I have shared before that on occasion I contribute to our local lifestyle publication (more on that in this post here). They reached out earlier this fall and asked if I could create a fall or Thanksgiving styled photoshoot for them. I had big dreams and of course agreed, but then life happened and I admit that I wasn’t able to create quite as grandiose of a photoshoot as I’d originally anticipated. However, I still wanted to share the photos I provided for them here today.

I wanted to show easy ways to entertain outdoors this holiday since many people are still more comfortable with that option. It isn’t hard to create an outdoor table and an outdoor entertaining bar that feel both traditional and elegant. I used things I already had on hand, even including a folding table that I just covered with a pretty but inexpensive tablecloth.

I used casual pottery mixed with copper wine glasses (always a favorite for fall) along with some printed menus and then mixed in natural accents like pumpkins and leaves.

The beautiful flowers were provided by a local flower farm, @wildbluefarm on Instagram. I have loved being able to use locally sourced florals in my photos this year and am so grateful that this farm was part of this shoot.

Along with the table, I set up an outdoor entertaining bar though you could also use this idea for a buffet for serving food. Again, I just used the table we use on our deck along with a DIY kraft paper runner that I hand-lettered the word “grateful” on.

A few fall mums made the set up just a bit prettier. I also created a fall sangria recipe, which I’ll include below if you are looking for a special drink for your Thanksgiving celebration.

Fall Cinnamon and Orange Sangria

A spicy sangria perfect for a cold day

Course cocktails

Keyword cocktail, sangria

Ingredients

2 bottles light red wine (like a pinot noir)
2 bottles club soda
1 large orange, sliced can add pears too if you like
1 jar cinnamon sticks
2 cups grand marnier (more or less to taste)
1 cup fireball whisky (more of less to taste)

Instructions

Pour all ingredients together into a large glass serving jar (or large pitcher) and mix well, let sit for a few hours before serving. You can add a candy cinnamon stick to stir with for extra fun!

While I aspired to host a Friendsgiving, we’ve been too busy this year to fit it in. Whether hosting family or friends, it’s still one of my favorite times of the year to gather together.