2026 ADDICTION RECAP: A RECORD WEEK

Wow. Just… wow.

First of all, you people are GORGEOUS. It really feels like this crowd gets more beautiful every year. Second of all, we are still in shock about the crowd that came this year. Do you know how humbling and heartwarming it is to know that so many incredible, inspiring women (and men!) want to hang out with us – spend multiple days with us! – and will travel far and wide to do so? It never gets old and we never take it for granted, it truly still hits us in the feelings every year.

Naturally, with it being our biggest Meetup ever, we had a lot of first-timers in our midst this year, and there’s something uniquely joyful about witnessing someone experience the magic of the Meetup for the first time. The sheer scope of it all, seeing the Mothership in person, meeting the sisters, and just how everything was executed down to the last detail. Sometimes we get so entrenched in the coordination that we lose sight of how awe-inspiring this whole production really is.

We added a few new things this year, which were all well-received and felt like positive additions to the overall experience.

For starters, we finally – FINALLY – had nametags this year! Not only did we have a ton of new guests, but also our own team has grown exponentially since last year’s Meetup, so these lanyards were helpful in identifying employees vs attendees in addition to helping to recall a new friend’s name at a glance. It may sound like a small thing, but it actually helped to build more and better connections. (No one wants to start a conversation with someone on Day 2 by saying “I know I met you yesterday, but remind me your name”, right?)

Secondly, our dinners outgrew our beloved space at The Gin where we’ve been the past couple years, and we had to expand to the Yoakum Community Center to accommodate all our attendees. And, as Double D does, the team transformed that space into something elevated and unrecognizable. Every bit of the walls were draped and adorned with huge collection-themed images to accompany the pristinely picked-out table décor.

“I’ll just say it,” laughed Mitchell on the first night. “This place on its own is what you might call a ‘pig’, but we put a whole lot of lipstick on it! And we’ve got new lipstick for every different night, too!”

While it did (we’ve been told) lose a little element of the intimacy that The Gin provided, it was incredible to get so many beautiful people in the same room. (Plus, by the time we were all sweating together on the dance floor Friday night, it felt like we had all still come together despite the larger space.)

That said, we agree The Gin is beautifully renovated and absolutely charming, and so we were fortunate to still get to host our “Breakfast with the Sisters” sessions there on Thursday and Friday mornings. (More on that later.)

Speaking of places to eat together, this year we had a dedicated lunchroom – what a significant improvement to the experience! No more balancing your box lunch on your lap in the showroom (that is, if you could even snag a seat). Across the street from the store, you could pick up your lunch and have a casual seat at a table in a well-air conditioned and spacious room where you could have (read: hear) conversations and get to know your tablemates. Again, it may sound like a small thing, but it truly did make a difference in the overall customer experience.

Aside from sheer logistics, we added two activity features that we haven’t had in the past: Scarf Tying with Kennadee Riggs and Influencer Style Sessions both took place in The Addiction Barn on Thursday and Friday afternoons.

Y’all, we’ve always been an advocate for getting creative with your scarves (and all your accessories, really), but we truly never knew what an artform scarf tying could be and how many different ways they would be worn. Kennadee, who is beloved by all, is a true pro – both at scarf tying and teaching/presenting! (Unsurprising, because she was Miss Rodeo America and you don’t earn that title without a little polish!) She was so effortlessly engaging and comical with her instructions, very patient with questions, and happy to repeat any demonstrations so that the audience may be able to film it for later reference. She taught us everything from simple knots to intricate rose knots, and how to perfect that elegant Audrey Hepburn-esque headscarf and a bull-rider’s belt bow. She even demonstrated how to incorporate some of your staple jewelry pieces into your scarf styling. Several guests commented that it was one of their favorite parts of the whole week – and as a testament to how beneficial it was, dozens of people showed up the following days wearing scarves tied in ways she taught. (And as a testament to how lovely she is, she was gleefully willing to assist anyone who came up and asked her for help during the day if they were having trouble with theirs.)

DON’T WORRY – Kennadee has already agreed to do a series of well-shot and produced video tutorials that we will share online as soon as we can!

The Influencer Style Sessions were a fun and interactive panel featuring our favorite Western influencers* Michell Serena @brokeasshorsegirl, Brittany Twichell @its_brittany_twich, Cara LeFevour @tx_cara, and Heather Welper @heatherwelper. (*Truth be told, we hate that term, but they do have a lot of influence among their audiences – and we have zero tolerance for mean girls, so these are just true gems with good style and strong social media savvy).

