Vicki Gunvalson Celebrates Engagement at 'Beautiful' Bash Thrown by Tamra Judge & Shannon Beador
Bride-to-be Vicki Gunvalson and her fiancé Steve Lodge were the center of attention on Saturday as her Real Housewives of Orange County costars, (and fellow “Tres Amigas”) Tamra Judge and Shannon Beador, staged an epic engagement party for the two in Coto de Caza, California.
The reality star, 57, announced her engagement to Lodge back in April — telling PEOPLE, “We’re so happy. He’s an amazing guy and the proposal was perfect. I can’t wait.”
She appeared to still be riding high from the news at the engagement party according to a series of smiling photos from the bash she shared on social media over the weekend. The cowboy-themed event was held at the Coto Valley Country Club, which was decked out in white and pink roses and a “Vicki & Steve Gettin’ Hitched” banner that greeted guest was draped over a cart and wagon. RHOC cameras appeared to be capturing the event for the upcoming 14th season.
“Thanks to @tamrajudge and @shannonbeador for hosting such a beautiful engagement party for @stevelodge_oc and I,” Gunvalson wrote on a gallery of pictures posted Saturday. “We loved every minute of it. I’m still trying to learn the 2step. #season14, #finalparty #engagementparty.”
More pictures followed on Sunday night on Gunvalson’s Instagram Story, including a picture of the couple’s three-tier cake (complete with a “S+V” emblem written on a heart with an arrow running through it.)
Fellow Housewives Emily Simpson, Gina Kirschenheiter and Kelly Dodd were all at the event, posting their own photos from the party. Judge’s husband, Eddie Judge joined her, as did Dodd’s new boyfriend — plastic surgeon Dr. Brian Reagan.
Meanwhile, Gunvalson looked ready to walk down the aisle, wearing a white dress with a sweetheart neckline, her five-and-half-carat engagement ring and a “Future Mrs. Lodge” sash draped over her shoulder. She also donned a cowboy hat with a white veil.
A post shared by Vicki Gunvalson (@vickigunvalson) on May 18, 2019 at 5:03pm PDT
Yee haw! That’s a wrap! Congrats @vickigunvalson ❤️🌸🌺🍩⭐️ @tamrajudge #rhoc #party #weout #season14
A post shared by Emily Simpson (@rhoc_emilysimpson) on May 18, 2019 at 3:07pm PDT
One final hoedown for the season... coming soon 🍊#RHOC
A post shared by Gina Kirschenheiter (@ginakirschenheiter) on May 18, 2019 at 6:06pm PDT
A post shared by Tamra Judge (@tamrajudge) on May 18, 2019 at 3:35pm PDT
A post shared by Tamra Judge (@tamrajudge) on May 19, 2019 at 8:56pm PDT
Coming to you with acts of love & kindness . .. the mantra thanks @drmikedow
A post shared by Kelly Dodd (@rhoc_kellyddodd) on May 17, 2019 at 6:41pm PDT
This isn’t the first time the RHOC gang has celebrated Gunvalson’s engagement. At the end of April, they took Gunvalson on a girl’s trip to commemorate the good news along with Beador’s divorce).
Gunvalson has been married twice: first to Michael J. Wolfsmith from 1982-1991, and to Donn Gunvalson from 1994-2014.
She started dating Lodge after her tumultuous relationship with Brooks Ayers. The two were together for several years before calling it quits in July 2015.
Ayers made headlines when he admitted he had forged medical records relating to his alleged cancer diagnosis in order to make it appear as though he had been a patient at the cancer hospital City of Hope. Though he maintained he was diagnosed with stage 3 non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2013, Ayers claimed he drafted the fake documents in order to quiet Gunvalson’s RHOC castmates, who had been questioning the validity of his illness at the time. Gunvalson has also insisted that she was totally in the dark about Ayers’ lies.
In April, Gunvalson sued Ayres over $81,652.97 of unpaid loans she claimed he owed her.
Lodge has been “an incredible, calming force to my crazy-a— life,” Gunvalson told People Now last summer.
As for what kind of wedding she envisions with Lodge? “Small. Our circle is getting super small,” she said. “Maybe on a ranch or in the country, just something really easy. I don’t want the big ballgown.”
And she’s not opposed to getting married on TV.
“Maybe. We’ll see,” she said. “We might go to Vegas one day! Who knows? When it’s right, it’s going to be right. But right now I’m just happy with him and we have a great time together.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County is expected to return to Bravo this summer.
