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Frequently Asked Prom Corsage Questions — ANSWERED!

What is a prom corsage? A prom corsage is a small flower arrangement that typically adorns a girl’s wrist or collar and is bought and given to her by her prom date. Most prom-goers, these days, prefer the wrist corsage. Flowers and accessories usually match or accent the girl’s prom dress.

What is a boutonniere? A boutonniere is the floral design worn by guys on their lapels. The boutonniere is bought for the guy by his date and often matches the colors and style of his date’s corsage.

What wrist do your wear your corsage on? It is generally recognized as proper etiquette to wear the wrist corsage on the left, although a left-handed date may prefer her wrist corsage worn on the right arm.

Do the corsage and boutonniere have to match? Not necessarily, but it usually looks more stylish and put-together that way. Talk to your local florist about your choice of formal wear for prom, both for the guy and the girl, and discuss what corsage/bout options would work best for your combined look. (Also check out: Matching Prom Dress to Prom Corsage!)

Matching Your Prom Dress To Your Corsage Polka Dot Prom

How do I get my guy to buy the perfect prom corsage for me? Make sure the florist sees your dress. Your florist is sure to make something that accents your specific style. Seeing the dress ensures your flowers and prom accessories will match perfectly. Give your guy pictures of prom corsages you like to get him heading in the right direction. He can also show these to his florist. Why not go into your local flower shop together? You can buy both the amazing corsage and boutonniere together!

If I wanted something special, would a florist work with me? Absolutely! Florists love a challenge! If you’ve got something special in mind, talk to your florist about how they can customize your corsage just for you! May you’ve got a dark dress and are thinking of a Black Swan style? No problem! Love bright and playful? Your florist can fix you up with wire swirls and colorful daisies. Just don’t be afraid to ask!

Many florists are starting to offer Corsage Bar events in their store. This is a buffet-like setup where prom-goers can go down a row and pick out all the separate elements of their corsage. No guessing as to what it will look like when YOU’VE picked it all out!

Prom Corsage Bar

When do I need to order my prom flowers? Order right now! It’s always good to plan ahead and get your order in as soon as possible. The spring is a very busy time for florists, with wedding season just beginning and Mother’s Day right around the corner. At any rate, order at least two weeks in advance.

Why do I need to use a florist, can’t I make my own DIY corsage? Not only do corsages have to look great, but they must hold up throughout the night of dancing and celebration. It’s always a good idea to buy a corsage from your local florist, rather than try to create one yourself. Corsages are not easy to make; the flowers have to stay ON the corsage, and stay looking fresh for long periods of time. Just talk to your florist about your budget and your options, it might surprise you what they’ll come up with!

What if I’m on a tight budget, can I still get a great-looking prom corsage? Yes, talk to your florist about your situation and ask what suggestions they might have. Often times by using seasonal or flowers your florist might have in excess can cut down on costs and still give you a great-looking corsage!

What do I need before I visit my local florist? Be sure to bring a picture of the dress you are wearing. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, even a picture from a cell phone will do. Bring any pictures of prom corsages you like from the internet or magazines for your florist to look at.

What are the hottest prom flower trends to date? Bright and bold colors that really make a statement, mixed with a variety of textures and details. We’ve seen a lot different uses of wire and other accessories. Another prom accessory we just love this year is the reusable wristlets. Instead of a cheap corsage holder for the wrist, invest in a beautiful corsage bracelet. Not only will your corsage look amazing, you can wear the bracelet for years to come and always be reminded of your big night.

Creative Prom Corsage

I also have to talk about body flowers! Florists can do WAY more than just wrist corsages, ask your florist what body flowers would look best with your dress! One of our favorite looks is a strapless dress with over-the-shoulder flowers — a stunning look! You can also have flower rings, necklaces and even flowers for your shoes created! It’s all about using flowers to add color and style to your prom look.

Get MORE Prom Inspiration »

This post is brought to you by local Casper WY florists.
Not in Wyoming? No worries, Flower Shop Network makes it easy to find your local florist with our real local florist directory.

Promoting During Prom Season

First off, if you rely on teens to come by corsages at your store because you’re the only flower shop in town, you’re missing out on A LOT of opportunities. If these kids don’t know what is available to them, they won’t expect anything more than just a rose and ribbon for their wrist. Let’s make it our job as a florist to SHOW them what’s out there and exactly what we can do!

Our goal at prom season is, of course, to make money. The best way to make MORE money this prom season is by producing quality, creative designs girls will instantly fall in love with! Go the extra step to dazzle her with the details.

Ahh! Prom — Where do we begin?

