Thanksgiving Table Ideas
I love that there are so so many ways to set a Thanksgiving table that make it feel warm and inviting. Thanksgiving in particular seems to cater to the most simple and meaningful centerpieces and settings. I mean, I enjoy extravagance as much as the next girl. But, if you don’t have time or money for over the top, simple works just as well in this case.
Also, if you are the person in charge of cooking, setting an extravagant table can be a bit too much to think about. Also, things tend to burn when you step out of the kitchen for too long. Not that I would know…
I am completely smitten with this idea from Country Living. You could even ask each guest to bring a picture of someone they’re thankful for that can’t be with them on that day. So sweet and sentimental, yet inexpensive.
This is probably my favorite table, it’s laden with gorgeous eye candy. You should pop over and take a look at this article if you have a second. I love the jewel tone colors with the flowers and leaves. It doesn’t seem overdone. Using the food as part of the decor is genius, and guests can just reach over and munch on cheese or nuts after dinner while everyone is talking.
This one is a little more formal and extravagant. Mandy is so talented and creative. She consistently produces beautiful moments. And, while you may not have the budget to pull off the entire look, you could easily make the place cards by picking up a bunch of pears from the grocery store and spray painting them gold. Here is a beautifully detailed tutorial.
I’m not really into carving pumpkins, or cutting into gourds to make candle holders. I think those are really cute ideas, it’s just not for me. I don’t know if it’s the idea of trying to grip a slippery knife that is covered in pumpkin guts or the fact that I don’t want to work very hard on a table arrangement. But, I do love the idea of taking 5 minutes to throw a little gold paint on an acorn or pumpkin for a table setting. If you don’t have time for the paint to dry, you can just tie a beautiful ribbon around the pumpkin stem and write your guests name on each one. It may seem pretentious, but place cards make things easier and more comfortable for your guests, especially if you don’t know the people that are coming very well.
If you are really low on time, you can run outside and grab a few pretty leaves. Then write each guest’s name on a leaf using a gold pen (sold at craft stores).
No time to collect leaves? You can just grab a bag of mini pumpkins and a bunch of flowers from the store while you are picking up your food supplies and put them into a clear glass vase while your turkey is in the oven. Better yet, split them up into a few smaller vases and scatter them along the table.
If you just don’t have the time to even think about the table settings and the food, don’t worry about it. The centerpiece gets moved out of the way to make room for the food most of the time anyway. And, the food is decoration enough. As long as you’re having fun, your guests will have fun.
Do you have any table setting traditions?
ooox,
Nicole
