Tips for Creating a Beautiful Fall Table

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway. All opinions are 100% mine.

Whether hosting family this holiday or throwing together a quick brunch, here are some fun tips for creating a beautiful fall-inspired table!

Holiday season is right around the corner and it is definitely my favorite time of year! I love having friends and family gather at my house during the holidays and putting together a festive table is definitely one of the highlights that I love the most! Since this year is looking a bit different for families, I wanted to share how quick and EASY you can throw together a beautiful fall table for a small intimate gathering.

I know that even hosting the smallest events can get stressful at times, but I promise it doesn’t have to be. With just a little planning, yummy food and some fun seasonal flare, you can make even the simplest of tables GORGEOUS. I also love fall because you can easily entertain outdoors and given what 2020 has brought us, celebrating outdoors is always the better option! I mean all the beautiful foliage alone makes the perfect backdrop for fall!

1. PICK A THEME

This of course isn’t a necessity, but it really makes planning things a lot of fun! I love choosing a theme and this year I loved the idea of using apples as the star of the table. Not only does this make it easy to narrow down all your food choices, but they make such cute table decor too. Nothing screams FALL more than crisp delicious apples! Here’s a fun idea, use apples as place card holders and put little sticks in them to hold the cards! Or if you the place card clips you bought are too tall (oopsy), simply put the place cards in front of the apples with a little greenery like I did 😉

2. DECORATE THE TABLE AHEAD OF TIME

Trust me, this is such a lifesaver. If there is one important tip that you can take away from this whole thing, this is it! I always like to pull out all of the dishes, chargers, napkins, and silverware that I’ll be using along with any trays, bowls and platters the day before (or even a few days before) so I can lay everything out and see how it will look on the table. Since parties are not an option right now, I like having the food as the centerpiece of the table for small intimate gatherings because it really makes for a warm, communal-style atmosphere where families can talk and pass around food. It also saves everyone from having to get up from the table if they want more!

Another reason decorating the table ahead of time is great is that it saves you so much time the day of. The less you have to do the better which allows you to enjoy yourself with zero stress. Write out any place cards the night before and distribute them on the table, have an idea of where the dishes will go then decorate with greenery, table runners, candles, and any other decor you want to use and set the scene!

3. PLAN YOUR MENU

Planning your menu can be everything from elaborate and fancy, to quick and easy. Choose dishes that can easily be prepped ahead of time, such as casseroles or even crock pot dishes, and, if you don’t have a lot of time and need something quick, there is nothing wrong with grabbing pre-made food from the store!

Since this table was apple-themed, I wanted each dish to highlight this seasonal fruit and shopping at Safeway made it so easy to find the most delicious baked apple goods right in their in-store bakery! Everything from apple pies and apple cider donuts to apple fritters and strudel! Trust me, I am ALL about making your own food at home, but when you’re in a pinch and need a lot of food in a short period of time, getting fresh baked seasonal goods from your local Safeway is truly a lifesaver. Everything tastes like it came fresh out of your oven and I like to offer a mix of store-bought options along with food I’ve prepared myself, like my apple cinnamon baked oatmeal!

PRO TIP: Make store-bought food festive!

If you’re throwing something together last minute and don’t have time to cook, you can easily make store-bought baked goods look fun and festive, not only by the way you display them, but by adding greenery and flowers! We LOVE apple cider donuts in our house and Safeway’s apple cider donuts are simply incredible! I decided to make a donut “cake” using a tiered cupcake stand and adding pretty fall flowers throughout. I then made it the centerpiece of the table because who doesn’t love DONUTS?! This would be great if you’re hosting a small brunch, shower, or even celebrating a birthday.

Safeway also offers ready-to-go cookie platters, cupcakes and even custom-made cakes that you can order ahead of time. One of my FAVORITE desserts are madeleines and Safeway’s Signature SELECT™ madeleines are just perfection! Light, pillowy and oh so delicious. If you need to grab something quick this holiday season, definitely head over to Safeway for a wide variety of seasonal baked items! Signature SELECT products, as well as all these other delicious baked goods, are sold exclusively at Safeway in my local area and at all the Albertsons Companies family of stores across the country.

4. USE NATURAL DECOR

I personally love the look of greenery, flowers and fresh fruit as table decor and it’s also a great way to keep things simple and inexpensive! You can of course use real eucalyptus leaves (or any other leaves) on your table, but I also like to use faux greenery because I’m able to use it over and over again and I personally think it looks just as great! Fruit on the other hand, I always prefer to use fresh. I even used these leftover apples from my table to make my neighbors a delicious apple crisp!

Flowers are also a must as there are so many ways you can use them. You can cut different flowers and place them in various places on your table to add pops of color and make the food stand out. I even like to use the greenery from the floral bouquets to add a little flare to pies, cakes and other food items, especially when using cake stands. I was inspired to do this after we had our wedding and now I add greenery to ALL my cake stands. If you don’t have a donut cake as your centerpiece, you can create a large flower arrangement for the center or keep it simple and make tiny flower arrangements for different parts of the table.

5. HAVE FUN WITH IT!

The holiday season can get pretty hectic so remember to just have fun when decorating your table! There are so many decor options and themes you can do, so get creative. If you’re not planning on serving heavy food items, I like to make one long cheeseboard as the table runner! It always looks stunning and people can snack, sip their wine and chat all evening long. You can even use these ideas even if the table is solely to display food. Either way, just have fun!

SHOPPING MADE EASY

I purchased everything at my local Safeway here in Warrenton, Virginia, but you can easily find Signature SELECT products and all these delicious baked goods (even the flowers and greenery!) at ALL the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Albertsons, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Randalls, Shaw’s Supermarket, Star Market and Tom Thumb. Safeway also offers convenient Grocery Delivery and DriveUp & Go™. This has made it really easy for me to shop for everything I need without having to actually go in to the store!

HOLIDAY RECIPE IDEAS

• Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs
• The Perfect Holiday Cheeseboard
• Holiday Glazed Acorn Squash
• Winter Kale & Quinoa Salad
• Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
• Harvest Apple Cider Punch

Hope you all find these tips and tricks for creating a beautiful fall table helpful for you just in time for the holidays!