Greek Toga Design
During this century the fashion designer emerged. No longer were the days where everyone wore the same type of material or style. This was a new era in clothing and clothing styles change every year. Until 1910 the style of the padded dresses and corsets were still the fashion trend. During the early years, the style changed to loose fitting gowns that women didn’t need a third party to help them get dressed in. Long dresses with pinafores were the normal thing to wear until the 1920s. When the roaring 20s came in the dress lengths became shorter. Women were after something with a little more pizzazz. In the 1930s, fashion became a victim to the great depression and designers went on to creating a more romantic silhouette. The brash style of the 1920s was out. In the 1940s, the zoot suit was created for men, while the women style of clothing resembled those of the 1800s. In the 1950s the women’s suit was formed for the working woman. Sequins, chiffon and fur were all introduced into the wardrobes of the 1950s. Off the rack clothing had become more popular during this time period than designer clothing. The clothing in the 1960s catered to the younger generation. The skirts became shorter, as the mini shirt was invented in 1965. Colors were made to be bolder and the fabrics were synthetic. Men’s clothing changes with the use of fabric. The suits were meant to fit more snuggly to the body, which forced men to look at their figures more. Jeans became a widespread phenomenon. The bikini was invented as well as bell bottom jeans, tie-dyed shirts and paisley prints. The 1970s began with a continuation of the hippie style of dress, but the skirts soon grew longer and the call for unisex clothing ballooned. More men’s clothing store emerged. What was known as the beatnick look came about toward the end of the 70s. In the 1980s, spandex, lyrica and leather pants emerged. Evening gowns and long dresses were back in style. Acid washed jeans, some that had a shredded knee and shoulder pads were placed in shirts and suit jackets. Sweatshirts, leotards, and headbands all came in as a part of working out in fashion. The 1990s brought in a minimalist attitude when it came to fashion. The need for comfort rather than elegance took shape in the 90s. There was no longer a want for body hugging clothes; women and men wanted something that they could be comfortable in. People were buying oversized clothing to suit their everyday needs.
Is your man, “Your Greek god?” Why not celebrate with an Ancient Greek inspired wedding theme? Not to be confused with a college toga party, the Ancient Greek theme wedding has been mostly overlooked in recent years. This is probably due to its popularity for frat and sorority parties on college campuses across the country. Those events are not about elegance and the result is often tacky. So it’s not hard to understand why the theme is not on the tip of a bride’s tongue when it’s time to pick out a theme for the wedding.
Still it can be fun and rewarding to play with the ancient Greek architecture and fashions when designing your wedding celebration:
Of course, pulling off any theme reaches beyond the decor of the room. Just like a theater event, the average individual’s ability to embrace an atmosphere depends largely on the appearance of the principle players. That does not mean that in order for you to pull off an ancient Greek themed wedding that you have to get married in a toga – no way! In fact the toga is not even Greek. It’s the Roman addition to the culture.
Choosing such a wedding theme does mean that your gown and the dress of the rest of your party should be tastefully reminiscent of the styles favored by the Ancient Greek peoples. As such you should start by commissioning a wedding dress based on a design inspired by the sculptures of Aphrodite and the timeless beauty of ancient Greek clothing styles in general. Then add an elegant wedding sandal to complete your wedding theme and accent your look.
Build your Greek wedding theme decor with pillars. It’s usually most practical to have the big pillars you need made from Styrofoam if you can not find a facility that was built with columns or you need more for the ambiance of the room. You can have them professionally made or if you know a wood worker that person might be willing to cut them for you with his lathe. Then it’s just a matter of painting them to your satisfaction. For most, the spray paint designed to give a stone finish will work, but ultimately every bride should play with a few pieces of scrap Styrofoam and a variety of paints before deciding. The small pillars, for the basis of your table centerpieces can be found at most any craft store.
Accent your ancient Greek themed wedding with some elegant looking urns placed strategically around the room. These too can be easily found at most craft stores. After the wedding, keep the urns in your home or apartment with dried flowers in them or just as accent pieces by themselves – there is little that will make your wedding budget go further than identifying these rare opportunities to buy something for your wedding that you can use to better your life afterwards.
Assuming the management of the facility hosting your wedding agrees, rent a fog machine to give the “Top of Mount Olympus” feel to your event – either for your ceremony, or for the dance floor at your reception – or both!
Of course there are so many other things you could do to pull off the Greek theme. Hire a Greek restaurant to cater your wedding. Hire Greek dancers and musicians as entertainment and let them help you segue way into your dance. As always, the trick to pulling off an ancient Greek Wedding is to think through every detail just as you would if it was not a wedding at all but a theatrical show you were staging. Yes, its work – but your lifetime of memories will be worth the effort.
Jeanette Shinn is a wedding professional with over a dozen years experience making dreams come alive. Find tips and accessories from wine favors to more fun wedding theme tips at http://www.ExcitingWeddingFavors.com.
