My Friendsgiving

Yesterday afternoon I hosted a small Friendsgiving at my house for five of my close girlfriends. Everyone was COVID tested a few days beforehand, so we all felt safe getting together to celebrate. I spent the last few weeks running around gathering things for the tablescape and the party, and I am so pleased with how everything turned out. I am excited to share the photos and recap it for all of you today!

The tablescape took about a month to come together completely. I started thinking about this afternoon mid-October, but didn't have everything together until the night before! I am so happy with how it all came together, tho. Some great tips for throwing a Friendsgiving on a bit of a budget are woven into how I did this below. 

The Table:

The Centerpiece

I ordered this faux garland online (from a small business!) and then added fresh eucalyptus on top for additional volume. I found the fresh eucalyptus for $3.99 at Trader Joe's, which smelled great and added a wonderful texture and earthy touch. If I'd bought two I probably wouldn't even have needed the garland underneath! However, this particular faux garland really is such a good one, and I know I'll have it forever as a little piece of decor to put out at the holidays.

I found these twisty gold candleholders at Target and then found the tapered candlesticks at Michael's. The candlesticks were a bit too small in diameter for the candleholders, but it wasn't a big deal. I adore the candleholders... they were a great deal and I think they're absolutely fabulous. 

The Place Setting

The plates + place card combo was a longtime vision for this tablescape and perhaps the hardest part. The place cards came on Friday and I was so worried they wouldn't arrive in time that I emailed the shop owner twice to confirm. She could not have been sweeter (perks of supporting small!), and when they arrived I was beyond pleased with how they looked! Much larger in person and just the cutest things I've ever seen. Since I ordered them all custom, I have two extra now for friends who couldn't make it, so I'll probably give their cards to them next time I hang out with each of them because they are too cute to toss out. 

As for the plates, I wanted everyone's plates to be simple and cream to match the rest of the decor, so I chose these plates that were a steal for $2 each at Target! I had to go to two different Targets to get all six of them, and my boyfriend says they look like frisbees (whatever), but it was worth it because I didn't have to buy expensive, legit plates for just one afternoon!

I got the little gingham napkins at Michael's as well! I put them under the wine glasses to add another pop to the table and then used the rest as cocktail napkins while we had drinks and snacks in the kitchen before sitting down formally to eat. 

On the wine glasses-- I wanted everyone's glass to match, so I ordered this inexpensive set of 8 on Amazon. They are simple and pretty bulbous; I was hoping they wouldn't be sooo obviously red wine glasses, but for the price they are fabulous and I doubt anyone drinking white wine cared about the glass shape or even noticed except for me. Having glass and not plastic was important to me, and of course, dishwasher safe is always a bonus. Plus, stemless is always a safer option for a gathering of 22-year-old girls, hah.

Oh, and I used a random white tablecloth we've had at our house forever.

The Food:

I put myself in charge of hors d'oeuvres, wine, and the entrée. I asked each of my friends to bring a side or a dessert, and everyone planned their contribution in the group chat so we ended up with a great assortment. 

I feel like whenever you commit to hosting a party or any sort of gathering, the decor, beverages, appetizers, and main thing are your responsibility. While it seemed like a lot at first, I was like... well, this is what I signed up for when I decided I wanted to have this! Of course, all the girls also brought a bottle of wine, too.

I bought four bottles of wine, pigs in a blanket and arancini's from TJ's (my two fave apps from them!), ditched the idea of a charcuterie board (mostly because I'm lazy), and made this simple kale + goat cheese frittata for the main course. I also put out seasoned almonds, green grapes, and cornichons.

Originally I planned to make mac and cheese, but that seemed like too much work (again, I'm lazy), and then I didn't want to make anything with meat because one of my best friends is vegetarian. The frittata was an easy choice. Thank you to my mother, the queen of the art of entertaining, for the suggestion. It was sooo easy to make and delicious.

Overall, it was a fun and delicious afternoon! I had so much fun and I am so grateful for my friends.

xoxo