This year, we hosted them for the week and honestly, we hope they got as much from the Meetup as the Meetup got from them. They were absolutely lovely, helpful, and engaged from start to finish; they not only attended our breakfast sessions and evening events, but they spent the daytime shopping with guests, choosing outfits for them and answering styling questions. During the actual panel, they introduced themselves, their tie to the Western world, and how they define their own personal styles. Then we opened it up for questions that ranged anywhere from advice about wearing a specific garment to broader ideas for updating their style as a whole. They provided a lot of laughs – Michelle doesn’t believe in wearing pants – or a bra – because they’re ‘too restrictive’ and also wants to ‘always look professional, but with the least amount of effort’ – but also some pretty touching misty-eyed moments, like when someone asked how women of a certain age can dress more youthfully without appearing that they’re “trying too hard” to look young, and they were met with responses like, “Stop letting society tell you you’re ‘trying too hard’ to be anything – if you feel good in something, you wear that thing and don’t give anyone else a second thought” and “Are you kidding?! You guys are OUR style icons. Getting older is a privilege not everyone gets, and we aspire to be as stylish as the women in this room are when we get there.” See? We told you these girls are good to the core. Please, PLEASE go follow them!

Ok, so that’s what was new/different this year and a quick recap of things that happened on multiple days. Let’s take a look back at the week, day by day.

DAY 1, Wednesday

As has started to become part of the tradition, Addicts were already lined up outside the Mothership before we even unlocked the door. And boy, were these gals ready to shop! Even with our new extra space and some racks out on the sidewalk, it felt like a full-on frenzy, but in the best way. Our sweet, precious Brinley Beicker (one of our style consultants from Ft Worth) had to change her outfit three different times because she was literally selling the clothes right off her back! The energy was electric from the very start.

When the day wound down and the shopping wrapped up, most folks went and got cleaned up for dinner, and several strolled into the community center in their brand-new duds they’d just bought that day. (Nothing like a new outfit and a place to wear it, right?!) The theme for night one was East Coast Equestrian, centered around our Nu Rodeo collection, and y’all know DDR does everything down to the details! The images along the wall were scaled up prints of editorial images from the catalog, the tablecloths were custom made in the exact glen plaid from the collection, and the chambray napkins were adorned with leather napkin rings that had horse bit embellishments. The centerpieces were gorgeous arrangements of blue and white hydrangeas that perfectly complemented the color palette. There was also a large photo wall set up that saw a LOT of action throughout the evening.

Attendees were treated to chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes with cream gravy, a chilled broccoli salad, and some delicious rolls. Our man-on-the-mic, Mitchell, gave a charming welcome, thanking all three tiers of people who make the Meetup possible – the sisters, the customers, and the DDR team – and finished it with a hint of comedy, encouraging guests to razz Audrey’s son Harris for not “adulting”, like having memorized his social security number (or even thinking he should).

As dinner wound down, guests enjoyed the always entertaining musical stylings of two of our very own Addicts, LeAnne and Jo-El Ulmer of 2Country4Nashville! They played a mix of old, new, and the classics – the kind you know by heart and are the best for dancing – and LeAnne crooned a cover of one of the hottest songs of the year, Ella Langley’s ‘Choosing Texas’. And, as they always do, they’d occasionally switch up the words to fit Double D or poke fun at LeAnne’s shopping addiction. It was such a charming evening of entertainment and there were certainly some beautiful couples up there cutting a rug – ya love to see it!

DAY 2, Thursday

We kicked off the morning at The Gin to host our first sessions of Breakfast with the Sisters. Ticketholders were greeted with a gorgeous spread of breakfast treats, from fresh fruit to yogurt and granola to pastries and arguably the best donut holes ever (it was a ‘once you start, it’s hard to stop’ situation), complemented by an offering of coffee and mimosas. Once everyone got settled, the crew took the mic to welcome everyone – and gave the audience a front row seat to the on-going comical ribbing that goes on between Mitchell and Hedy constantly – before Cheryl introduced Head Merchandiser & Senior Designer Claire Kiser and Associate Designer Jenna Henderson from DDR’s Ft Worth design office. The three of them went on to give an enthralling and informative presentation on the importance of dressing intentionally, curating a wardrobe that says what you want it to about you, and did a live on-the-spot demonstration of how they build a look from the basics on up. They completed with a series of real-life applicable styling tips and may or may not have sneak-peeked the upcoming fall collection (much to Mitchell’s chagrin).

This day, the topic was the same for both the 8:30 and the 10 a.m. sessions, though the audience questions and outfit demonstrations differed slightly. Oh, and the 10 a.m. gals were much more inclined to have a mimosa!

After the sessions, of course it was back to the store for more shopping and a little lunch before gathering around for scarf tying and influencer style sessions, both of which were heavily attended. In fact, Kennadee attempted to do it by just projecting her voice – because, ya know, she needed both hands – but the Addiction Barn was so packed that it quickly became apparent she’d need a microphone, so we sent a DDR employee up there to hold the mic to her mouth like a magician’s assistant.

