photography courtesy of Lucy Struve
When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of rich food and rich conversation; I think of the smell of my mother’s cornbread stuffing that to this day is my FAVORITE holiday food of all time; and I think of decorated tabletops that called for the special china from the special china cabinet that opened only once or twice a year at this very time. Now that I am an adult and am working to create holiday traditions for my own little humans, I find that my absolute favorite part of each holiday is the creation of the experience itself…how the house will smell, what the menu will be, how the table will look, what each person will be greeted with when they walk through the door….I love it all.
Now, the truth of the matter is, I don’t host every year, as we rotate the task between homes, but if I did, I wouldn’t mind a bit. And if I did, I think my husband would have a heart attack….but, that is neither here nor there. 😉
Whatever your preference, to host or be hosted, I wanted to run through a quick and easy plan for a Thanksgiving floral arrangement that can either dress your table or greet your guests as they enter your home.
See Whats in Season
I feel like we put so much pressure on ourselves during the holidays to decorate perfectly to the exact shades that tradition has declared appropriate. In my opinion, I think its much more fun to edit slightly….you can honor the textures and tones of the season, but don’t worry so much about the perfect shade of orange or cranberry. For this arrangement, I went shopping with a blank canvas in mind. That’s a lie….I had actually hoped for textural greens with peaches and mauves. What I found was textural greens with butterscotches and plums. And that’s great too!! Go with what you find. If its in season, its most likely a beautiful fit for your table.
Fill in with Fruit
Here I go with the fruit again. But truly, fruit is such a beautiful compliment to any table top and it pairs so well with flowers. If I were to use the above arrangement as a table centerpiece, I would line fruit along the base and down the table. You could even place one piece of fruit on each place setting…so pretty. Knowing that the flower tones from this arrangement ranged from plums to buttery yellows and greens, I opted for golden pears and yellow grapes at the base.
Use What You Have
For this arrangement, and any floral arrangement really, I like to use greenery that is growing either outside or in one of my potted plants that can spare a few leaves here and there. I love using what is on hand, as it allows me to shop for larger blooms and save money on leafy stems that I will probably end up clipping at home anyway. The green stems below come courtesy of my bougainvillea, kumquat and gardenia plants. If you start creating arrangements for your home, you will quickly learn which type of greenery you prefer and where you like to find it!
Run With It
Finally, I do know that flowers can be intimidating. I think that if you aren’t accustomed to working with them, there is this innate feeling that you won’t be able to figure it out or make them look good together. I say try it, and run with it! Shop for colors and textures that compliment each other when you hold them together at the store. Pick two or three complimentary colors and look for flowers that incorporate various depths and tones of those same shades. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and don’t be afraid to practice. I think you will find that your table scapes and table tops will be so much fresher for it!
