut that made them feel a little more special.

I also made a watermelon, mint and feta salad, which could not be easier and is basically summer in a bowl.

Poolside Snacks

Chili-Lime Watermelon • Tajín Pineapple • Chips & Fresh Guacamole

I put watermelon and pineapple on skewers and finished them with Tajín. Easy, colorful and perfect for a pool party.

I also bought a three-tiered gold stand with white rectangular serving plates from Amazon. It gave me extra serving space without taking up much room and was perfect for displaying the chicken and fruit skewers.

Something Sweet

Gluten-Free Vanilla Birthday Cake • Gluten-Free Macarons

My friend Claudia brought me a small vanilla-on-vanilla gluten-free birthday cake. Somehow, that little cake served everyone—because, as we know, a group of women will take approximately three bites of birthday cake each.

The macarons were another unexpected winner. We passed the box around while everyone was in the pool, and almost everyone took one. No plates. No forks. No cutting. And they were gluten-free.

File that one away under things I will absolutely do again.

Mahjong, Swimming & the Surprise Hit of the Party

We had a mahjong table set up, and one group played during the afternoon. But August in Fort Worth is August in Fort Worth, so eventually nearly everyone ended up in the pool.

Which was exactly what I wanted.

I wasn't trying to create an afternoon packed with scheduled activities. The goal was to give everyone a few things they could do and then let the party unfold.

But I did splurge on one special activity: chair massages.

I hired a massage therapist and set her up in our garage just outside Palm Royale, where it was slightly air-conditioned. I originally thought a few of the women might sign up for a quick ten-minute massage.

Every. Single. Person. Signed up.

Even my husband got one.

I ended up asking her to stay longer so everyone could have a turn, and the final cost was around $480.

Was it one of the more expensive elements of the party? Absolutely.

Would I do it again? Also yes.

It turned an afternoon at a friend's pool into something that felt like a little mini resort day. I honestly think it may have even been one of the things that made people especially excited to come.

The Best Decorations Were Already There

One of my favorite things about this party was that I didn't need to buy boxes and boxes of themed decorations.

The backyard was the decoration.

The pink umbrellas, green-and-white furniture, palms and Palm Springs-inspired spaces around our home did most of the work. I simply layered in a few inexpensive details like the striped runner, handwritten drink labels, colorful food and serving pieces.

That's something I'm learning more and more with entertaining:

You don't have to decorate every surface for a party to have a theme.

Choose a feeling, repeat a few colors and details, and let the space do the rest.

The Gifts That Somehow Continued the Theme

Something I hadn't anticipated was that the Palm Springs theme spilled over into the gifts.

My friend Lizzie had a personalized pink, white and green mahjong melamine serving tray made for me that says “Bams, Craks & Snacks at Lynnette's.”

First of all, adorable.

Second, it had my name (spelled correctly) on it.

If your name is Lynnette, you understand what a meaningful accomplishment this is.

Lizzie told me she normally doesn't plan ahead enough to have personalized gifts made, which made it even more special.

Other friends somehow found gifts that fit Palm Royale perfectly: a pink-and-green hand towel, a pink-and-green palm-leaf tennis tank and a beautiful silk scarf with pink-and-white stripes, palm leaves and monkeys.

I also received an orchid—which I still have a month later. Orchids may officially be one of the smartest hostess/birthday gifts because you get the beauty of flowers, but they last so much longer than a bouquet.

And then there were the homemade gluten-free cinnamon rolls.

One of my friends who loves to bake made them for me because she knows how impossible it is to find good gluten-free cinnamon rolls. They were incredible, and the best part was that the birthday happiness continued for days because I kept getting to eat another one.

And yes, there were also several bottles of champagne.

My friends know me well.

What I'd Do Again

This party reminded me that a birthday doesn't necessarily need a huge production to feel special.

I had a beautiful setting that already made me happy. I invited women I genuinely wanted to spend the day with. We ate good food, drank rosé, played mahjong, got massages, jumped in the pool and laughed.

And I had friends helping me host so I could actually enjoy it.

That last part may be the biggest takeaway.

If you're someone who loves entertaining, throwing your own birthday party can be incredibly fun—but give yourself hostesses. Let your friends bring a dish. Let someone refill the food. Let someone help clean up. You can still create the party you envision without being the person working through the entire thing.