At around 3:30, we started closing down the cash registers and headed down the street where we filled the lobby with vibrant red-white-and-blue fashion and hilariously common comments from everyone who walked through the door about the smell of popcorn and how they “never eat popcorn except for at the movie theater”. After concessions were procured, everyone ushered into the big theater this time (we’ve far outgrown the little side theater where we watched Billy the Kid) for a 4 p.m. private showing of the film “All the Pretty Horses”, which was directed by our still-to-this-day friend, Billy Bob Thornton. Esteemed set decorator and our beloved friend Carla Curry was in the audience, and she joined Cheryl in giving the welcome and sharing the story of how the McMullen sisters ended up on the set of the movie and meeting Billy Bob in the first place. And then everyone laughed at the anecdote of how Cheryl once casually declined his offer to host them for a meal because “We’re going to Paesano’s in San Antonio.”

Because it is a 2-hour movie and dinner started at 6:30, most people ushered right on over to the YCC for dinner. (Sorry, y’all – we will rethink that timeline for next year!) The giant photos on the wall had been swapped out to feature images from Nu Patriot and the tables were adorned with custom tablecloths in the America the Beautiful toile, complemented by white star napkin rings that guests got to keep. Dinner was a delicious buffet of Mexican food catered by Victoria's own Ventura’s Restaurant, and we’d honestly be curious to know how many gallons of queso and guac 400 people put down.

Of course, Thursday night is our now-famous BINGO night. Before we even got started calling numbers, attendees had a chance to try their luck with a scratch off and about 70 of them won gift cards!

Oh, and speaking of winners, guess what? Guests weren’t the only winners announced that night. While Mitchell was changing into what Hedy calls his “Cracker Jack outfit” (more on that in a minute), Angela Lieurance took over the mic to announce that the McMullen women have been chosen for the Annie Oakley Award by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City – an announcement that was a total surprise to the sisters and was met with a standing ovation from the crowd. The award “recognizes contemporary women with distinguished success, a passion for excellence, and an entrepreneurial or resilient Western spirit.” And well, if that doesn’t fit the founders of Double D Ranch, not sure what does! Congrats to Cheryl, Audrey, Hedy, and Nana!

After the buzz died down, Mitchell emerged in ostentatious American flag overalls that he admits were “maybe one size too small and, uh, squishing some things”. (His dad, who was in the audience, must’ve been so proud.) He emceed the evening, as he always does, and we played 10 lively rounds of BINGO. Much to the delight of everyone, we decided to nix the ‘stealing’ aspect and instead, winners could choose from a series of giant balloons and then pop it to reveal a sheet of paper with their prize in it. Still an element of randomness and fun, just with less hostility! What we did NOT do away with this year – much to the delight of everyone but the cleaning crew – was the poppers! You’ve never seen so much red-white-and-blue confetti in your life.

DAY 3, Friday

We started back at The Gin once again for the breakfast sessions – two different ones this time.

At 8:30, we had the honor of being completely captivated by Carla Curry who has been doing set decoration for roughly 40 years and has her name on titles like Tombstone, Walk the Line, Crazy Heart, The Office, Office Space, and countless others. She guided us through the fascinatingly complex process of emoting a script with no dialogue. As she puts it, she’s “in charge of the feel”. One example she gave was from Yellowstone, when she had to recreate the living quarters of a deceased character to truly convey the unexpectedness of his death, to stage it in a way that implies he got up and left that morning having no idea he'd never come home. She talked about all the different departments of a film team, their roles, and how they all must collaborate together. She explained the difference between a decoration and a prop, and how very often the exterior of a building is in a whole different state than the interior set. We even got to see how a tornado is “made”. And, of course, she told the story of how Double D Ranch ended up being the boutique that Beth Dutton smashed up.

In the 10 a.m. session, we were treated to a very empowering presentation by author and fellow Addict, Alanna Kaivalya, about reclaiming your feminine power – and truly understanding what that means. She shared her anecdote about how she found Double D Ranch, admitting that trying on a dress in that Yoakum showroom mirror that we all know so well was “the first time I saw the woman that I knew myself to be”. She delved into the fact that how you dress profoundly changes how you show up in the world, emphasizing how women in DDR demand to be seen, and then asking some soul searching questions of the audience, like “Once the room notices you, what are you going to do with their attention?” and “What are the ways you’re editing yourself?” We highly encourage you to check her out, attend one of her sessions, and/or read her book “The Way of the Satisfied Woman”, because her aura and empowerment is so much more than we can put into a quick recap. Let’s put it this way: by the end of this session (which ran about 20 minutes over), there were a lot of grateful women with wet eyes

Afterwards, it was back to the Mothership for lunch and some more shopping before everyone dispersed to go get ready for the final night, the big daddy of them all – the dinner and dance!

