How To Set A Casual, But Elegant Thanksgiving Table

Use these table setting tips to set a Thanksgiving table that’s just dressy enough for a special occasion and just casual enough to invite your guests to stay awhile.

We don’t do formal around here, but I do like to dress things up a bit for special meals. I hope that my Thanksgiving table this year reflects the perfect combination of casual, laid back, cozy, welcoming style with a little bit of dressy thrown in. Just enough dressy to make you feel like this is a special meal and we’re so glad that you’ve joined us!

No formal, stuffy centerpieces allowed around here! I simply plopped a faux pumpkin into the middle of a wooden pedestal bowl and tucked in real and faux eucalyptus, faux fall berries from the dollar store and guinea feathers. The resulting look is casual because it’s unstructured and filled with texture.

I added a bit of sparkle and dressiness to the table by scattering mercury glass candle votives around both ends of the table. Twig pumpkins calm the dressiness down though and add some of that all important texture.

I love the look of the candles reflecting in the brown glass jugs.

I kept the colors on the table very muted, so as not to compete with the rest of the fall decor in the dining room. I chose to use white, beige, soft greens and zinc as the main colors.

Each place setting is grounded with a dark brown placemat. Did you notice that every place setting is slightly different? Even though I used the same elements at each setting, each one is styled just a little differently.

All six of the settings include the same linen napkin, silverware, eucalyptus, guinea feather and a zinc name tag all tied together with jute twine. I’ve never tried mixing my place settings up before, but I must admit that I love the look!

The ends of my table are curved, which can make using a tablecloth a bit tricky. To solve the problem, I gathered each end of the runner, tied it with twine and tucked in a few sprigs of eucalyptus and couple of guinea feathers.