How to Create An Affordable Thanksgiving Tablescape

If you follow me on Snapchat (lauren_ely), you saw that #FashionablyBae and I hosted our 2nd Annual Friendsgiving this past weekend. I think it’s safe to say I’m still recovering from the Super Boozy Apple Cider Sangria…#toomuchBrandy. This year, I challenged myself to stick to some sort of a budget as I tend to get a little crazy with the spending when it comes to playing hostess. I just get in this ridiculous Martha Stewart mode and pretend I can do it all. B thinks I’m crazy. I like to think I just need my own TV show – but that’s a whole other convo. 

Anyways, I gave myself a pretty tight budget that had to cover everything from the appetizers to the decor and was pleasantly surprised at what I was able to pull together! Check out a few of my tips below for creating a super affordable Thanksgiving Tablescape and shop a few of my favorite pieces to help make your Turkey Day that much better! 

1. BIG #SQUAD? Rent Affordable AND Stylish Furniture: We have a large group of friends and this year we decided to also extend the invite to some of B’s co-workers…which meant we were expecting nearly 30 people. Obviously, I don’t have enough room at my dinner table to fit the entire #squad so renting tables and chairs was our best option. I was so pumped to be able to work with a local company called Elite Event Rental who had such an awesome selection of furniture to fit our needs – I mean how amazing are these chairs?! Finding an event rental company that has both affordable options and stylish piece is crucial to setting up for the perfect dinner party. You don’t have to break the bank either. These chairs were only a few dollars each and were definitely worth all of the compliments! 
2. The $5 Linen Tablecloth: I wanted a really nice white or off white tablecloth for the rented tables but did NOT want plastic, and definitely didn’t want to pay over $20. I found these linen tablecloths from Party City for a little over $5 and they were absolutely perfect. They come in a stronger material, a few different color options and actually look like real tablecloths. 
3. Use Chargers: I was all about that paper plate life because who has time for dishes? Not me! To dress them up a bit, I used silver and gold chargers that I keep around for dinner parties just like this. My mom has actually had these for years but I stole them last year and was excited to use them again for this year’s party Target has them for about $2-3 each which is pretty awesome and I love how they class things up a bit. 
4. Budget Friendly Flatware: Yes. I used gold plastic utensils. Last year I used my mom’s gold flatware that came with her fine china and I will never do that again for a larger party. People are messy and I hate handwashing dishes so it was just a huge ordeal. I also got really nervous about people accidentally throwing them away. Stresses me out. Instead, this year I got a ton of gold plastic utensils, wrapped them in a nice ivory paper napkin and tied a cute a little placecard around the set to pull it all together. 
5. Fresh Decor: I opted for a simple + modern tablescape this year so I decided to pick up some fresh roses from Trader Joes ($4 per dozen of red roses!) and pine cones from my parents’ backyard. And that was it. Paired with the white, silver and gold detailing it was all I needed for that perfectly simple setup. I love checking out the Farmer’s Market or Trader Joes for fresh items (also grabbed some cinnamon sticks/branches for the perfect autumnal scent) for those budget friendly decor items. 

SHOP MORE AFFORDABLE THANKSGIVING TABLESCAPE DECOR