Styling a Harvest Table: Thanksgiving Looks

Styling a Harvest Table

Everyone has been so busy prepping their menus and getting ready to prepare a delectable feast. While it’s important to give the menu and food its due, at The Catered Affair, we also like to spend some time thinking about the table itself, adding another visual element to the meal. Your table setting helps shape the ambiance for the day from the moment your guests walk into the door, and helps to generate excitement around the holiday and the food you’ve prepared. The Catered Affair’s Event Designer, Ed Quinones, has shared a few tips on developing the perfect festive harvest design for your Thanksgiving table.

Keep it Clean and Simple

  • Don’t overdo it with pumpkins and gourds, cornucopias and all things printed. Avoid the look that many commercials selling juicy Thanksgiving Day turkeys go for. Instead, keep it sophisticated by bringing out natural colors, like beautiful burlap on the table, or natural linens like cotton.
  • Carry the natural theme through with darker wooden chairs, keeping them simple and organic.

Mix Up the Centerpieces

  • Create a centerpiece you can eat and share, such as bowls of mixed nuts, chocolate apricots and macaroons.
  • Put together a collection of pillar candles with eucalyptus and mini pumpkins and gourds in different sizes.
  • Fill apothecary jars with walnuts and hazelnuts, keeping it simple and seasonal.

Add in Pops of Seasonal Colors

  • Working with a neutral, organic base doesn’t mean remaining colorless. Bring out the festive colors through the plates or chargers themselves. Add an autumnal glass charger with white china, or have simple place settings paired with colored glasses.
  • Keep it classy and elegant with festive and seasonal flowers, taking natural elements from your surroundings.
  • Forget about the glitzy silver and gold, and instead use something surprising like coral china with a rattan charger or a green glass charger. These touches say “autumn” and make the table feel holiday special without going over the top.

However you choose to decorate your table, enjoy putting together the festive elements, develop your unique sense of design and style and lastly, make it an inviting place for your family and friends to celebrate together and give thanks! Have a great Thanksgiving!