Once Thanksgiving is on the horizon, my mind naturally turns to the anchor of every holiday feast, the dinner table. As the place where we come together for a meal, a beautiful centerpiece will frame your food and serve as the central point of conversation.

It can even act as a visual reminder of the thankful feelings we hope to have during the season. Throughout the year, as I’ve worked on styling my Thanksgiving tables, I’ve focused some attention on the centerpiece.

I’ve played around with the materials and the composition, certainly, but I’ve also focused on the style. I’ve created natural and elegant, simple and rustic, composed and loose and loose and composed centerpieces.

Today I’m sharing ideas and inspiration for creative (and affordable!) ways to style a Thanksgiving centerpiece.

The 13 Best Thanksgiving Table Centerpieces

1. Bountiful Harvest Cornucopia

At the Thanksgiving table, where family and friends sit down to share the season’s bounty, the centrepiece is the highlight of the day. The cornucopia is a beautiful basket, overflowing with jewel-like tones of autumn.

Red apples. Orange pumpkins.

Hollow ears of gold. Deep purple grapes.

Rustic and refined, the cornucopia rests regally over the table, spilling throughout every crevice and running down almost to the edge. It represents prosperity and thanks, reminding us of the harvest.

The meaning of this time of year is symbolised by fruits, vegetables and grains. Every part of the scene tells a story.

2. Rustic Pumpkin Arrangement

There’s a seductive juxtaposition between the roughness of nature and the cosines of autumn, brought together in a festive spread for Thanksgiving. Try an arrangement of well-worn pumpkins for the table, enticingly rustic.

Arrange leaves and sprigs of eucalyptus in autumnal hues and textures to create a real backdrop for the centerpiece. Pine cones and dried berries should further complement the whole scene.

A flickering of candles soften the scene, but the glow isn’t the only thing that brings us a comforting feeling of thanksgiving.

3. Autumn Leaf Garland

There is not much more magical than a simple garland of autumn leaves placed down the center of any table. The colors of these leaves – red, orange, gold – announce the season with a bold statement.

 It is inexpensive but also more than that – a simple flourish that makes a dining affair more elegant.

4. Cranberry Candle Centerpiece

At Thanksgiving, it’s important to make everyone feel comfortable. I’ve been inspired by the beautiful way rich red cranberries glow when surrounded by the flickering light of candles.

The warm glow cast by the candles rests gently on the berries, and then reaches across the table. Cranberries are a simple addition of natural beauty to a table setting — whether you have glass votives or pillared candles, the look is both rustic and elegant.

Touches of the harvest season inside add to the feast, as well as invites everyone to share in the event, exchange tales, and make memories.

5. Woodland Pinecone Display

There is a certain rusticity about fall that nothing seems to capture better than an arrangement that invites the forest to the table. Striking branches of pinecones of various sizes and sprigs of fresh evergreen intertwined – the centerpiece mossy, earthy and inviting – warmly embellished (or perhaps highlighted) with a few small, flickering candles nestled among and about the natural elements.

The essentials of the woodland, reclaimed indoors. Simple and sophisticated, a strikingly elegant centerpiece for Thanksgiving.

6. Wheat Bundle Vase

The beauty and natural nobility of the tightly bound golden stalks lend a simple warmth to the table..

 This centerpiece is a subtle icebreaker, embracing autumn hues and sensual textures.

7. Floral Turkey Sculpture

I’m excited to share with you a fall-themed centerpiece idea with a fresh-eye twist on the otherwise classic Thanksgiving table. The centerpiece is a perfect representation of this holiday’s cheerfulness.

The autumnal blooms are arranged into a structure that resembles the plume and body feathers of a bird.

This beauty pays a homage to the holiday’s bright meaning, intertwining fall hues and textures into a perfect vessel of festive spirit. It would be a perfect addition to Thanksgiving celebrations, bringing a hint of elegance and a touch of fun to your festive table.

8. Elegant Gourd Mix

Paired with finer foliage and perhaps a humble candleholder, the table is set, not simply, but in a way that makes it inviting and magical for Thanksgiving celebrations.

9. Vintage Lantern Ensemble

It’s a magical glow that turns my Thanksgiving table into a gathering place out of the past. Each lantern adds some rustic elegance, from the patina on its frame to the segmented shade that warms the glow, bringing a sense of simple hospitality to the holiday scene.

I’ve augmented that glow with a few autumn leaves strewn across the table, small pumpkins, and the sprigs of pine from the outside door. This is our centrepiece around which all else gathers, corralled by the lanterns into a circle of warmth where everyone gets to tell stories and give thanks..

10. Succulent-Filled Horn of Plenty

If you’re looking for a vibrant display on your Thanksgiving table, then designing a centerpiece full of bright, lush succulents is a great idea. The shape of the cornucopia, an ancient symbol of the goddess’ bounty, lends itself to the concavity of an open succulent pot.

Greens and textured leaves spill gracefully from the horn, punctuated by tiny floral blossoms and berries that add muted splashes of color. The arrangement is vibrant, yet requires no water, meaning your centrepiece can stay fresh throughout the holiday.

Fusing the modern elegance of succulents and the rustic beauty of the cornucopia, this stunning piece is a perfect complement to any gathering space.

11. Seasonal Fruit Basket

You can’t beat a big bowl of fresh, in-season fruit at the center of your Thanksgiving table, overflowing with fruit of every kind, apples and pears and grapes and figs, carefully chosen to complement autumn’s colors, set among withered golden leaves. It’s a stunning centerpiece that’s functional as well as decorative, bringing a natural element of style to the table, and of course providing guests with colorful treats in whichever fruits they fancy.

12. Birch Log Candle Holder

These table pieces made from real birch logs are hand-crafted and no two are exactly alike. The natural texture and markings on each piece is from the tree itself.

The organic look of log furniture and decorations in general is pleasing to the eye. As the candles are lit within, the interior glows invitingly: nothing is more intimate and inviting than a candlelit dinner table..

13. Nature-Inspired Table Runner

I love adding little touches of nature to my Thanksgiving décor, such as a burlap and twine table runner that has bits of fall foliage and pinecones and can be continued down the table with seasonal flowers and small pumpkins or gourds. 

The variety of textures and colors creates a natural cascade down the table and makes you feel at home celebrating the earth’s bounty.