The Party-Thrower's Guide to...Everything

Gia Russo:
Yeah. Big. Love flowers. Flowers and candles are the most important things you should have at a party. Just floating flowers in a beautiful bowl is so easy, yet it makes such a wonderful statement. You don't have to spend $200 on an arrangement.

Debra Ponzek:
Before the guests arrive, I always put a flower arrangement on the table, then sit down to make sure I can see the person across from me.

Preston Bailey:
If you have the money for flowers, that's always wonderful, but my biggest thing is encouraging people to play with what they have. You could use leaves to tie napkins and to line your platters, then use bigger leaves as an arrangement. In the summer, there are tons of sunflowers that cost very little. Ten sunflowers could decorate a table because they're so big and impressive.

Colin Cowie:
I don't care for that whole thing of big buckets of flowers. It's costly, and it always looks like someone else did it. I prefer to use sculpted vases with a small opening that require just one or two flowers or beautiful leaves, which become more of an art statement.

Ina Garten:
I don't decorate much. It's one more thing to do, and entertaining is hard enough—to add another thing you should do is nuts. My suggestion to create atmosphere is: Dim the lights, light some candles, make good drinks, and crank up the music.