Thanksgiving is our favorite American holiday. A day to pause, focus on friends and family, and celebrate gratitude... What's not to love?
To focus on what matters most on Thanksgiving day, we like to have the table set ahead of time. Setting the table is one of our favorite parts of entertaining and it’s such a fun thing to do when you’re not worried about hosting at the same time. We set the table the night before to set the tone for the day ahead. Here, we share some easy tips and tricks to set a table effortlessly.
TIPS + TRICKS
1. Gather your supplies
Decide your color story and decor ahead of time. To achieve the look in this post you will need a white table cloth, two striped runners, a set of wooden chargers, our new heart pattern cloth napkins, ribbon and a bundle of wheat. (We purchased the wheat at a local craft store.)
2. Place your tablecloth and runner
Cover your table with a white table cloth and put down your runners. For a more impactful look, we often place two runners side by side. The two runners together create a wider space for the centerpiece items and the seam is easily hidden with the greenery we place on top.
3. Keep the flowers and greenery simple
We like using florals and greenery that are easily available at your local market or can be sent directly to your door using Farmgirl Flowers. Here, we are using silver dollar eucalyptus and white pumpkins. For a white flower to complement the greenery, try roses or hydrangeas and cut them low and place the flowers in small clear vases.
4. Add candles to give the table a festive feeling
We always add candles to our tablescapes to give the table a festive feel. The gold candles we designed this year for the Target Holiday Collection are just the right size to be scattered in between your greenery. Here, we mixed metallic gold votives and our Signature Holiday Candle to give the room the scent of the holidays. It's everyone's favorite scent.
5. Add small touches
We like to add small details that make a big impact. Here, we tied the napkins with ribbon and tucked in a sprig of wheat at each place setting.
6. Set the table
You can use your best China or your everyday stoneware. We paired our everyday white dishes with grandma's vintage silver. All the matters is that everyone has a seat at the table.
7. Place cards are a must
We’re big fans of assigned seating. It helps to make your guests feel at ease and often allows for really good conversation if you thoughtfully place like-minded people near one another. We used traditional place cards here, but you can also tie a tag on each napkin with the name of each guest.
8. Don't forget why you're gathered
On Thanksgiving, we like to remember why we're gathered. We often go around the table and ask each person to share what they're grateful for and we even have a set of questions we offer each year as a printable download to take it to the next level. We like to put the questions in a bowl and ask the youngest person to start by answering a question. It seems hard at first, but once people start sharing the whole room feels connected and it reminds us what the day is all about.
9. Send out invitations
Of course, we love sending paper invitations, but for family holidays we often use Paperless Post to let everyone know what time to arrive and for us to get a proper head count.
