Product Description

Discovery Channel host and entertaining expert David Tutera offers practical tips for throwing extraordinary yet easy and affordable parties and events in THE PARTY PLANNER. David Tutera is a highly regarded event designer whose clients have included Elton John, Barbara Walters, Star Jones, and the Rolling Stones. He is also the host of a new one-hour, twice-daily program on the Discovery Channel, The Party Planner with David Tutera, that debuts in January 2005. On the show, Tutera lends his expertise to people looking to throw an unforgettable party on an everyday budget. Tutera brings a fresh, original twist to holiday parties while retaining time-honored traditions. He demonstrates novel and affordable-yet utterly sophisticated-approaches to special occasions, holiday and cocktail parties, and dinner parties.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #45547 in Books
• Published on: 2005-04-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

From 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.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The author, a famous event planner, has a new Discovery Channel show called The Party Planner with David Tutera, to which this book, obviously, is a companion. The large format and sumptuous illustrations do him proud as he profiles 10 specific parties, for which he designs the decorations. The featured parties include a wine-tasting event, a Christmas dessert party, and a wedding anniversary dinner. His tips, fully described in vivid text, lead readers to certainly more than simply throwing some shrimps on the barbie. No, his parties are quite lovely, quite involved, quite elaborate, but quite stunning in the final effect--and can be accomplished without spending a fortune. A beautiful and helpful book to consult and be encouraged by time and again. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"The party planner whips up some impressive menus that will please even the most finicky food coinsurer." -- www.oncewritten.com, 2005

Customer Reviews

Grain of salt
My questions on reading this book were, "who GOES to these parties?" and "who THROWS these parties?" If you can get your mind around those questions, the book is useful.

Point: These parties are expensive. Period. Forget "budget" in any shape, even if you are spray painting your own lanterns laquer red for a Chinese New Year's party, or making table decorations from ToysRUs toys. You could feed a family or two in India for a year with the budget for ANY of the parties in this book, and that might just bother you.

However: I liked this book better than any other party planning book I've ever flipped through because it's about PLANNING, not cooking. He doesn't waste space on recipes, and except in one instance, only gives menu suggestions. I don't cook. My parties are catered from Sam's Club, or potluck. I don't need recipes. I DO need help with thinking through the planning, and suggestions for creating an atmosphere, and pulling it all together to make a memorable event on a $200 budget, and David has suggestions a-plenty. I will definitely do more with my invitations come my next garden party in June.

I hope the people who attend these parties really do have a warm wonderful intimate time. It's also possible they go home and think, "OK, I have to double the budget for MY next party to top that..." But I think that if I dragged David to WalMart with my budget and my guest list, he'd be able to do a pretty respectable job, and that's the sign of a good party planner.

Get Ready to Party
In The Party Planner, David Tutera shares his event and party planning expertise on paper as well as he does on his Disney Channel television show "The Party Planner with David Tutera".

This book reads like Tutera is sitting in your living room talking to you about your next event. He becomes that involved. You can almost hear him explaining that each of the five senses he brings into play are necessary to make your party work. He talks about the look, the scent, the touch, the taste and the music. Each component is important and relative to the other. For instance for a dinner party he calls Ya-Ya Sisterhood, a beautiful outdoor garden party is planned with pale colors, lots of flowers and delicate china. I admit that this touches my southern girl heart. Among the music he suggests is Bette Midler's "Miss Otis Regrets". Tutera's attention to small details can make any party special; he bought wind chimes for the garden.

Several of the party ideas are a bit lavish for modest pockets but most of his ideas can be reasonably adapted. You will find that you don't always find a 'how-to' after an idea or tip has been given. However, that's not a real problem because the photographs by Charles and Jennifer Maring, are not only beautiful they also give you guidance.

David Tutera appears on ABC's The View as contributing entertaining expert. His clients include Star Jones and Elton John. However, if you have a question concerning your next party you can talk to Tutera online in the The Party Planner forum on the Discovery Channel.

Vannie(~.~)
Work & Family @ BellaOnline.com
http://www.bellaonline.com/Site/workandfamily

So Helpful!!
The atmosphere that David creates for every one of his parties is absolutely amazing! He has every base covered, from all of the five senses to the helpful Tutera Tips on every party highlighted in the book. When first looking at the photos I thought that these parties were out of reach for me to re-create, but he shows you how easy it is to create certain staples of the parties. This book was so helpful in pointing out the little things that most people forget in throwing a party, but things which are important to helping the event run smoothly for the host and the guests. Even if you haven't thrown a party before, this book will take you step by step through a fantastic event!