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How to Style a Beautiful Rustic Thanksgiving Table

Learn how to style a beautiful rustic Thanksgiving table with these simple ideas. Easy tips to create an inviting tablescape.

I’m not quite sure where the past two months have gone but it’s almost November!

And that means we need to start preparing for Thanksgiving.

Say what?!

I know, I know…it’s crazy but it will be here before we can say “please pass the turkey”.

So, we better start getting ready NOW!

If you’re hosting you’ll have to clean the house, make up guest beds, and of course be sure your house is decorated for the holiday.

You’re going to want to set a beautiful Thanksgiving table to share a delicious meal with your family & friends…

Am I right?!

Today we’re joining our blogging friends to bring you some gorgeous Thanksgiving tablescape ideas you’re going to just love!

The holidays are definitely a time when we gather together so we wanted to give you some tips and tricks you can use to style your table.

Be sure to read all the way to the end of this post.

You don’t miss out on the other beautiful Thanksgiving inspired tablescape ideas!

If you were here last month for our Fall Harvest Tablescapes you may have noticed we now have a guest host join us.

It’s super exciting to have 6 amazing bloggers sharing creative décor ideas with you.

Our group has a scrumptious menu that would be perfect for a Friendsgiving feast!

If you’re visiting us from our friend Rachel from The Pond’s Farmhouse or if you’re new to our blog…

Hey there and welcome!

Photo of two women the authors of Simply2moms

Thanks so much for stopping by our blog to check it out!

We’re AnnMarie (wearing black) and Anne (wearing white), the two moms behind this blog.

We work together to share simple and budget-friendly ideas for decoratingrecipesDIY projects, and tips for life with older teens (and beyond!).

You can read more about us and our families here.

And we would love to learn more about you! Be sure to say “hi” in the comments below and tell me where you’re visiting from.

But that’s enough about us…let’s talk more about this month’s theme… and my Thanksgiving tablescape!

How to Create a Rustic Thanksgiving Centerpiece

rustic centerpiece with vintage amber bottles and dried gourds on wood stand in middle of dining room

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My centerpiece is all about natural rustic elements with a variety of textures.

You can get all the nitty gritty details and close-up photos of exactly how I styled my centerpiece in this post that I wrote.

If you look closely you can see my long wood tray…if you’ve read some of my other tablescape posts you know all about my deep love for this décor staple.

It was only $12.99 at Home Goods several years ago and I use it ALL. OF. THE. TIME.

Here is a really pretty alternative…not nearly as inexpensive….but I bet it isn’t crooked like mine is.

I used my skinny washed linen table runners on top of the wood tray because I just love the texture it instantly adds.

vintage brick mold with candles and dried gourds on table

Did you see the vintage brick molds Anne used in her fall friendsgiving tablescape?

They were so fun I had to buy one for myself when we went shopping at our local antique mall last week.

My brick mold has such great old distressed colors…I placed it right in the middle of the tray to use as a riser for some rustic décor.

How to Add Natural Elements to a Tablescape

gourd and amber glass center piece design with place setting in front of it on table

I’ve always loved Anne’s dried gourds and thought maybe I’d try drying some out this year.

But while we were at the antique mall, we found these awesome gourds…already dried, stained and sealed.

And they were very reasonably priced, so I bought 7 of them in different sizes.

Some of the shapes of the gourds are just so cool.

Look at the guy with the curved top!

And the big one with the spots and bumps on it…such neat textures and colors.

How to Use Vintage Décor in a Centerpiece

amber jug bottle with dried wheat grass coming out top in middle of centerpiece on table

My vintage amber bottles were a find over a couple of antique shopping trips last year.

I styled my media shelving unit with them last fall and my fireplace mantle this year.

But once I scored those dried gourds I knew I wanted to style my Thanksgiving table with a combination of gourds and amber bottles.

Together they create a beautiful rustic centerpiece…don’t you think so?!

If you want more ideas for decorating with amber bottles check out this post.

lit votive candle in glass jar on linen table runner

The final touch of my simple rustic Thanksgiving centerpiece are simple small glass votive candles.

