Toga Party Decorations

by Giorgina Devereaux

Rome achieved great glory under Augustus. 

He managed to restore peace after 100 years of civil war and maintained an honest government, along with a sound currency system. 

His other accomplishments include extending the highway system that connected Rome with its far-flung empire, developing an efficient postal service, fostering free trade among the provinces, and the building of many bridges, aqueducts, and buildings adorned with splendid works of art in the classical style. 

During this time, literature flourished with writers, such as, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, and Livy (who were all living under the emperor’s patronage).

The toga was the national garment of Rome and only male citizens were allowed to wear it. 

The materials of this garment consisted of a large woolen cloth cut with both straight and rounded edges that were not sewn or pinned, but carefully draped over the body on top of the tunic. 

With time, the size and manner of draping the toga became more elaborate. 

During the late Republic and first centuries of the Empire, the toga was worn with the cloth folded lengthwise and partly pleated at the fold, which was then draped over the left side of the body, over the left shoulder, under the right arm, and back up over the left arm and shoulder.  

What kept it in partly in place was the weight of the material, along with keeping the left arm pressed against the body.  

The large overfold in the front of the body was called a “sinus,” and part of the material under this was pulled up and draped over the sinus to form the “umbo.”  

During religious ceremonies, the back of the toga was pulled over the head. 

Understanding the origin of the toga helps one see the significance of wearing a toga.  Now that we’ve tackled the history behind the toga, let’s discuss toga party decorations and ways to help you create a lovely ancient Roman atmosphere.  There are creative ways to decorate for your toga party.  All it takes is vivid imagination and style. 

Toga Party Decorations

Colors:  Since color is considered one of the most powerful tools you have, the colors you choose for your party is important. 

People respond to different colors in a variety of ways. 

Fabulous toga party decoration colors to consider is a combination of:

• White and gold

• White and purple

White:  The color white is associated with purity, protection, bringing peace and comfort, and helping cleanse inner emotions.  White gives a person a feeling of freedom and openness.  However, too much white can give the feeling that the space is cold and isolated.  Therefore, it is important to balance it out with another color.

Gold:  Gold is a regal color and will fit in beautifully with the ancient Roman theme.  It is associated with the sun, abundance, power, wisdom, and understanding.  Also, it is mentally revitalizing, inspiring, and helps keep the mind from losing interest. 

Purple:  Purple symbolizes royalty, power, luxury, sophistication, wealth, spirituality, dignity, nobility, and enlightenment.  It is also romantic and helps a person improve their imagination. 

Other Color Ideas:  You can also use gold or purple spray paint to cover decorative items.  Also, consider using gold glitter over the purple to give the item a shimmery look.  These touches will give your toga party decorations a dramatic effect.

Floral Arrangements:  Greenery and foliage make perfect toga party decorations. 

You can purchase faux greenery or get them fresh from the florist. 

Some great greenery to include is grapevines and ivy vine garland. 

You can create your own variation of a Roman garden by incorporating 7’ tall columns and then including a backdrop in the center consisting of lovely flowing curtains, along with a colorful sheer valance. 

The backdrop can be topped with hanging floral pieces, such as, ferns and ivy combined with clear Christmas lights.  A sitting area can be created in front of the backdrop by incorporating a bench, which adds a lot of charm.  On each side of this setup, you can include an urn with lighted topiaries set on top of pedestals. 

Other ideas include decorating arches, columns, the fence, and trellis with vine leaves.  You can also spray paint columns in gold and then dress them up with greenery by wrapping vines in a spiral pattern around the columns. 

Lighting:  Lighting is important in toga party decorations because it helps set the mood and create the right ambience for your party. 

Perfect mood lighting for this festive event includes:

• Candles

• Christmas lights

• Lanterns

• Solar Floating Lights

• Torches

Candles:  Candles are the perfect touch for a table and other areas that could use subdued lighting.  You can place a floating candle inside a small clear glass bowl, along with water, and decorate each table with it. 

Not only do candles provide subtle lighting, but it adds a dash of romance and mysticism to the party. 

Christmas Lights:  Clear Christmas lights look spectacular at a party because of the twinkle effect.  You can adorn arches, columns, the fence, trees, and other areas that have tall objects with Christmas lights.  It will add the wow factor and give the party a magical feel. 

