Do you love hosting Thanksgiving in your home? When you are holiday entertaining and have everyone at your home, you definitely want to have a thanksgiving table setting that will tie everything together and set the mood.
Thanksgiving tablescapes are fun and easy to put together when you know what to do. Here are some of my Thanksgiving table setting ideas and tips for successful holiday entertaining.
Create a Thanksgiving Tablescape that’s Sure to Impress
Knowing how to set the table is a great skill to have when it comes to holiday entertaining. Taking the extra time to ensure you have the right decor and setting will provide your guests with a comfortable and enjoyable experience.
Tablecloths, napkins, and runners set the base of your table and can help add texture and color. Other important things you need to consider include flatware, glassware, serving plates, bread and butter plates, and salad plates.
You also need to determine your table setting type, where you can either go casual, informal, or formal. For more in-depth information on how to create a thanksgiving tablescape, check out my guide on how to set the table.
Choosing the Right Thanksgiving Centerpiece
When you are throwing a festive dinner party, your table should include a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Centerpieces can help bring your entire tablescape together and should be a memorable statement piece.
Some Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas include a DIY creation with some of your favorite fall florals and natural elements. Be sure to match the rest of your tablescape when choosing your centerpiece theme.
You can also add in some fall fruits and vegetables such as pomegranates, apples, figs, squashes, and pumpkins.
Some vintage brass candle holders with colored candle sticks to create a cozy ambiance. Regardless of what you choose for your centerpiece, don’t be afraid to be creative and use your imagination.
Festive Thanksgiving Table Settings
For your Thanksgiving table setting, depending on the number of people you have and the type of meal you will be serving, you can either go for a casual, informal, or formal table setting.
To make your Thanksgiving tablescape more festive, some ideas to include are touches of warm and woodsy color palettes, a colorful display of seasonal fruits, nuts and vegetables, brass accents, vintage dishes and glassware.
For a casual table setting where you’re serving one main dish, you should have a dinner plate, water glass, dinner fork, knife, tablespoon, and napkin.
A salad plate and soup bowl are optional if you are going to serve those dishes.
If you are going with a simple dinner party where you’ll have a three-course meal, the guidelines are similar to a casual place setting but with some subtle differences. You’ll want to add a placemat or tablecloth and a wine glass.
A formal table setting is most suitable for holidays and special celebrations, like Thanksgiving where you want to host a more elegant dinner party with a three-course meal.
Some things you will want to include are:
- Place card
- White wine glass
- Red wine glass
- Water glass
- Butter knife
- Bread plate
- Cake fork
- Dessert spoon
- Tablespoon
- Teaspoon
- Knife
- Soup bowl
- Salad plate
- Placemat
- Salad fork
- Dinner form
- Dinner plate
- Charger
- Napkin
Start by placing the charger plate on top of a placemat, and top it with the dinner plate, salad plate, and soup bowl with a folded napkin on top. The knife and spoons go to the right of the plate, and the forks on the left.
Above the plate, wine and water glasses go on the right, and a bread plate on the left with the dessert fork and spoon directly above the plate.
Tips for Successful Holiday Entertaining
Tablescapes, centerpiece, and place settings are only part of hosting a successful Thanksgiving get together.
Here are some tips for a stress-free dinner so that you can stay present with the people you love.
Plan your menu in advance
Having a plan is always a good idea to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Check in with your guests ahead of time for any food restrictions or preferences to make sure you have something for everyone.
This will also help you determine how big of a turkey you will need to buy if some of your guests are vegetarians. Having a game plan will help you stock up on all the ingredients you will need and plan out the cook times.
Prep ahead of time
Anything you can do to prepare before the big day will be helpful. You can chop up all of your vegetables, make salad dressing, or prepare pie crusts and desserts a day in advance.
Prepping will help you spread out the work and can save you some time the day of your dinner which will allow you to spend more time with your guests.
Have your appetizers and snacks ready
To ensure your guests are entertained from the moment they arrive, you can set up a cheese board that will be ready for grazing while they conversate. That way you won’t need to worry about entertaining them too much when they arrive and can focus on greeting them and getting dinner ready.
Make sure to have a variety of beverages
Just like appetizers and snacks, it’s best to have an assortment of drinks ready for your guests to choose from. Make sure to have a variety that includes alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks so there is something for everyone. You can even make mulled wine ahead of time so it’s ready to sip on when guests arrive.
Show me Your Thanksgiving Tablescapes
Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? If you create this Thanksgiving tablescape for your home, please tag @simplicityfordesigns!
xo, Gbeke
What do you think?