Last Minute Thanksgiving Tablescape

Stressed out about your Thanksgiving table? Don’t be! I’m going to show you a very easy (and cheap) way to pull off a last-minute Thanksgiving tablescape sure to impress all of your guests! Don’t believe me? I did all of the shopping for this one from 9 am to 10 am yesterday morning, took pictures and blogged it last night. So if you don’t have anything planned for your Thanksgiving table yet I promise that you can pull this last-minute look so easy and in a day if not mere hours.

Black Plates | Napkin Rings | Striped Napkins | Grosgrain Ribbon | Cutlery

This year we are living in an apartment while we build which means there won’t be a big thanksgiving tablescape like last year. For starters, all of my dishes, plates, runners, etc are boxed up in the barn. And to make things even more challenging my farmhouse dining room table is also in storage and we have a small round top which I adopted in the marriage and actually quite hate (sorry babe).

Instead of skipping this year’s Thanksgiving tablescape altogether, I decided to take on the challenge and whip up a very pretty tablescape that is actually very simple to create last minute. It’s also really great if you hate the look of your table.

How to Create a Last Minute Tablescape

For starters, slap some butcher’s paper or kraft paper from Target like I did here. I taped the first piece down to the table and then taped the second piece on top. Don’t worry about being able to see the tape because your centerpiece will cover it! Then I just pulled down the edges around the table and taped them under. I love craft paper because it gives off that rustic Thanksgiving vibe, is so easy to clean up (aka ball up and throw away) and you could also get wild with some calligraphy if you wanted.

For the table settings, I used white plates and glasses I already had, black plates from Hearth and Hand at Target (omg obsessed), these striped napkins, this pretty napkin holder, some grosgrain ribbon and fake cutlery. If you are in need of a little inspiration, here are 4 different ways you can style your napkins.

4 Ways to Style Napkins

Thanksgiving Centerpiece

When I was planning out the centerpiece I was envisioning pumpkins and eucalyptus. One trip to the grocery while I was frantically grabbing supplies quickly changed that. I don’t know if you’ve been to a grocery store lately but you would have a better chance of seeing Santa himself over finding an actual pumpkin. Apparently, the pilgrims and Indians celebrated Thanksgiving with poinsettias, cranberries and Christmas trinkets.

As I was coming up empty-handed in the pumpkin search I shifted my concentration to finding something that anyone, anywhere would have in their local grocery. Enter the oranges. Not traditional for a Thanksgiving table but when you wait until the last minute, you get what you get. I actually love how they contrast the eucalyptus and is there any easier way to decorate than dumping a pile of oranges and clementines on a table? Definitely not.

Add Candles for Ambiance

I also love candlelight and florals in a tablescape for softness and ambiance. I found the candles and the votives at Home Goods this AM because I thought of it at the last minute and it was closer to my house, but you could also get those at Target! I tucked roses and eucalyptus from the grocery store into the votives and lit the candles and called it a day.

Black Plates | Napkin Rings | Striped Napkins | Grosgrain Ribbon | Cutlery

Overall I’m very pleased with how easy this was to put together and it makes me excited to think that this might ease the Thanksgiving decorating burden for some of you this week. If you use this as inspiration to set your Thanksgiving table please take a picture and tag me on Instagram or in your stories

Pin for later!