DAVID STARK is a world renowned, New York City based event producer as well as President and Creative Director of David Stark Design and Production. For close to 20 years, David’s full-service event design and planning firm has been celebrated for the innovative, imaginative weddings and events it creates for a wide range of celebrity clients such as Beyoncé Knowles and Jon Stewart, major corporations such as Target, TBS and Condé Nast, as well as high-visibility fund-raising galas for America’s most elite not-for-profit organizations including The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum and The Robin Hood Foundation.

Originally sought after for his stunning floral design work, it’s been many years now that David and his talented design team have produced much more than flowers. They bring an unsurpassed level of creative innovation to custom event design as well as other aspects of international event production that includes venue selection, invitations, catering, music, entertainment and destination management. All orchestrated from a gracious, service-oriented perspective!

Earlier this month, David released his fifth book, David Stark: The Art of the Party (Monacelli Press, 2013) and celebrated the book alongside the premiere of Paper Tales, a collection of one-of-a-kind art pieces created exclusively for Bergdorf Goodman, with a party hosted by Darcy Miller, Creative Director at Martha Stewart Weddings. If you’re familiar with David’s previous books, you’ll be happy to know that The Art of the Party  is yet another visually stunning chronicle of event design inspiration. There are twenty-five of David’s events featured in the book, detailing through playful and instructive prose how he developed the inspiration for the overarching theme, color palette, and the thoughtful, coordinated details he’s known for in discerning circles.

Recently, David was kind enough to share a few photos from the launch party as well as a few thoughts on what he does:

{THE BRIDAL CIRCLE}:  TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF DAVID, WHAT GOT YOU INTERESTED IN ART IN THE FIRST PLACE?

{DAVID STARK}:  I grew up in an artistic family as my mom’s an artist, my aunt, even my grandfather was an artist. In fact, my grandfather  drew iconic comics, so I was submerged completely in a world of art from the very start. My parents always encouraged me, and still do, to explore art, in any form, and to find the joy in creating. You could say that garden was watered naturally.

AFTER YOU GRADUATED FROM ART SCHOOL AT RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN (RISD), HOW DID YOU TRANSLATE THAT INTO WORKING IN THE EVENT INDUSTRY?

Totally by accident. Even though I majored in painting I took up flower design as a creative solution to funding my art. When people ask me now if I still paint and I tell them no, they express sadness for me. Thinking it’s a loss of some kind. But really, it isn’t. My medium has just transformed into something else. The painting I do now is event design.

WORDS THAT ARE OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE YOU ARE “ORIGINAL,” WHIMSICAL,” “GENIUS,” “ARTISTIC,” “CHARMING,” “HUMOROUS,” AND “BRAVE.”  BUT WHAT WORDS WOULD YOU CHOOSE?

Wow. I’d say passionate, hardworking, responsible and committed.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY RESPONSIBLE?

Many things. I’m responsible to my team, to my clients and to my partners. It’s my responsibility to show the level of leadership they expect from a David Stark event and to guide the event emotionally and creatively. It’s also my responsibility to provide extraordinary service.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR IN A CLIENT?

Someone who is willing to take a creative journey with me. Someone who wants something original, something new and adventurous, and who is willing to take a risk. But a calculated risk born out of collaboration and the passion to create something that hasn’t been done before.

WHAT’S THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING AN EVENT DESIGNER CAN DO TO UNDERSTAND AND INTERPRET THE VISION THE CLIENT HAS FOR THEIR WEDDING?

Listen! We’re in a service business and I take the idea of service very, very seriously. That starts with listening. Since I come to the relationship without any preconceived notions, by listening I get to hear what’s important to them and feel what they’re emotionally connected with. I also hear enough to know when they mean something else. But through listening I’m able to assess their goals and come back with a creative solution.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE HOW YOU BEGIN THE PROCESS OF DESIGNING A WEDDING?

It’s a collaboration and we make the journey together.

