Thanksgiving Centerpiece Ideas for a Gathering Worthy Table

Gathering with family and friends is one of the highlights of the year as folks from near and far get together to celebrate Thanksgiving. Traditional foods, such as turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce adorn tables all over the US.

Although the season’s cuisine makes a beautiful presentation, elevating your dining area with table decor is easy. The season lends itself to tried-and-true favorites—such as pumpkins and gourds—that work stylishly well with our Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas. 

Thanksgiving Centerpiece Ideas

Forage for foliage. 

A centerpiece can be both beautiful and simple. Natural foliage is perfect for those who adore minimalism or farmhouse decor. Take an Ironstone platter or large serving tray and place it on your table filled with things you’ve found outside. Colorful leaves and clusters of berries are ideal but don’t discount interesting flower parts—such as pods—that are fading with the season. If you don’t have time to search for vegetation, our Emerald Isle bouquet is a beautiful alternative. 

Adding white pumpkins (real or fake!) and candles offer more autumn ambiance, but be sure that your candle holders are high enough not to set your dry leaves on fire. Using vintage silverware and black linens also creates a fall centerpiece that can transition through the entire autumn season. Lovely! 

Photo via Boxwood Avenue

Gain inspiration from dinnerware. 

Just because it’s fall doesn’t mean that we’re only going to showcase Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas in rust, gold, and orange. Take a cue from your favorite plates, and run with it! Willow Blue or Delft patterns are a delightful cobalt-on-white combination that creates a stunning tablescape. Scour vintage stores for pieces, or use a collection that you already own—no matter the color. 

Pair your dinnerware with miniature white pumpkins (they’re so versatile), and use a colorful container to hold an arrangement of white flowers. We suggest our Marshmallow White or Loving Lilies as Thanksgiving flower centerpieces to add texture to your harvest table. Either bouquet would set off any china pattern perfectly. 

Photo via Pizzazzerie

Keep it neutral. 

Nature is on your side, so use it for your dinner scene cues. A tablescape in tones of brown, green, and creamy white can create a beautiful backdrop for all of those colorful foods, such as sweet potato casserole and cranberry relish. Toss out the idea of using matching dishes, and scour antique shops or your cupboards for tones of white, beige, brown, and black for an eclectic vibe.

Mix wooden and glass candleholders in varying heights with other natural elements, such as white pumpkins, acorns, and pine cones (which will nicely transition into winter decor). Use fresh greenery as a garland to surround all of your lovely items and complete the look. Our Emerald Isle bouquet is the perfect arrangement to keep whole or deconstruct to use as garland on your table.

Photo via LeCultivateur

Make it edible. 

Let’s face it. As Americans, sometimes, our typical dinners tend to be more functional than gathering-oriented. Our overly-packed schedules don’t allow for the hours that some European countries dedicate to mealtime. So, taking the opportunity to do so on Thanksgiving is a luxury, and lingering together should be encouraged.

Instead of placing your meal on the table, use charcuterie boards and fruit as DIY Thanksgiving table decorations so that you and your guests can gather and talk at the table before dinner. Then serve your meal buffet-style on a sideboard or kitchen island. Pepper your tablescape with books, candles, and cutting boards to create height and interest as you reminisce and reconnect with family and friends.

Photo by Home Stories A to Z

Use a pumpkin as a vase. 

For a creative take on Thanksgiving flower centerpieces, turn a pumpkin into a vase. It’s simple to make with either a fresh pumpkin or a fake one that you can use year after year. Here’s how easy it is! 

• Make sure your pumpkin is level.
• Cut a hole in the top.
• Hollow out your pumpkin (if it’s real).
• Put a glass or vase inside and fill with water and flower food, but leave room for your stems to take up space.
• Place your prepared bouquet inside of the vase and arrange as you see fit. 
• Voila! Use it as a centerpiece, and enjoy. 

We have a few arrangements that would be perfect Thanksgiving flower centerpieces, such as Cherry Brandy, Peaches and Cream, and Happy Energy, to add color to your table.

Photo by A Hosting Home

Showcase a variety of pumpkins. 

By the time November rolls around, pumpkins are relatively inexpensive, which is advantageous for using them as DIY Thanksgiving table decorations. And you can think well beyond orange (ok, and white as we’ve shown you a LOT of those) hues. Tones of green, cream, and peach abound throughout the season.

Place a neutral-colored or autumn-centric table runner down the length of your table. Use a variety of pumpkins in different heights and colors to design a fascinating collage of the fruit. Add in a few tall brass candlesticks to create a bit of ambiance as you chat around your Thanksgiving table with those you love most. 

