Stop the presses!!  I am hosting my first Thanksgiving.  You heard that right, I am going to be hosting my first Thanksgiving dinner ever. I don’t know how I have managed to escape this monumental task for so many years.  I have a very large family, so usually this holiday is reserved for those family members with homes of mansion sized proportions.

The details involved in food prep and having everything come together is stressing me out! Therefore, I decide to take care of anything and everything that can get done in advance, such as the tablesetting, flower arrangements and menu.

Here is a preview of how I set the table.  I used lots of fall colors, gold, and natural elements.  The dishwear is a faux bois pattern that I found around the holidays last year at Target.  The placemats are also from Target.  The table runner was the inspiration for the vignette and I found it at Homegoods. One of my favorite elements are the birch block place card holders.  I simply sliced a birch log into sections and used gold leafing pen to add the names.  I also brought natural elements in by using magnolia branches scattered on the table

My menu will consist of winter squash soup to start. Next, we will have a second course of roasted beet and carrot salad.  For the main course, we will have herb roasted turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, sausage and herb stuffing, and green beans gremolata.  Finally, we will have poached pears in honey, ginger and cinnamon syrup.  Now, I just have to prepare and cook all that!  I found these perfect menu cards at Tiny Prints that will lay out the menu and make the entire occasion feel extra special and personal. And if you are not hosting Thanksgiving, but are looking for inspiration for your Christmas table setting, you can easily replace these cards with Christmas cards from Tiny Prints.

Since it is my first time hosting, I really want to make the day memorable and meaningful.  I found these fantastic easel art stands from Tiny Prints that can be used as a dry erase board.  Each guest can write down and share what they are grateful for. By the time I get dinner served I might be writing down “wine!”  The options with this easel art are endless.  You could make a to do list, a week at a glance, or a grocery list, and even personalize it with a photo.

I also decided to add some accents to my favorite bar cart.  I posted about my obsession with this Threshold bar cart here.  I thought it would be fun to add some pom pom trim in fall colors to some basic white linen towels.  I only needed half a yard of trim and I already had the towels, so this was a very inexpensive DIY.  This is where we will serve drinks and dessert, so I wanted it to have some festive touches.

Finally, for the kids table, I thought I would put together small arrangements of these flowers that are bursting with fall colors.

Do you host Thanksgiving at your home?  Any tips or tricks?  Please, please let me know in the comments.  My entire reputation as hostess is counting on it 🙂

Linking up at the Thrifty Thursday and Tip Junkie!

xoxo,