How To Set The Perfect Thanksgiving Table

Sep 13, 2019 by Daniella Dolman

Hello everyone! We hope you are enjoying this season as much as we are, as we transition into fall.

Can you believe Thanksgiving is only 1 month away?! We know what that means, it is soon time to start preparing for family meals and events in your home. We want to help you out with a few tips and some advice for how you can pull together the best, most stylish, party that your family will love. One of the biggest pieces to throwing a good Thanksgiving gathering is obviously the food. There are so many amazing blogs out there that can help you with that aspect, but what we are here to help you with is planning, preparing, and setting the perfect Thanksgiving table. So here we go!

PREP

Thanksgiving isn’t until October 14^th, so we still have plenty of time to plan and prepare. We always recommend getting started well in advance so you don’t feel stressed out the day of (or even a few days before). There is enough to worry about last minute, so if you can, we advise preparing the tablescape beforehand.

Think about how many people are coming. If you are unsure, or there are a few people who have not confirmed, always err on the side of more rather than less. It is much easier to take a table setting away, than to have to throw extras together last minute.

You also have to consider what food will be served, as this will help you decide on the dishes you will be laying out. Make a list of all the necessary dishware so you are sure you have enough.

PRODUCTS

Once you know what, and how much of each dish you need, you want to start pulling everything together. We recommend starting with the tablecloth, as this is the base. For a Thanksgiving theme, look for warm colour like reds, golds, yellows, browns and burnt oranges. If you don’t have anything like that, a simple white tablecloth can be styled up just as well! Whatever tablecloth you choose, try to use a contrasting colour for the napkins. (Eg; muted red tablecloth, white dinner napkins.)

Next, decide which main plates/bowls you will be using. Put them with the tablecloth and napkins. Now bring in the other important pieces like glasses (check out these ones with a beautiful gold detail around the rim), knives and forks, gravy boats, pie plates, etc. Choose pieces that fit within your theme and colour story. For Thanksgiving, on top of the reds, oranges, and yellows, you can bring in complementary finishes like silverware, wooden bread boards, glass pitchers, and gold candlesticks.

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

Once everything has been chosen, you can start to lay it all out and see how it fits together. Practice setting one spot, and play around with it until you are happy. If it feels to sparse, try adding in a napkin roll on the plate with some acorns, or a few golden leaves. If it feels too busy, take unnecessary items away that take up too much space.

Lastly, think about if you will be adding any centrepieces to the table on the day of. A bit of fresh greenery, some autumn flowers, dried pampas, mini pumpkins, or some candles make lovely Thanksgiving centrepieces.