Be The Hostess with the Mostess: 6 Tips for Planning the Best Friendsgiving Ever!
- elisamarinella
- Nov 15, 2019
- 4 min read
Happy Thanksgiving peeps! Friendsgiving is one my favorite days of the entire year! I love to celebrate with friends who are family and gobble till we wobble! This year, my friends and I will celebrate our 9th (Whoa We're old!) Annual Friendsgiving and after 9 years of hosting, I've pretty much mastered this thing. Check out my top 6 tips and tricks below that we've learned over the years for throwing the best Friendsgiving ever and be the Hostest with the Mostest!
1.) Get it Catered! OK I know this sounds boujee and extra but hear me out! Back in the day, we did a potluck style friendsgiving, and while that was great, many of my friends are coming from up and down the Northeast, so everyone at once would be trying to heat/cook up there food in my one oven. Food would never be warm and nothing would be ready at the same time. Plus it was stressful, getting it all prepared at the same time, and for my guests to be schlepping full dishes across state borders. Enter our solution of getting it catered! This will be the third year now that I order the main meal from ShopRite. Many Grocery Stores have full meal options like this around the holidays and it works out perfect! And at only 50 bucks per meal, its ends up being only 5-10 bucks a person! Bouj-E on a Budget baby! No one needs to worry about bringing anything beside their smile and their dance moves! Heads up, for the Shoprite version, one box feeds 8-10 people. We usually have 20+ people so I order 2-3 boxes a month before the event. You pick it up the night before and thaw it out. Pop it on some sternos and you're good to go! Spend more time celebrating than cooking! Highly recommend!
2.) Set up up a Drink Station with Signature Drinks! This is one of my favorite parts of hosting Friendsgiving! I love decorating my bar cart area for the holiday! We usually go with an Apple Cider Mimosa for our signature drink and I serve it in my Bed Bath and Beyond 6 in 1 server punch bowl. I also love getting festive napkins and straws to give the bar setup a little pizazz! Click the pictures below to shop the products and get the recipe for our fav fall signature drink!
3.) Black Folding Chairs are your Best Friend! If you have a big group coming over, its likely (unless you're a millionaire) that you don't have enough seats for the amount of butts that are about to be in your house! That's why black folding chairs are perfect! They're cheap and wont break the bank but they look nice and neutral when you look out at your setup. I love these ones from walmart and I have a bunch! They're not the classic folding chair look because they're just a tad bit fancier so they look nice with a decorated table. Also, pro tip, If you're getting married, register for some black folding chairs! I know this sounds weird, but if you like to host, you wont be sorry! I registered for a bunch from bed bath and beyond, and those are now a large chunk of my black folding chair collection. Ready to go for all my hosting needs! While we're on this subject, get a few long folding tables. Again, if you have a big group like I do, but still want to all fit around the table, Its the perfect solution! Add it on to your regular dining table and throw a table cloth down and voila, you have a "Last Supper"style dinner table for the whole crew to sit around!
4.) Make your tablescape beautiful, but practical! If you're on instagram, you're probably seeing an influx on your feed of gorgeous holiday tablescapes donned with expensive china and perfectly placed trimmings. It looks perfect and beautiful but, with my friends, we do it a little different! My crew likes to have a good time, so I gotta make sure things are practical and not too fancy, but I still want it to look pretty. I love using plastic silverware and dishes and cheap wine glasses. It makes for easy clean up, and no worries if something gets accidentally broken. I love to make it a little festive by adding my favorite leaf coasters from bed bath and beyond (I've been using these for years and I'm obsessed) and lots of little pumpkins! Plates and napkins are a great way to add color to your tablescape and I love switching it up every year. The more "throw away" items on your table, the easier the cleanup and the quicker we can move he tables aside for our annual Friendsgiving Dance Party! See below for two of my Tablescapes from past years
5.) Kick Butt Charcuterie! Whats a party without a beautiful charcuterie!? Save money by getting your charcuterie fixens at Aldi! Its perfect for a party like this because its cheap but good quality. Also, any good hostess needs some beautiful, but affordable hosting dishware. I love mine from Bed Bath and Beyond. But remember, don't fill up on the apps! Dinners coming!
6.) Spread The Friendsviging Cheer throughout the rest of your home! I know its officially Friendsgiving when I hang my "Give Thanks" banner on my mantle. I love making the rest of the house cozy and festive for the group with little touches, like candles and festive throw pillows. Plus the banner makes for a great photo prop for a big group photo!
Well now you're in the know!.I'm Thankful (see what I did there!?) that you read this and I hope you have the best Friendsgiving ever with your crew!
xoxo
Elisa
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