Heirloom dinner plates. A centerpiece trimmed with flowers and greenery pulled straight from the garden. Pumpkins scattered about. In the South, these are the base ingredients of a simplified Thanksgiving table recipe. “We wanted this to be something that anyone could do at home,” explains event and floral designer Angela DiVincenti Babin of Angela Marie Events while putting the finishing touches on the foliage-filled tablescape set within Parish Home & Farm in New Roads. “I love the Southern idea of snipping flowers and greenery from your own yard or garden and using them as décor.” Taking the time to appreciate all of nature’s bounty is the reason for the season, after all.

The table’s central floral arrangement was kept uncomplicated, with Babin only using four types of flowers and foliage: white bougainvillea, limelight hydrangeas, variegated pittosporum and climbing ivy, all of which were found and snipped in the Parish Home & Farm nursery. “Even the table and chairs—these were just being used in the store’s greenhouse within the nursery,” Babin says. “Everything has that fall, foraged feel.” The worn wooden table came to life as Babin began by draping an organic tablecloth on top and layering pink and burgundy scalloped chargers that spice up the traditional Thanksgiving color scheme.

Keeping with the out-of-the-garden vibe, Babin dove into the Parish Home & Farm inventory and added golden candle holders with light pink candlesticks reminiscent of branches, a decorative stone turkey and even a bundle of mushrooms to the table.

The turkey motif dinner plates are family heirlooms of Parish Home & Farm co-owner Rebecca Wartelle, originally belonging to her aunt. Not only do they add contrast to the chargers below, but they are symbolic of a classic, Southern Thanksgiving. “Using family plates, or even something you already have in the kitchen, goes back to the same concept of using foliage from your own yard,” Babin explains.

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Babin’s display also offers grazing options for gathering before the official feast, nodding to the casual feel of the setup. A cheese ball and cheese torte from the grab-and-go section of Bergeron’s City Market offer quick and easy options that avoid putting stress on the cooks in the family.

For dessert, Babin headed to Sweet Stirrings for single-serving chocolate cups with pumpkin spice mousse and sugar cookie tarts with chocolate pastry cream and salted ganache. A caramel praline pumpkin cheesecake embellished with pink velvet ribbon and seasonal blooms adds one last wow-factor, calling back to the table’s color scheme and leaving guests on a high note. “Why do the holidays have to be stressful?” Babin asks. “Grab some magnolia leaves out of your garden and focus on community and family. At the end of the day, everyone can bring something to the table. Everyone brings a piece of the Thanksgiving pie.”

Learn more about Parish Home & Farm in this story from inRegister’s November 2025 issue.