Ten Tips to Hosting Your Best Thanksgiving

I cannot believe it’s that time of year to start getting Thanksgiving decor in order but here we are! I’ve officially packed up all the Halloween decor madness and now we’re movin’ on to the next, which happens to be another fave holiday of mine. You girls know I love any excuse to do a tablescape, and Thanksgiving is one of the best opportunities for going all out! I came across so many cute pieces while on the hunt for a few new items for this years tablescape that I figured I would whip up a quick post with ten tips to hosting your best Thanksgiving!

In SoCal we’re fortunate to outdoor entertain pretty much all year round and loved doing that last year. We had such a big group last year that our old backyard was the perfect place to transform into a relaxed but charming outdoor dinner party. Here a few shots from last year’s tablescape I pulled together but you can check out the full (photo overload) post HERE. I also shared a super cute kids table on the post too!

I’m so excited to host a big group again this year and can’t wait to use our new dining room. It’s all about some nice glasses, a theme, and then decor throughout the table and house to tie everything together. I’m really into copper right now, so I think i’ll be going that route and incorporating a bunch of that this year.

A few years ago we had an intimate Thanksgiving at home with just another couple so if you’re hosting something small you can check out my full post HERE. The kids were super young so they ate and ran around and played and the adults chatted drank and were constantly up and down 😉

I’ve shared the geometric candlestick holders in the photos several times but they’re no longer available so I linked this candlestick holder, which is still so chic! I know you’ll still love it and get so much use out of it! Mine have seriously been one of my best holiday purchases! I’ve used them for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and would work well for just about any other event or hosting your doing.

If you girls are getting ready to host or decorate, I pulled together a bunch of my fave Thanksgiving entertaining and decor options below…

For Drinking

Tip for hosting any kind of party: have a self-serve bar ready to go before guests arrive! This makes people feel comfortable grabbing what they want, and one less thing for you to do. Plus, let’s be real here, everyone needs a drank or two by the time Thanksgiving dinner is served 😉

I’ll be setting these Gold Rimmed Glasses on the table for water. Goes perfect with these matching Carafes to set on the table with chilled water (add a little lemon and mint for something exxxtra). Think of one carafe for every 4 people.

Obsessed with this entire Wine Glass Set to cover each type of wine.

I usually set a couple of these Marble Wood Wine Coolers on the table for table wine, and then keep more bottles, champagne and some beer in this Gold Party Bucket on the bar with ice.

For Serving

Now for the serving part! Depending on your space, you can do a buffet line on a separate table or place food family style on the table (usually how we do it). I like to set all dishes out in advance to see how they’ll fit on the table and put notes in each dish to know what we’re serving. A little planning in advance goes a LONG way over here 😉

Lalalove these gorgeous Copper Charger Plates for some drama on the table. These Gold Chargers are just as pretty!

I always think food looks best served on white dishes like this White Large Bowl and Swoop Bowl.

Obsessed with these Gold & Marble Cheese Tools – stunning right?! And you girls know I love me a cheese plate.

This Wooden Utensil Holder is perfect for a buffet table or the serving table. You can even put napkins and straws in here or crayons and paper on the kids table. You can see how I used it last year HERE and all the fun things I put it in for the kids too.

For Decor

And now the fun part! I usually set up some decor a couple weeks in advance and really focus in on it the week of Thanksgiving. Make sure to incorporate aspects of your table, like wood or gold or whatever you’re going with.

A simple Linen Table Runner that can go with tons of different vibes is always my go to! And only $31 yes please!

Can’t get over these Modern Brass Candleholders to spread out on the table. For added drama, I like to play with height across the table with these Metal Loop Candelabras. Scooped up a couple sets of these Dripless 8″ Tall Candles too. (Dripless is the new way to go after you girls saw my Halloween tablescape aftermath lol.)

If you’re using a bench at your table, I love this Sheepskin Throw – or even to drape a couple across some chairs for cozy texture and relaxed boho vibe.

Hope this helps you girls set the mood and table for Turkey Day and if you’re looking for some more inspo you check out my see my post on the last two years of Thanksgiving entertaining here (outside Cali style) and here (moody Intimate indoors) xo