Let’s skip the part where we wax lyrical about the rich, historical significance of Thanksgiving and instead focus on the real positive: it provides the perfect excuse to throw a dinner party. It’s okay if you haven’t done this before – we’ve all been Thanksgiving novices at one point – but whether you’re a complete newbie or an old pro, take some stress out of holiday preparation by following the tips below.
How to set your table
Your table set-up says a lot about you. Before we get to the really important stuff – the flowers and foliage, though we would say that – there are three basics to keep in mind. 1) Lay your plates – always white; always round; never less than 10-inches wide – symmetrically around the table. 2) Your table needs to look uncluttered and like it has been laid without a lot of fuss – so just one wine glass, please. 3) You need candles – think classic, with white tapers.
![Floom Sets The Table Village Studios Nyc 12 1](https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom_sets_the_table-village_studios-nyc-12-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=2a19579a47c5cde8a5dd4e81234c289b 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom_sets_the_table-village_studios-nyc-12-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=65cfdc39067b446d1a8216967b0d3313 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom_sets_the_table-village_studios-nyc-12-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=44e1224e872028ea6cf8e48e1a411b1c 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom_sets_the_table-village_studios-nyc-12-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=c017f459ad86910d22abecb28fd71629 400w)
Flowers and foliage
Nature has no faults and you can always show your guests that you appreciate them with a wild array of flowers. Incorporate greens and flowers of various sizes to create visual and physical texture. When in doubt, add more meandering down the table. Continuity is also crucial for a great tablescape – to do this, simply create a small trail of foliage from one end to the other. Put your stems in small, short bud vases; even jam jars will do the trick.
![Floom Sets The Table Nyc](https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-sets-the-table-nyc.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=64a720f3a4615db8bc1665183de36717 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-sets-the-table-nyc.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=e6ce26f41150376870c0e18f97808d4d 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-sets-the-table-nyc.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=57bcde53a4a0f6b70babf2f0fd8f61cf 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-sets-the-table-nyc.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=a6276dd67efcb778d7d1025c20cec60d 400w)
Wreaths
Keep your centrepieces low – so conversation can flow from one side of the table to the other – by laying your wreaths on their side. Classic green wreaths decorated with pinecones and red berries will do the trick.
![Floom Sets The Table 4](https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-sets-the-table-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=739c1d3d2b58cb8b2849fb52ec2f3a6f 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-sets-the-table-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=9eeec0f7364f9a2a3b451eb35f8ac1b9 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-sets-the-table-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=477d76dbba9f9943f72388cd274cd7f0 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/floom-sets-the-table-4.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=7776b71f11d72d3c2e3565b77d18850b 400w)