10 Thrift Finds That Will Elevate Your Next Party (and how to find them)

You don’t need to spend a ton of money to be the host with the most! Here are 10 thrift finds that can take your next party from basic to elevated and unique.

Vases & Flower Frogs

Vases and flower frogs are two things that you’re always going to find while thrifting. A beautiful flower arrangement can instantly elevate any tablescape, and lots of different vessels can be used as a vase.

Cake Stands

A beautiful cake stand can make even homemade cakes look expensive. Because they can be hard to store, I’m always on the lookout for cake stands that can work for multiple occasions.

Drinkware

Drinkware has been one of my favourite things to thrift over the years. Beautiful drinkware can instantly elevate any celebration, and it’s so much fun to mix and match different sets to create whatever aesthetic you’re going for. I like to look for items that have multiple uses. For example, a fun coupe glass can also double as an ice cream bowl.

Along with drinkware, a fun ice bucket is always a great idea. I find these ALL the time while thrifting.

CLOTH NAPKINS AND NAPKIN RINGS

Cloth napkins can instantly elevate any tablescape! Sometimes it can be hard to find cloth napkins at thrift stores, because full sets get seperated over time, but napkin rings are fairly easy to find. For cloth napkins, try searching on local buy and sell pages or Facebook Marketplace. People often receive them as wedding gifts, but never use them.

If you’re handy with a sewing machine, cloth napkins are also extremely easy and affordable to make!

CAKE TOPPERS

Our Elopement Party Cake Topper

I removed the old ribbon that was originally on it, added the lace, and touched up the paint.

A vintage cake topper is a fun and unique addition to any party cake. A couple years ago, I thrifted a 1980s graduation cake topper, with the idea to use it for all of my son’s graduations. My elopement cake topper was also a vintage thrift find that I restored for our happily-ever-after party. Along with searching for actual cake toppers, did you know that pretty much any trinket can double as a cake topper as well?

For example, how cute would ceramic swans can be for bridal and baby showers, birthdays and weddings? When looking for potential cake toppers, safety is important, so don’t choose anything with loose pieces or lead paint. A small piece of cardboard can be also used to seperate the trinket from the cake itself.

Estate sales are a great place to search for vintage wedding cake toppers, as people tend to keep them as a keepsake. Thrift stores are also a great place to search for potential options. Make sure to check the trinket aisle, along with the dishes, as treasures can be hiding in both.

A Record Player

Record players are a fun and unexpected way to create ambiance at any party. We often find record players at estate sales, and actually have several in our basement currently that we’ve accumulated over the years. At one sale in particular, I found two record players that they were giving away. We also have my grandparent’s old record player / stero combo in our dining room.

Our everyday record player is a newer Audiotechnica, but second hand players are a great place to start before investing in something more expensive.

Holiday Themed Dish sets

Think of the joy you felt when you sat down to Christmas dinner at your grandparent’s house, and the table was set in matching Christmas dishes. Matching Christmas dishes can take your holiday celebration from average to merry and nostalgic.

I inherited my grandmother’s Christmas dishes, and recently found the matching candlesticks at an estate sale. Estate sales and thrift stores are both great places to find Christmas dishes, and I see them there all the time.

Christmas is just the example I’m using here, but you can buy matching holiday dishes for any seasonal celebration.

Board Games

I love having a variety of board games on hand for events, and estate sales and thrift stores are FULL of them. I love buying really unique games that not everyone has. Vintage board games are really fun to have (as long as they have all the pieces,) or themed board games for various holidays.

Candle Holders

Candle holders are one of my favourite things to thrift. I love to mix and match them on our table or hutch, and it’s so much fun to pair them with pretty candlesticks for any occasion or holiday. They’s also so easy to dress up with bows or floral arrangements for tablescapes.

Tablecloths, Placemats & Runners

You will find piles and piles of table linens at both thrift stores and estate sales. Measure your table ahead of time, so you know what to look for. If you’re anything like me, you may also strike gold at your grandparent’s house. When my grandmother moved, she gifted me a lot of holiday themed table linens that she didn’t want anymore. Table linens are the base for a nice tablescape, and you’ll want lots of options for different occasions.

Happy thrifting!

Special note: At Merrymake, we don’t believe in using AI for writing blog posts, so all of our posts are 100% written by the author. Yes, we really are just that witty.