Photo via Lauren McBride Blog

Upcycle discarded items.

Sometimes it takes a bit of creativity to come up with DIY Thanksgiving table decorations, but with a bit of forethought, you can save items that you would normally discard. Upcycling clear glass containers—wine bottles in particular—can prove both advantageous and economical. They are simple to make with our instructions below.

• Start looking at your glass containers in a new light! Pick ones based on their shape, peel labels, rinse, and store. 
• When you have your collection, use gold spray paint to spray just the bottom half of your bottle, which will create an ombre look. 
• Once dry, mark off a bottom section with painter’s tape and paint with chalkboard paint. 
• When the paint dries, write a saying or names on the bottles with chalk. 
• Pop a candle in the top and place along the length of your table for a truly unique Thanksgiving centerpiece to add light and interest. 

Another fun twist on this would be to give each of your guests a bottle and have them write one thing they are thankful for on the chalkboard paint. Doing so would add an element of gratefulness as you focus on the purpose of the day. So fun! 

Photo via Hill City Bride

Break up your bouquets. 

Don’t be afraid to deconstruct your bouquet so that you can spread your blooms out. Style flowers in unusual vessels, and place them in clusters down the length of your table. You can either purchase containers that you find at vintage shops or collect interesting vases over time. 

When placing your flowers, use varying heights and textures to create interest. This method is also perfect for adding pops of color along a table runner. Feel free to intersperse candles, pumpkins, or other decor items in between the mini flower arrangements.

Photo by Jessica Grace Photography

What flowers are best for Thanksgiving?

Of course, one of the most beautiful Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas is to use fresh flowers, but what flowers are best for Thanksgiving? Fall flowers in tones of orange, yellow, red, rust, white, and green can create a lovely tablescape, and here are a few popular suggestions. 

Roses

Roses are always a tried-and-true classic. It’s appropriate to use a bouquet of long-stemmed roses or have an arrangement with a variety of blooms that incorporates roses. Colors, such as orange, yellow, and white, are perfect as Thanksgiving flower centerpieces. 

Sunflowers

Bright and sunny sunflowers are lovely on their own or when combined with roses or another bloom. Our You’re My Sunflower bouquet features solely sunflowers, and the Impressionist bouquet pairs them with purple kale and eucalyptus for a beautifully unique centerpiece.

Other Blooms

Although roses and sunflowers tend to be the most utilized, other flowers, such as gerbera daisies, hydrangeas, and poms—which are stunningly placed in our Fall in New England arrangement—are also common. 

How do you make a Thanksgiving centerpiece with fresh flowers?

Although our floral delivery service includes hand-tied bouquets that are already arranged, there are a few tips for placing them into a vase to create a centerpiece. Our floral care guide tells you how to ensure that your flowers stay fresh and healthy. Yet, if you want to go beyond the vase, here are a few shapely Thanksgiving centerpiece ideas—via video—to get you started. 

Use Oasis to secure your flowers in a round container. 

Fresh flower foam is a fabulous way to ensure that your blooms stay precisely where you place them while keeping them hydrated. It’s a win/win! All you need is a container, floral foam, floral tape, and blooms. Here are full instructions for this arrangement that includes greenery, roses, and sunflowers, although the principles can apply to any flowers. 

Get crafty, and make and fill a DIY rectangular box.

If you love the rustic look of wood, join Martha Stewart as she learns how to create a bark-laden container with floral expert Lewis Miller. You can either convert a plain pine box into a masterpiece or buy something ready-made. Either way, you’ll have a study, low centerpiece filled with fresh blooms. 

Keep your blooms low in a long tray. 

Succulents, foraged items—such as pine cones and berries, and miniature pumpkins accompany fresh flowers in this adorable Thanksgiving flower centerpiece. Offset stately roses with other natural elements, and add candles into the floral foam to create ambiance during your Thanksgiving meal. 

Surprise everyone by making a circular wreath.

Wreaths aren’t just for hanging on doors anymore! Crafting a wreath as a floral centerpiece is both exciting and adds an element of the unexpected. It’s the perfect way to anchor your Thanksgiving dinner table for your guests. 

Finding the Perfect Thanksgiving Flower Centerpieces

Whether you love the whitewashed color palette of farmhouse decor or the color combinations of vivid autumn flowers, we have perfect arrangements as a Thanksgiving focal point. Ordering from our flower delivery service ensures that you will have fresh blooms on your table, or if you can’t be with your family in person, sending a bouquet will show that you are keeping them in your thoughts. Our Happy Energy bouquet would be perfect!