Cooking & Entertaining

Designing Life's Celebrations

A fresh guide to entertaining, with a focus on tabletop and floral design, from celebrity event designer DeJuan Stroud. DeJuan Stroud is known for elegant weddings, celebrity events, and movie premieres, but his dream is to inspire and encourage everyone to bring flowers and beauty into their lives in an effortless way. In his first book, he presents seventeen at-home celebrations featuring spectacular tabletops, glorious centerpieces, and simple how-to floral projects. The party themes range widely from a Venetian-inspired birthday dinner party with dramatic ribbon poles to Christmas in the country using fruits, spices, and herbs, but each one emphasizes the joy of celebrating life’s day-to-day occasions.From conquering flower "stem fear" to learning how to map a table, Stroud demystifies the art of the tabletop, emphasizing above all his love of flowers, from the humble to the exotic. Readers will be inspired to create striking arrangements, set a beautiful table, and create decor for simple or grand occasions.

About The Author

DeJuan Stroud grew up gardening with his parents and grandmother in Alabama. After a successful run on Wall Street, in 1996 he launched DeJuan Stroud, Inc. Twenty years later, he is one of the most successful event designers in New York City whose client list includes media giants like Universal and HBO, celebrities including Alicia Keys and Katie Couric, and notable New Yorkers such as Michael J. Fox and Michael Bloomberg.

Jon Bon Jovi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, philanthropist, and actor, best known as the founder and front man of the band Bon Jovi. He and his wife, Dorothea Bon Jovi, have four children.

  • Publish Date: April 05, 2016
  • Format: Hardcover
  • Category: Cooking - Tablesetting
  • Publisher: Rizzoli
  • Trim Size: 8-1/2 x 11-1/4
  • Pages: 224
  • US Price: $50.00
  • CDN Price: $50.00
  • ISBN: 978-0-8478-4814-0

Reviews

"Dive into the art of the tabletop with Dejuan Stroud’s guide to entertaining with spectacular floral arrangements for the grandest occasions."
-THE SOCIETY DIARIES

"Designing Life's Celebrations breathes fresh air into life's most joyous every day occasions."
 -ATLANTA HOMES AND LIFESTYLES

 
"Designing Life's Celebrations features more than a dozen parties, all brimming with [Stroud's] signature floral arrangements. From a Venetian-inspired birthday dinner to Christmas in the country, each event emphasizes the joy of celebrating life's day-to-day occasions." 
-ALL THE BEST BLOG

"From elegant at-home dinners, 'just dessert' celebrations, garden luncheons, and seasonal parties to a bridal shower and weddings, DeJuan Stroud effectively decodes the art of floral design and table décor."
-BRIDAL GUIDE MAGAZINE

"From birthdays to holidays, backyard parties to black-tie affairs, DeJuan Stroud offers up a heaping helping of advice for how to design all of life's beautiful celebrations in Designing Life's Celebrations. The seventeeen events displayed in this gorgeous book offer up plenty of inspiration no matter what your reason for celebration." 
-DESIGN CHIC

"[DeJuan Stroud's] new book is beautifully written, filled with gorgeous photos and helpful how to's - showcasing that every event tells a story. From a Venetian-inspired birthday, to a lovely garden luncheon, you will be inspired to design each and every one of your life's celebrations. Designing Life's Celebrations is a welcome gift for a hostess and a must-have for your entertaining library." 
-PORTOBELLO DESIGN

"[DeJuan] Stroud demystifies the art of the tabletop and home entertaining, applying principals from his large-scale events to glamorous at-home luncheons and dinner parties." 
-PAPERCITY MAGAZINE

"[DeJuan Stroud is] one of the most sought-after event planners in New York and his new book, Designing Life’s Celebrations, is sure to please. This fresh guide to entertaining will show you how to conquer “stem fear” and create beautiful bouquets to go along with your tablesettings.  Every meal should be a celebration, shouldn’t it?"
-THE BUZZ, thebuzz.dianejameshome.com  

"Planning a special event, whether it's an intimate backyard barbecue or a grand gala, all comes down to the details. In Designing Life's Celebrations, celebrity event designer DeJuan Stroud delivers a fresh guide to creating memorable occasions. . . With chapters organized by party theme, such as birthdays, daytime events or holidays, for example, the author demystifies the art of the tabletop, emphasizing above all his love for flowers." 
-THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION

"As soon as I opened Designing Life's Celebrations by DeJuan Stroud, and read the thoughtful forward by Dorothea and Jon Bon Jovi, I knew this book was going to be good. DeJuan Stroud, a celebrity even planner known for his elegant parties, offers great tips, advice and ideas in his lovely book. All of the beautiful photos within Designing Life's Celebrations provide creative inspiration for setting a magnificent table, creating fabulous centerpieces and throwing intimate and memorable parties." 
 -Zhush Blog

"This 221-page tome is a visual feast, from inspired table settings to breathtaking centerpieces. Featuring more than fifteen parties, Stroud shares invaluable principles that will help build the perfect tablescape, including a workbook that covers topics ranging from floral care to centerpiece mapping. Designing Life's Celebrations is more than just a book, it's truly a celebration emphasizing 'the joy of life's day to day occasions.'"
-The Ace of Space BLOG

Author Bookshelf: DeJuan Stroud, Jon Bon Jovi