The Party Planner »

DAVID TUTERA, celebrity wedding and party planner and designer, is the host of the award-winning WEtv show My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. Named as a “Top Trendsetter of The Year” by Modern Bride and called “Best Celebrity Wedding Planner” by Life and Style Magazine, he has also appeared on Oprah, The Today Show and The View.

As the host of the Discovery Channel's popular show Party Planner with David Tutera, leading lifestyle expert David Tutera lends his expertise to people looking to throw an unforgettable party on an everyday budget. In this lavishly illustrated companion book, Tutera lays out his approach to ten theme parties. The examples he presents here include summer and winter cocktails, a wine-tasting gathering, a harvest feast, a Christmas dessert party, a Chinese New Year celebration, and special occasions such as a birthday party for kids, a wedding proposal, and an enchanted anniversary dinner set in a forest. Tutera urges readers to consider the five senses when planning an event-the taste, the look, the sound, the scent, and the touch-and throws in his own personal suggestions, favorite songs, cocktail recipes, and other handy ideas. He also includes plenty of "Tutera Tips" for invitations, entertainment, room transformation, decor, menu ideas, table settings, and floral arrangements. David Tutera is a highly regarded event planner and designer with many celebrity clients. However, as he demonstrates in this book, it doesn't take a lot of money and extravagance to throw an extraordinary party. With David Tutera's fresh, original twist on time-honored traditions, anyone can throw a fabulous-yet easy and affordable-party for any occasion.

Publishers Weekly

Tutera has honed his party-throwing skills with books on the subject and with his new Discovery Channel show The Party Planner with David Tutera. This book, based on the show and loaded with photos of Tutera smiling as he decorates a cupcake or toasts a marshmallow, covers cocktail parties, dinner parties, holiday entertaining and special occasions, showing two examples of each that Tutera has thrown for his clients. In every case study, Tutera concentrates on engaging each of the senses, with thematic decor, scent (from flowers and candles to aromas from the kitchen), tabletop displays, food and music. For example, for a party to celebrate a couple's new boat, Tutera planned a cocktail party on a dock, with striped beach towel blankets (he includes instructions for making them), mini-burgers on the grill, salty fries, bite-size lobster rolls, summery drinks and a playlist loaded with Beach Boys tunes. Each of the book's sections offers tips, though some are quite vague (e.g., Tutera suggests garnishing a Snowy Cosmopolitan with a snowflake-shaped apple slice but gives no instructions for doing so). And the author's role as party planner to the stars (clients include Jennifer Lopez, Elton John and Star Jones) may account for the extravagant tabletop decorations, which may not appeal to everyone (or their budget). Still, the book can provide inspiration for parties at any level. 210 color photos. Agent, Frederica Friedman. (May) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.