Unsurprisingly, the community center was once again transformed, with sleek silver table cloths and custom printed Roughneck Rodeo napkins displayed on gold chargers. The massive photos on the wall had once again been replaced with images from the current catalog to reflect the evening’s theme, and a massive logoed step-and-repeat was set up where Kennadee Riggs proceeded to interview guests about their outfits on the “Turquoise Carpet”.

There was an impressive charcuterie station for guests to nosh on while everyone arrived and got settled. After some to-die-for candied bacon starters, guests enjoyed a delicious three-course dinner of champagne & herb salad with roasted pistachios, followed by beef tenderloin and gulf shrimp with remoulade, accompanied by a cheddar bacon mashed potatoes, braised mushrooms, and summer squash. Dessert was a decadent bananas foster bread pudding with caramel drizzle, vanilla bean cream, and the cutest chocolate coin imprinted with a Double D logo.

As dinner was winding down, the sisters (and of course, Mitchell) took to the center stage to address what a remarkable Meetup it had been, thank everyone for coming, and express gratitude for all the work put in by the (rapidly expanding) DDR team, particularly commending “The OGs” who have been there for 25+ years! They also awarded some superlatives – complete with custom sashes this year!

ROAD WARRIOR (farthest traveled):

Once again, this award went to Lori Grair who came down from Canada. (“If you’re mad because you think you came from farther away than CANADA, please come see me after, and I will show you a map.” – Mitchell)

MS. VINTAGE:

This one went to a first-timer, Lisa Bouley, who has one of the original Scout Jackets.

TURQUOISE QUEEN:

In Alice Fisher’s absence (we missed you, “Angel Baby”), it went to a very deserving Sherry Reid-Richardson!

STYLE STORYTELLER:

We came up with this award to honor the lovely Renee Davis, a beautiful person and a beautiful writer who not only shares her styling with the Addicts but also includes an uplifting anecdote about the empowerment that DDR outfits can provide.

MOST CREATIVE:

Kimber Cline was given this award because, y’all – she has a whole whole necklace/vest thing that includes all the names of the DDR collections from the last ten years beaded onto it! AND, she hand-painted her husband shirts for every day of the Meetup that coordinated with each day’s theme! Unreal.

FESTIVE FINGERNAILS:

Tina Turner took the cake with her sparkly turquoise-and-white manicure, complete with DDR painted on them!

BEST DRESSED DOG:

How could we NOT acknowledge Miss Roxy (the 17-year-old sweetheart of Alanna Kaivalya) who showed up in a different custom – and very fancy – outfit every day.

MINI DDR ADDICT:

As Hedy put it, “little shoppers turn into big shoppers and big shoppers pay our bills!” so we were thrilled to see the excitement ignited in first-timer Eva Halter, a darling 10-year-old from North Texas who came down with her mom, Nicole, and absolutely crushed it at shopping the sale racks.

SOCIAL BUTTERFLY:

And finally, the one and only Heather Burch received not only the SOCIAL BUTTERFLY award, but is the inaugural recipient of the Double D Ranch SPIRIT STICK, which she is to care for all year and then bring back to the 2027 Addiction Meetup and bestow upon the next recipient.

Y’all already know what follows dinner – DJ DANCING TIME! Regrettably, our “fun DJ” from last year got sick, literally the morning of, and while he sent a suitable replacement, the vibe just wasn’t quite the same. Fortunately, Mitchell owns a snazzy gold jacket and joined in the DJing efforts – is there anything this man can’t (or won’t) do when you hand him a mic?! We boogied, we made dance circles, we did a conga line. We sweated, we did Fireball shots (at this point, it’s tradition), and we sang “We Are Family” at the top of our lungs.

A memorable night to say the least.

DAY 4, Saturday

With aching feet and tired eyes, we all convened at the Mothership once more, this time all in matching red polka dot T-shirts. Shoppers made their last-minute “I just can’t leave without it buys” while the DDR team filled turquoise champagne flutes with Vickie’s famous and Mitchell took to the mic one last time to deliver a farewell toast and share with all the newcomers his “More Than” poem that some veterans may remember and we’re all always happy to be reminded. Afterwards, we filed outside and filled the bleachers – and part of Lott Street – for the most massive group photo in DDR history. Cheryl stuck around and signed jackets, like she graciously does every year, as folks started to trickle out and load their trunks with their new brown garment bags before hitting the roads.

As we unwind and reflect, we’ve decided there isn’t a word in the English language that can accurately convey the level of gratitude, joy, and camaraderie we experienced this week. There were hugs, there were happy tears, there were so, so many laughs. We relished in getting to meet new Addicts, hear their stories, share in their outfit-finding joy, and see them absolutely coming alive in clothes that we made.

It’s fitting that this recap is being published on National Sisters Day, because sure, Double D was founded by a trio of sisters, but true sisterhood is defined by the one the Addicts created – and it grew exponentially this week.