Pastels, the cutest cocktails, a dreamy tablescape, and the easiest sweat-free-menu— This your ultimate guide to hosting your first colorful Friendsgiving.
For the love of everything that is cozy, pumpkins, Fall, and most importantly, Friendsgiving.
Along with the joyous welcoming of Fall (and when I mean joyous, I mean like praise the universe and everything that is holy joyous) comes the start of holiday entertaining season! Bring on the cute tablescapes, the endless cocktails, the bevy of food, and being surrounded by friends and family. **Side note, I should mention that the cocktails shouldn’t be endless. We don’t need a repeat of Kris circa 2015…#JustSayin’**
Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming here…
Surprise, Surprise! I’m back teaming up with my favorite home decor peeps, Homesense, and the expert color chaser and finder in the city, Maca from Hey Maca, to share with you the most fun, colorful and chic Friendsgiving that’s not only Insta-worthy but above all stress-free to host. Over here I’ll be sharing all the effortless and cute deets for hosting your first EVER Friendsgiving, and over on Maca’s blog, you’ll see how to whip up a self-serve signature cocktail + bar!
Friendsgiving is the perfect excuse to make time for your friends and put a fresh twist on a classic Thanksgiving meal! It’s a little more laid back which means you can totally ditch the turkey (yes, I said that) and have a little more fun with the holiday. Now let’s jump right into all the deets, shall we?
Friendsgiving Guide: The decor
Colorful. Fun. Chic.
The three little words that truly embodied the decor for this fab dinner party! We kept the table clean and simple but with an obvious pop of color, of course, leaving enough room for the dishes. Upping the maximum cozy factor by lining up the table with candles, pumpkins for the ultimate homage to Fall, and totally ditched the paper napkins for some gorgeous linen ones that added a beautiful texture.
Seriously though, linen napkins are life-changing, aka, we’ve never felt more like good hostess’ until we got them. Also, very inexpensive too-$16.99 for 6, total score!
Having a color scheme eases the planning of your decor. What’s even better is if you have anything missing, your friends pink or blue bowl won’t clash with your colorful color scheme (you know, if that sort of thing is important to you).
Bonus tip! When venturing out to get decor for your tablescape, don’t just stay in the dinnerware section. Get small vases to put extra cutlery or straws in. Ceramic pumpkins that you can totally reuse for your Halloween decor—Double points for that one! My personal fave is to get new cushions and throws for that extra coziness. How gorgeous is that round velvet pillow? I’m crying inside and secretly want 10 of them…Well, I guess it’s not a secret to you, but a secret to the Mr. 😉
Friendsgiving Guide: Prep work
Most time saving and sweat saving tip I could give you is to set your decor the night before! You’ll feel like such a boss barely having to lift a finger the day of! Put out everything, even empty serving platters so that way you know what you have space for on the table and not scrounging trying to find a spot for things once dinner is being served.
Friendsgiving Guide: self-serve cocktail bar
Here’s the thing…We want to enjoy our holiday dinner party, right? Then the last thing we want to do is play bartender! Solution? The best investment you’ll make is getting a punch bowl! Let your friends serve themselves by adding a festive spiked punch, and they can easily go for seconds. Want wine or champagne? Ask your friends to bring a bottle!
Click here to make your way over to Maca’s blog for all the deets on the cocktail bar.
Friendsgiving Guide: Potluck
Let this be a rule for all your friend dinner parties—Potluck forever and always. Since you’re the hostess, you’ll definitely be the one to make the main dish but don’t fret. Make it simple! As I said before, we’re ditching the turkey. Assign each of your friends an appetizer, a side or dessert. It’s a great way for everyone to feel part of the dinner and great conversation starters!
Also, don’t be shy to use one of my favorite hosting mottos.
“Plate-it-like-you-made-it”
Not much of a chef but want to wow your friends? Get pre-made food at the grocery store and dress it up with loads of herbs, nuts, dried fruit, or flavored olive oil. HomeSense has such a great variety of food in their gourmet section! We found slivered almonds for a steal to top the prosciutto and figs with, as well as dried cranberries that we added to the roasted brussel sprouts and butternut squash for an extra burst of flavor.
On the menu:
Prosciutto and Figs topped with slivered almonds
Pumpkin and Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Roasted Brussels and Butternut Squash with a cranberry vinaigrette
Tiramisu cups
And with all that being said, the most important tip is to be a little easy on yourself, laugh, and have the best time ever! A broken glass, burnt food, a little mishap. These will all be funny stories to tell over the next few years. Trust me, I’ll never live down my New Year’s day roast because it’s hilarious. 🙂
Will you be hosting a Friendsgiving this year?
Kristeena xx
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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by HomeSense. All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