Lanterns:  Lanterns are another fabulous source of lighting for your toga party.  They are available in a variety of styles and you can find them made of metal with colored glass panels.  The bronze metal color gives it somewhat of an aged look, which fits in with the ancient Roman style.

Solar Floating Lights:  You can place solar floating lights consisting of colorful spheres, a water lily, or a disco ball globe that alternates colors inside a pond, spa, or swimming pool. 

The beauty about the disco ball globe is that it has colorful LEDs inside that project their light through the clear magnifying cover into the bottom and sides your swimming pool or spa in selectable flashing patterns. 

These lights will definitely liven up the pond, spa, and swimming pool and look absolutely spectacular during the evening hours.

Torches:  Garden torches create an exotic point of outdoor lighting because of their luxurious appearance. 

Not only will it add illumination, but it has a certain romantic charm to it. 

You can find these torches constructed from copper and in a verdigris finish. 

These are staked into the ground and have an iron stake that has the ability to resist heavy wind. 

Balloons:  Balloons add a lot of beauty to any party and instantly transform any room regardless of its size into a fabulous space.

You can opt to inflate gold mylar balloons with helium and display them, along with a couple of purple balloons above each column.  You can also do a combination of white and gold balloons or white and purple balloons and allow them to fill the ceiling, which adds height and a splash of color to a room. 

Another good idea for toga party decorations is to display a combination of white and gold or white and purple balloons at each table by attaching a gold or purple ribbon and a balloon weight.

Architectural Elements

Some great architectural elements to include in a toga party are columns and pedestals. 

You can find these items made of polyresin, which is great because they are lightweight.

The columns are available in different heights, such as 24”, 35”, and 43”. 

Columns and pedestals have an air of elegance to them and they will add that ancient Roman feel to your toga party.

Table/Chair Decorations:  Whether you choose a white and gold or white and purple theme, you may want to consider using a white table cloth for your table and then accessorizing it with gold or purples colors.  For instance, you can use gold or purple colored napkins, paper plates, and cutlery. 

A creative way to dress up the plastic cutlery is to use a gold or purple paint pen and draw Roman numerals on the handles of the cutlery. 

You can also tie the cutlery together using gold or purple ribbon.  Just a little bit goes a long way. 

Another idea is to drape gold ivy garland along the edges of each table.  You could also sprinkle gold or purple confetti on each table around the centerpiece.  A floral arrangement makes a lovely centerpiece for your table. 

You can place the floral arrangement inside a clear glass vase and display it inside a laurel crown wreath for that Roman touch.  Also, consider displaying an assortment of faux fruit on the buffet table in a lovely gold fruit bowl consisting of a bunch of red and green grapes, apples, bananas, and pears. 

For the chairs, you may want to consider adding a gold or purple bow in the back of each chair to help it blend in with the colors of the table as well as the overall color scheme.

Other Toga Party Decorating Ideas/Accessories: 

Some other ideas for toga party decorations are as follows:

• When decorating a large area or to make an area look more intimate and festive, consider draping white or gold gossamer across the ceiling, walls, and edges of the tablecloth. 
  
  You can combine two colors for a fabulous appearance. 
   
• Consider creating your own laurel wreath crowns using faux greenery and spraying them with gold paint.  You can display these on the buffet table or individual tables as a centerpiece.
   
• You could also take several plastic goblets and spray them with gold and glue multi-colored plastic jewels on them for that royal effect and then display them on the buffet table or bar.
   
• Consider using props, such as, classical busts, toy swords, and shields.  You can display classical busts on pedestals and hang a toy sword and shield on a backdrop. 
   
• Also, consider creating a large banner that features a Roman theme, such as, S.P.Q.R.  S.P.Q.R. is a Latin noun phrase that stands for, “Senatus Populusque Romanus” meaning “The Senate and the Roman People.” 
  
  This phrase refers to the government of the ancient empire and was the official signature of the government of the Roman Republic, which appeared on coins, at the end of public documents, in dedications of monuments and public works, and on the standards of the Roman legions.
   
• You could also recruit two friends to dress up as Roman soldiers and greet guests as they enter your home.  It adds festivity to the party and creates a fun atmosphere.
   
• Give your guests an unforgettable souvenir by setting up a photo booth and giving everyone a 5x7 picture of themselves attired in toga.  Simply convert a chair into a Roman throne by draping a piece of gold fabric over it, along with a piece of purple velvet for that regal feel.  Guests will feel like royalty as they indulge in the grandeur of this ancient decor.