Although they aren’t vintage they are budget-friendly!

A bunch of them spread around the tablescape creates some ambiance with the pretty glow of candlelight.

How to Set a Table for Thanksgiving Dinner

overhead view of thanksgiving tablescape styled with dried gourds, candles, amber bottles and place settings

I kept the table setting casual with just a dinner fork and knife to the left of each place.

We usually host a big Thanksgiving so we serve dinner buffet style in the kitchen and bring our plates into the dining room to eat.

Since it’s more relaxed and we aren’t serving multiple courses, I don’t use a full set of cutlery for each place setting.

Rather than pulling out the china, I also used my everyday dishes to keep with the rustic theme of the dining table.

DIY Place Setting Cards

grapevine mini pumpkin with tag reading give thanks hanging from stem on top of plates on table

These aren’t technically place cards since they don’t have the names of my guests on them.

But I do like to add a little something to the middle of each place setting so I grabbed these grapevine mini pumpkins to use again this year.

Yup…you read that correctly, I’ve used these cute little pumpkins several times before.

You can see my Thanksgiving tablescapes ideas from the first year we started blogging here….boy have I come a long way in both my decorating and photography skills.

And the second year we were blogging, I shared some more tablescape tips for the holidays with the same pumpkin place cards.

If you want to make these place cards there’s a free printable you can download here.

rustic tablescape styled with gourds and amber bottles and middle and place settings with napkins on top of plates

At first, I was going to leave the pumpkin in the middle of the plate but it looked a little lonely, so I moved him to the side…much better!

Plus, I wanted to show off my new napkin rings I got from Jackie at Rod Works when we were there helping get her store ready for the holidays. Send Jackie a message about them if you don’t see them on her website.

Did you read about our adventures becoming retail designers for a few days last month?

SO. MUCH. FUN!

close up of napkin with napkin ring on plates

Anne got the same rattan napkin rings and recently used them in her vintage tablescape too.

They’re so pretty, super versatile and coordinate with many different décor styles.

You may need a set for your tablescapes too!

close up of seagrass charger with two different sized plates stacked on top of each other topped with cloth napkin in wicker napkin ring

The water hyacinth chargers are another staple in my tablescape designs since they’re neutral enough to use throughout the year.

On top of the stacked plates I used a cloth napkin in those awesome napkin rings.

I just love the fringe detail on the edges of these napkins that provide even more texture to each place setting.

Beautiful Rustic Thanksgiving Table

rustic thanksgiving tablescape with chandelier hanging over table in middle of room mirror on buffet table at far end of roomr

I left some of my fall décor out for Thanksgiving including that amazing wreath on my mirror.

The wheat on the wreath mirrors the wheat in the middle of the tablescape. Haha…get it mirrors!

I know it’s a bad joke…it’s late…I’m sorry!

dining room table with place settings and rustic decor of gourds, pumpkins, candles and amber bottles with china hutch cabinet on wall behind table

The no-sew sweater pumpkins on top of my china cabinet and the DIY burlap pumpkins inside the hutch are also perfect to use throughout the autumn season.

Even for Thanksgiving!

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More Fall Tablescape Ideas from Our Friends

Next up on the tour is our friend Michele from Vintage Home Design.

Wait until you see her pretty Thanksgiving place settings?!

Meet Our Guest Host

table set with garland and candles in middle and glass stand with pie inside
Danielle – Faith and Farmhouse

We met Danielle virtually in a mentoring group we are a part of but we were lucky enough to meet in person last summer.

How fun is that!?

She’s super sweet and we know you’re going to just love her blog so be sure to look around when you check out her simple & beautiful Thanksgiving tablescape.

We’ll be sharing a guest host each month, in addition to our permanent hosts below, so be sure to come back every month to meet our next special guest.

If you’re a blogger and you’d like to join our virtual dinner club for a month leave us a comment below or contact us here.

If you’ve missed any of our previous tablescape ideas just click the link for even more inspiration:

If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!

Don’t miss any of our tips, tricks, or stories! We’d love for you to follow us on social media! You can find us on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

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