I start by talking about their goals, such as planning a wedding that introduces families to each other for the first time, etc. Once I have the basic goals and all the sub-goals to work with I start asking about their dreams. What do they want the event to feel like? What time of year do they want to get married in? Do they want people to dance? Do they want family style meals? As I start to hear their loves and passions I dig deeper, getting to all the desires and ideas they have for their wedding. From there, I build the wedding one step at a time. A planning calendar is created for the client by month, noting when all the planning elements happen and the budget associated with them. All choices have relationships to numbers. I very often explain to clients that we work like architects, you have to first build the foundation before you can purchase the furniture.

HOW DO YOU APPROACH A CLIENT WHO HAS NO IDEA WHAT SHE WANTS? DO YOU PREFER WHEN SHE COMES TO YOU WITHOUT ANY VISION IN MIND?

I need something to react to, if only a color. But I don’t need them to tell me “I want a cloud of baby’s breath.” I do like to see photos of what my clients are drawn to and what inspires them. But the photos of what they dislike are far more important and informative than of what they do.

WHAT’S ALWAYS BEEN INSPIRING ABOUT YOUR WORK, IS THAT IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT FLOWERS. WHEN DID YOU LEARN THIS YOURSELF?

Many years ago I was asked to bid on designing the New York City Opera Gala by the event chair, Carolyne Roehm, another event designer well-known for her floral work. After Carolyne viewed my portfolio she said to me“There is no question you make the most beautiful arrangements, but this evening is not about flowers at all!” That was when the light bulb went on and I realized she’s right. I’m sure she doesn’t remember meeting with me or saying those words to me. But they were a game changer for me. Event design is more than flowers and looking beyond the obvious opened up a world of artistic expression for my work that includes a whole range of artistic tools. Flowers are just one of the tools.

IS THERE A COMMON THREAD OR SIGNATURE DAVID STARK DESIGN ELEMENT THAT RUNS THROUGH YOUR WEDDINGS?

Not at all. We don’t have any signature elements because we design for people. Our work always looks different, from one wedding to another, because we create for each person based on the unique collaboration we establish.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEWEST BOOK “THE ART OF THE PARTY.”  IT’S BEAUTIFUL!  WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO PRESENT YOUR WORK IN CASE STUDY FORMAT?

It was intriguing to show each project through the various windows that inspired them. For instance, one event design was inspired by the invitation. Another through the location. As I’m an artist that creates art that lasts only a few hours, being able to explore the event in an expanded version through case studies allows me to share the work in detail.

WHAT IS THE ONE ELEMENT THAT SIMPLY CANNOT BE OVERLOOKED, REGARDLESS OF BUDGET?

Photography. No matter what, you can’t “do over” the wedding photographs.

JUST BEFORE THE DOORS OPEN AND WEDDING GUESTS ENTER THE ROOM, WHAT MIGHT YOU BE CAUGHT DOING?

Ha! Rearranging and moving the votives candles out from under the floral centerpieces before they burn! It’s a constant battle.

WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO LEARN ABOUT YOU?

That I’m as hands-on as I am. This is the art that I make, my medium of choice, so of course I’m involved in every design aspect, working right alongside my team in the production of the event.

WHAT HAS ARTISTICALLY INSPIRED YOU RECENTLY?

I recently saw David Byrne’s musical “Here Lies Love” about Imelda Marcos. Byrne, whom you might remember from the Talking Heads, began the project as a concept album and has been studying Marcos for years. The highly inventive show was staged as an interactive disco and I’ll remember it for a long time. That’s my goal with my events, to create an experience for guests that they’ll remember long after the event is over.

WHEN YOU TRAVEL, WHAT ITEM GOES WITH YOU EVERYWHERE NO MATTER WHAT?

My iPad. And plenty of dental floss. (laughs).

ON A SUNDAY MORNING, AFTER ANOTHER INCREDIBLE WEEKEND OF EVENTS, NO DOUBT, WHERE ARE WE LIKELY TO FIND YOU?

Napping.

NOW, WHY DOESN’T THAT SURPRISE ME? CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN DAVID ON YOUR NEW BOOK AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INTERVIEW.

For more information on David Stark Design and Production, or to order your own copy of his latest book, we encourage you to pop on over to David’s cleverly designed website. There’s much to see and inspire. Enjoy!