Samantha Bauchmann has built a community around her love of approachable, beautifully
styled entertaining. From grazing boards and tablescapes to holiday celebrations and backyard gatherings, her philosophy is simple: entertaining should feel joyful and bring loved ones together. From seamless touches that elevate the atmosphere to thoughtful details that make guests feel special, the wife and mother of four knows how to make every gathering feel memorable. Hosting doesn’t always have to feel like a hassle; Read along as she shares her best tips and tricks for hosting a Thanksgiving celebration that feels festive and special without being overwhelming.
Your tablescapes have become such a signature part of your style! What is the first thing you think about when you begin designing a table and how does that initial idea evolve into the finished table?
I always start with a theme and then try to think of any little nuances I can pull out visually. Usually, I start at the ceiling and then work my way down. For Thanksgiving, I like to keep things more formal, while for Halloween, I’ll have witches’ brooms and hats hanging down, with pages from spell books flying through the air! For any event, I don't want anything on the table to compete with what’s around it, so if I know it will be busy up top, I keep the table decor a bit simpler. I also like to do a full table setting any time I host. This includes a charger, dinner plate, salad plate, bowl, water glass, wine glass, two forks, two spoons, and a knife. I feel like it really makes a table feel dressed up... kind of like when you're putting on a fancy dress and want to wear pretty jewelry. It’s that finishing touch that makes the whole room feel complete. Depending on what the night entails, I either leave space for food on the table or have food ready in the kitchen for everyone to serve themselves.
What are your best tips for making guests feel welcome the moment they walk through
the door?
I think having everything ready—which I'm not always perfect at! If your guests walk in and you're still working on something, the first thing they think is ‘how can I help?’ Or maybe they’ll feel like they came too early, so having everything as ready as possible beforehand is key. I also offer them a beverage and have a place ready for them to set down their purse or jacket right away so they can feel relaxed from the moment they walk in. But most importantly, you want to make sure you're ready to be part of the party, too!
Let’s be real, hosting can be hard! How do you balance the logistics of cooking, decorating, cleaning, and getting everyone settled with actually enjoying your guests?
A lot of that has to do also with prepping ahead of time. I try to make sure that the decor is all
done the day before so I'm not worrying about anything on the table or the theme—at that point, everything's done. I dedicate a lot of time on the day of the party to cooking the food. It's a multi-day process making sure that everything is settled and ready, so when everyone walks through the door, I can also be part of it with them. I try to have food ready within half an hour of guests arriving—which can be difficult, especially if it's warm food—but practice makes perfect, and the more you do it, the more you find your rhythm and learn what your timeline needs to be.
How would you describe your personal hosting aesthetic?
I like to have a ‘wow’ moment... I want guests to walk in and really feel the theme! I also like to create an ambiance that's more than just the dinner table. I want it to feel like a moment.
What is your formula for layering a Thanksgiving table? Walk us through everything from linens and dinnerware to glassware, florals, candles, and those finishing touches.
For Thanksgiving, I like to keep things a little more simple. This year, I put wreaths around the
chandeliers just to add a little something extra for height. When it comes to the table, I like to do the center first. A little hack I do for transitioning my table from Thanksgiving to Christmas is that I'll leave a green garland on the table, and then just put florals in that match that holiday. So for Thanksgiving, there are more browns and oranges, but then I can easily take that out and put in the reds and holly berries and all the things for Christmas. I also love cornucopia, so for Thanksgiving, I try to incorporate one in the center of the table and add some vegetables or pumpkins overflowing out of it, because, again, I like a ‘wow’ moment!
For someone who is hosting Thanksgiving for the first time, where should they begin?
Since Thanksgiving is such a communal holiday, I feel like everybody wants to participate. To
make it easier on you, I say, make it potluck style! Have someone bring the mashed potatoes, have someone bring the macaroni and cheese... if you want to do the turkey and carve it and all the things, you can absolutely do that, but overwhelming yourself—especially if you're hosting for the first time—can be a lot. A lot of people don't want to ask for help, but I say, ask! Or at least allow people to help when they ask, ‘what can I bring?’ Aside from that, having everything set ahead of time in terms of decor makes all the difference. I'm really lucky because my husband is the one who prepares everything for Thanksgiving—he, his brother, his cousins, and his grandfather always had a tradition of waking up at 3 AM Thanksgiving morning, going to their grandfather's house, and making three turkeys with all the stuffing, gravy, and potatoes. Since his grandfather passed two years ago, he’s been sure to keep that tradition alive. That’s what Thanksgiving is all about... Who is at your table and celebrating being together.
Tell us more about these ‘wow’ moments! What is an easy way to incorporate one into
Thanksgiving?
It can be as simple as setting ten minutes aside the night before your gathering to make your own ice cubes. Slice up some oranges and apples, grab a cinnamon stick, and put them in an ice cube tray with a little bit of orange juice to freeze overnight. The next morning, you have a festive touch to your mimosas! While I love to elevate little things like that for parties, when it comes to Thanksgiving, I truly feel like it's more about the community around the table... talking about what you're thankful for and creating those memories are truly the ‘wow’ moment that you’ll remember.
What is your biggest rule when it comes to hosting?
I don't ever clean while guests are still here. I don't care how dirty it gets... that’s a problem for after the party because I don't want them to feel like I'm rushing them out. I also feel like it's part of the aesthetic, almost—seeing all the wrappers and empty glasses everywhere is quite a vibe. It means you had a good time!
What is your absolute favorite part about hosting a gathering?
I love making memories. I love sitting around the table as it's happening, looking around and
thinking, ‘okay, this was a success, everybody’s having fun!’ That really brings me a lot of joy. I always try to be in the moment, not worrying about all the other things. Just being able to sit around the table and know that everybody is laughing like crazy and having a great time is
rewarding. It makes all the hard work that goes into it so worth it!
You have an exciting collaboration coming up this month with Southern Wives Club! Tell us all about it.
It’s a really fun take on a hosting collaboration with them—they do a lot of hats and beanies, and we’ve definitely incorporated that into the collection. It’s adults and kids, which I love because my kids will be able to enjoy this too! There’s an apron for mom and the kids, cocktail napkins, dinner napkins, a tea towel, kid beanies, and adult beanies... I wanted to picture a moment where you’re making Christmas cookies with your kids in the kitchen and you have the towel and the aprons, or setting a table. I really wanted the pieces to be timeless in terms of season, so I kept them neutral with green and cream. That way, you can have them out whether it’s winter or spring. You can truly use them over and over again, which is what I wanted. I wanted it to feel very much like heirloom pieces, not too seasonal.
“When it comes to Thanksgiving, I truly feel like it’s more about the community around the table… creating those memories are truly the ‘wow’ moment that you’ll remember.”