Over Labor Day weekend, we had so much fun watching our Clemson Tigers kick off their football season with a win! Last year, I shared some ideas for how we plan tailgates when we head to home games, so this year, I wanted to share what we do to tailgate at home! Both are so much fun, and I truly enjoy them equally – nothing beats watching a game on the couch when the weather gets chilly in the fall, though!
We were also celebrating Rudd’s 26th birthday over the weekend, so his birthday cake was part of our tailgating set-up! I also really wanted to photograph this table outside, but the rainy weather was not in our favor. Maybe that means I’ll have to show an outdoor at-home tailgate later on this season!
I’m wearing a new bodysuit that I picked up on Amazon recently, along with this absolutely perfect orange maxi skirt from Junonia!
To set up my festive tailgate table, I always start with an on-theme tablecloth like this orange gingham one from Amazon. I also love adding my fun football wreath banner from Mi Amiga Designs to the wreath that always hangs on our dining room mirror! You can message her for any custom colors that you’re interested in. I also added balloons for an extra little pop 😉
Next, I like to plan my flowers! I picked some up at the grocery store that would complement all of the purple and orange. I used this glass pitcher as a casual and fun vase, and set it on this very versatile silver tray! To really distinguish the center of the table, I added this neutral table runner.
Now for a note on some of my serving pieces, which I know y’all are always interested in! There are even more notes in my “Complete Tailgating Guide” post, if you want to read further.
My Nora Fleming Platter + Football Helmet is always a favorite – if they don’t carry your team’s helmet, you could always get the plain football charm. Y’all know I love the Beatriz Ball Organic Pearl trays because they can go from the fridge, to the oven, to your table in a pinch! I’ll put hot foods, like the sausage balls, on this oval tray and warm them in the oven before transferring to the table. This melamine cake stand is also a Beatriz Ball favorite – the base detaches and can be used as a “chip & dip” pair, which is what I did on this table for my fruit dip. This set of White Porcelain Platters are an Amazon find – I used the larger size for Rudd’s birthday cake! While they’re not technically serving pieces, I use these rattan placemats daily for various things – I added 2 of them to the table for a little texture!
Let’s chat recipes really quick – most of the things on my table are tried and true football snacks that I’ve been making for years, and many are things that my mom has always made! That’s really what recipes are to me – little things that signal a certain time of year or holiday. I get so excited when a season rolls around again, because it means it’s also time to enjoy making the specific recipes that I associate with that season, year after year! As with the serving pieces, I have more recipes in my Complete Tailgating Guide.
For this table, I made sausage balls, my favorite fruit dip, pigs in a blanket (self explanatory!), spinach artichoke dip, and spicy chicken biscuits. I kind of just made up the biscuit combination – I made my usual biscuit recipe (you can find it in my “recipes” highlight on Instagram!), fried small pieces of chicken, and brushed on our favorite hot sauce. So tasty!
I probably should have started with this, but I like to use our home printer to quickly print out a little “menu” to put in an orange and white frame that I keep on hand! It’s something totally unnecessary, but very fun to add to your table. I always find cute frames at TJMaxx! Next to that, I added my favorite appetizer plates, our everyday forks, and team napkins in my gold napkin holder.
And a final little tailgate tip for my Clemson fans – Halloween candy (specifically Reese’s pumpkins) are the perfect thing to toss in a little bowl for extra orange & purple 🎃
