The Decorations

Working on a budget, the friends planned their table decorations around one splurge element, with more affordable or borrowed items as accents. Planters filled with succulents, ferns, rosemary, thyme, mint and sage became easy centerpieces they can keep year-round. Flowers and extra greens from a nearby florist added color.

Hand-me-down chairs from a great-grandmother provided some seating, while benches sat on the other side of the table.

Tip: Benches can seat plenty of people in little space. After dinner, the benches can be pushed into a living area for lounging.

Layered tablecloths borrowed from parents gave the combined tables a smooth, plush look. A table runner and candles were found on sale at Crate & Barrel. Place cards made of card stock got a custom treatment with a stamp and paper leaves from PaperSource.

Tip: Don't throw all your plant scraps away when making flower arrangements. Extra bits and pieces can garnish plates or brighten unused corners of your home.

The Bar

The apartment has a beautiful wood-paneled built-in bar that's perfect for entertaining. All the glasses sat out on the bar for the evening, ready for wine or champagne.

Tip: Have bottles of red and white open when guests arrive so no one's shy about pouring themselves a glass.

This summer one of the host's sisters got married — the equivalent of hitting the home decor jackpot for a twentysomething, as she inherited her sister's old dishware. A new set of wineglasses arrived just in time for Friendsgiving, replacing the usual red cups reserved for get-togethers.

The (Two-Part) Dress Code

For the most part, parties among this group are casual, but a formal dress code was created for this Friendsgiving: skirts or dresses for the girls, nice button-downs and pants for the boys. Of course, there were a few complaints, since nice clothes discourage reckless gorging, so the friends came up with a compromise: Nice clothes for dinner, but everyone brings sweats to change into immediately after. This group of friends is mostly University of Oregon alumni, so they all packed their green and yellow sweats for postdinner football watching.

Appetizers — including baked brie, prosciutto-wrapped asparagus and bacon-wrapped dates — were put out in the living room beforehand while the hosts put the finishing touches on the turkey and the tables.

Cooking Contributions

A potluck was the best solution for this Friendsgiving. Each person brought at least one side dish and at least one bottle of wine. Tupperware for leftovers was encouraged but not required.

The hosts provided a 24-pound turkey to feed the crew. They set up a huge spreadsheet on Google a week or so beforehand, so everyone could sign up for dishes and fill gaps in the menu. A few days before the dinner, the hosts sent out a request for oven needs and times so they could make up an oven schedule. The food was brought precooked, but some of it needed to be warmed before serving. Appetizers went in first, then the main dishes, then the dessert items. The number of dishes meant the neighbors' oven had to be on standby.

Tip: Make sure your freezer and refrigerator are almost completely cleared out before a big dinner party, so there's room to store prep items and leftovers.

The Meal

Compostable bamboo plates looked great and made postdinner cleanup a lot easier. Nice silverware sat out in the kitchen with the food, buffet style, and everyone served themselves. Notecards on the counter and table indicated where dishes should go — from salads to stuffing to mashed potatoes.

Tip: Do an inventory of your kitchen items before the party, so if you need to buy or borrow anything, you can do so beforehand. Get creative with your serving items! These hosts found that a cute mug can work as well as a gravy boat.

Once seated, everyone felt very grown-up at the candelit table. As people dug into their towering plates, at least five guests felt the need to give a toast — everyone wanted to share how special this felt.

Cleanup Time

Because most of the girls took over cooking, cleanup was delegated to the guys. After some time to digest and postdinner wine, music started blasting in the kitchen and the boys got to work. One host stuck around to make sure everything went smoothly, but the large number of "volunteers" made cleanup go quickly.

Tip: Too many people helping clean up can actually slow things down. If you have this issue, encourage helpers to simply clear the table, or just pour them a coffee or glass of wine and lead them to the couch.