Celebrity Wedding Planner David Tutera Opens Up About His Emotional Memoir: 'I Had to Tell My Story' - PEOPLE

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David Tutera isn’t holding back. 

The celebrity wedding planner, 57, who has created lavish events for Elton John, Shannen Doherty, Star Jones and rum heiress Erica Bacardi released his memoir Journey to Joy: A Boy Unveiled on February 1, 2023. In the book, Tutera talks about the difficulties he faced as a child, his unlikely road to success and how he finally found happiness.

Tutera tells PEOPLE that he hopes his deeply personal project can help others: “I wanted to share these stories because so many more people experience some or all of what I went through," he says. "I thought this might be something that other people could learn from.”

As a kid, the former reality TV star says his relationship with his father was challenged. After coming out as gay, he says his dad didn't support him. "Behind the scenes it was a tough life for me," says Tutera, who was also bullied by classmates as a kid. "My dad was very difficult but my mom was always my best friend."

Wedding Expert David Tutera. WE TV

To this day, Tutera's relationship with his father remains fractured. "It's really not good," he says. There is no relationship, to be quite frank." Tutera adds that his mother, who now has late stage Alzheimer's disease was always supportive.

"I am so very proud of my mom," he says. "Unfortunately, in the situation she's in now, it saddens me on a daily basis, but I'm proud of her for sticking up for me as her son."

As Tutera climbed his way to the top of the wedding planning business in his 20's and 30's, he still struggled with childhood trauma. Then, he got the offer to do his hit WE TV show, My Fair Wedding. 

“The show saved my life in that chapter," he recalls of the popular series which followed Tutera as he planned events for high profile celebrities. "That was an accidental moment that happened for a long period of time through my television career. And I didn't even realize that that saved my life until I wrote the book.”

Tutera later married his partner, Joey Toth in April 2017 and the pair share two daughters, Cielo and Gracie Stella. He credits his husband for helping him process struggles from the past and become a better father.

Courtesy of David Tutera

“When we first started having our children, Joey and myself, I found myself somewhat behaving like my dad, which was really not a good thing,” Tutera said. “It was really brought to my attention by my wonderful husband saying, ‘You're yelling like your dad would yell.’”

Tutera was determined not to repeat any of the same behaviors he grew up with.

“I'm softer, I'm more connected to my girls,” he says. "I give that credit to Joey. I'm deeply in love with my husband. And I'm just so proud of my girls. I'm proud to be a dad."

As he reflects on all of his ups and downs, Tutera says he has no regrets.

"All of those steps I took, the bad, good, ugly, dangerous, wound up making me become the person that I am today," he says. "If the little nuggets that I've provided in the book gives someone that hope and opportunity to step up, and speak your voice, and move forward, and don't be stuck in the cement, and go forward and live your life, that makes me happy."

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Celebrity Wedding Planner David Tutera Opens Up About His Emotional Memoir: 'I Had to Tell My Story' - PEOPLE
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