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OktoberFEAST: Homemade Oktoberfest Decorations

October 2, 2013 by madincrafts 13 Comments

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When I think of Germany, I think of their culture of gemütlichkeit.  Gemütlichkeit (literally “comfort” or “hospitality”) generally involves mixture of music, food, and drink to create a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.  When you are throwing an Oktoberfest party, you want every aspect to contribute to the feeling of Gemutlichkeit, not work against it, so anything that is too fussy or formal needs to go!  These laid-back homemade Oktoberfest decorations add just the right amount of festivity to your dinner table.

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Even though my cousin and I had a guest list of 15, we wanted to preserve a cozy atmosphere, so we pushed several tables together to make one long feasting table.

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Because the party was meant to be very relaxed, we just used disposable plates, napkins, and tablecloths in the colors of the German flag.  Who wants to spend all the prime, post-dinner party time washing up dishes, anyway?

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Each adult at the party got a large glass stein, purchased from the dollar store, to hold their beverage of choice.  The steins are crucial for the pre-meal “Prost!”   The traditional Oktoberfest toast is this:  Eins!  Zwei!  Drei!  G’suffa!  Pronounced like “Ines, Zvi, Dry, Zoofah!”, it means “One, Two, Three!  Drink up!”

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Guests were also greeted at their seats with a stamped place card that assigned them a German name for the duration of the evening.  On the back of the place cards, we wrote some funny German sayings that the guests were asked to try and translate.  Did you know that the German idiom for “it fits like a glove” translates as “it fits like a fist in the eye?”

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The centerpieces were simply informal arrangements of fall colored flowers in German-style pub glasses that I also found at the dollar store.

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The other table decorations were German related items we already owned:  German beer coasters, decorative steins, and brass dachshunds (dachshunds are the official mascot of Oktoberfest).

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If you don’t have authentic German souvenirs to use as décor, any fall decorations will work.  Layer them on top of a Bavarian-themed stamped table runner, serve up the delicious food, and your guests will be laughing and toasting before you know it.  Sehr gemütlich!

 

Check out these other Oktoberfest party tutorials:

OKTOBERFEST PARTY IDEA ROUNDUP

OKTOBERFEST PARTY FOOD

OKTOBERFEST PARTY IDEA ROUNDUP

OKTOBERFEST PARTY IDEAS

Filed Under: Fall, Fall Entertaining and Recipes, Party Tagged With: affiliate, decorations, German, holiday, Oktoberfest, paint, party, pumpkin, stamping, tutorial

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  1. AMERICA NEEDS KAFFEE UND KUCHEN - Mad in Crafts says:
    June 9, 2015 at 2:03 pm

    […] to experience German culture, which centers heavily on the idea of Gemütlichkeit.  I’ve talked about this idea of cozy hospitality before, but it is something that I really wish Americans did a little better.  A fantastic example of […]

    Reply
  2. FAMILY FRIENDLY SIDE DISH: SPAETZLE - Mad in Crafts says:
    December 16, 2016 at 1:45 pm

    […] posts will be coming soon!   OKTOBERFEST PARTY PLANNING CHECKLIST TRADITIONAL GERMAN FOODS HOMEMADE OKTOBERFEST DECORATIONS STAMPED OKTOBERFEST TABLE RUNNER AND PLACE CARDS OKTOBERFEST PARTY AND RECIPES […]

    Reply
  3. HOW TO THROW A BEER TASTING PARTY - Mad in Crafts says:
    April 27, 2018 at 6:10 pm

    […] guest gets to take home, give them with their own dollar store beer stein (like those I used for our Oktoberfest Party last year) to use during the party.  Send them home with a Chocolate Chip Beer Cookie in a […]

    Reply
  4. OktoberFEAST: Stamped Runner and Place Cards for Oktoberfest - Mad in Crafts says:
    September 13, 2018 at 12:37 pm

    […] OKTOBERFEST PARTY DECORATIONS […]

    Reply
  5. 10 Oktoberfest Event Ideas That'll Make You Say Prost! - Billetto Blog says:
    August 20, 2019 at 8:01 am

    […] you want to organise a more family-friendly craft class, there are plenty of Bavarian Oktoberfest decorations you can […]

    Reply
  6. OKTOBERFEST CRAFTS AND DIYS Round-Ups Mad in Crafts says:
    August 23, 2019 at 11:01 am

    […] OKTOBERFEST PARTY DECORATIONS – MAD IN CRAFTS […]

    Reply
  7. ¡10 ideas para el evento Oktoberfest que lo harán decir Prost! - Billetto Blog says:
    August 31, 2019 at 10:09 am

    […] desea organizar una clase de manualidades más familiar, hay muchas decoraciones del Oktoberfest bávaro que puede […]

    Reply
  8. 10 Idées d'Évènement pour l'Oktoberfest qui Vous Feront Dire Prost ! - Billetto Blog says:
    September 2, 2019 at 11:57 am

    […] Si vous organisez un atelier bricolage pour toute la famille, vous pouvez toujours vous tourner vers la fabrication de décorations bavaroises pour l’Oktoberfest. […]

    Reply
  9. 10 Oktoberfest-tapahtumaideaa, jotka saavat kilistelemään kuppia! - Billetto Blog says:
    September 6, 2019 at 9:58 am

    […] Jos haluat mieluummin järjestää koko perheelle sopivan askartelutapahtuman, voitte tehdä monenlaisia böömiläisiä Oktoberfest-koristeita. […]

    Reply
  10. 10 eventideer til Oktoberfest, der får dig til at sige Prost! - Billetto Blog says:
    September 13, 2019 at 9:04 am

    […] du vil arrangere en mere familievenlig workshop, er der masser af bayerske Oktoberfest-dekorationer, du kan […]

    Reply
  11. 10 Ideer til Oktoberfest-events som vil få deg til å si prost! - Billetto Blog says:
    October 12, 2019 at 4:37 pm

    […] du vil organisere en mer familievennlig håndverksklasse, er det nok av bayerske Oktoberfest-dekorasjoner du kan […]

    Reply
  12. 10 Ideen für ein Oktoberfestevent, die zu einem Prost verleiten werden! - Billetto Blog says:
    November 6, 2019 at 9:26 am

    […] familienfreundlichen Bastelkurs veranstalten möchtest, dann könntest du zahlreiche bayerische Oktoberfestdekorationen anfertigen […]

    Reply
  13. 10 Oktoberfest Event Ideas That'll Make You Say Prost! - Big Events Here says:
    December 24, 2019 at 5:21 am

    […] you want to organise a more family-friendly craft class, there are plenty of Bavarian Oktoberfest decorations you can […]

    Reply

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