Creative Prom CorsageThe key to creating the perfect corsage for a teen is by complementing their own, particular style and the dress they’ve picked out. This is a problem because, for the most part, the guy buys the corsage. Don’t be discouraged, with technology and teenagers today you can possibly get a picture of the dress in just a few minutes. If the mom of the boy calls ahead of time, ask her then to somehow send a picture of the dress in order to match the style and colors. Have the pictures sent through text or email them to the shop. Let them know it’s not necessary, but it is a way to get the very best results! It may be easy if her dress is black and white, but some colors are a little more fuzzy. Your idea of blue-green maybe totally different that someone else. The dress also gives you a good idea of the price point for the customer.

The next thing to consider is the style. Is the girl going for a classic, vintage look; perhaps it’s more of a playful, colorful look? She may be into a more edgier, Lady GaGa style. Whatever the look, have fun with it!! This is YOUR TIME to show your talents! Suggest flowers in complementary colors instead of perfect matches. The prom corsage should make the dress POP and really complete the over-all look! Don’t settle for just a rose-and-ribbon corsage when you can have so much more!

Extra Selling Points For Prom

Corsage Bar: A great way to spike your prom sales this season is with the new and popular Corsage Bar! Bring out all of your fantastic prom accessories, ribbon, and gems for display in a buffet-like setting. This allows corsage-buyers to pick and choose their favorite accents. Everyone loves customization, and allowing the customer to personalize their corsage their way, it really makes them feel even more connected to the design. As they are looking through your prom accessories, suggest interesting options that they might not think of that really work great with their look!

Body Flowers: Who’s to say flowers belong only on the wrists? We’ve seen prom flowers for the hair, prom flowers on the shoes, prom flower rings, over-the-shoulder flowers… the list goes on and on. This is another feature that depends on the style of the dress. If it’s short, make flowers for the shoes and ankles; is it off one shoulder? — adorn it with flowers! Remember to do everything tastefully and fashionably. We want them to look stylish, not decorated. Show them your talents for matching color and style, they won’t soon forget it!

Prom Corsage Alternatives and Extras

Beautiful Bouts: Boutonnieres can be just as fun and funky as corsages and body flowers! This can be the selling point to really get the guy’s mom into it. Show her masculine options to complement the date’s corsage.

Polka Dot Prom Corsage Polka Dot Prom

On Display: Pre-make a few creative and over-the-top styles. With all of the playful prom styles out this year, you’d be surprised what the teens go for! If you have a local formal-wear store in your town, call them to ask what styles and colors are most popular in your area. You might have to use silks to ensure they last through the prom season. If you can’t pre-make corsages for your store, create a prom inspiration flip-book with past designs, magazine clippings, printed pictures from the internet, etc. Remember, if they can’t see it, they won’t ask for it. [Read more…]

Corsage Bar How-To!

It’s that time again — PROM! Fancy dresses, perfect hair, jewelry, makeup, high-heels and beautiful flowers — when these are the essentials, you know it’s bound to be a good night! Mothers and daughters everywhere are planning big things for this year’s festivities.

prom-corsagesFor florists, however, prom can be a daunting task. Designing corsage after corsage with little guidance will really drain your creativity. The solution? A corsage bar! They are one of this prom season’s coolest trends.

A corsage bar is a buffet-style spread of all sorts of cool corsage accessories. Your prom-goers will be able to pick their “base design” and build their own unique corsage with whatever materials they choose.

Here is an example of the process:

  • Have a few examples of basic corsage designs and let them pick their own flower types, flower colors, ribbons and maybe a few other basics for a base price.
  • Have several trays and bowls set up on a table in different colors or styles to make it easy for color coding.
  • Put all of your smallest trinkets into a red bowl, the bigger, more unique things on a blue tray. Lay feathers and wires on a green mat.
  • Have a price guide based on your colored bowls and trays, so they can pick and choose what they want within their budget.

Example:

Package A: Base Design + 1 red bowl trinkets + 1 blue tray accessory + 1 green mat = $XX

Package B: Base Design + 3 red + 2 blue + 3 green = $XX

You get the idea.

  • Price your pieces individually too. Everything in the red bowl is $X each. So I can get Package A with 3 extra red bowl accessories at ($ Package A) + 3 × ($ red bowl price) = AWESOME CUSTOM CORSAGE. [Sorry about the confusing math, if you have questions just ask!]
  • Ask your floral supplies wholesaler what’s new or prowl through your local craft store and get everything you find that goes with this years look!

Don’t be afraid to suggest other accessories! Flowers to wear are a big trend this season! Use fresh or silk flowers on hair barrettes, necklaces, even on the straps of their shoes! Creating a flower ring out of wire and beads with flowers is super easy and a great add-on sale that the girls will really love!

pink-prom-corsageA corsage bar is a great way to spark your creativity, as well as gain valuable interest in your shop. Make it an event by creating flyers to hang in local high schools. Facebook is another great way to publicize this awesome opportunity. Create an event page and invite students from local schools, parents you may know and your other florist friends to let everyone know what is happening in your shop.

Trust me, once students get a taste of creating their own floral designs, and parents experience having a little more control over the prom budget, everyone will be looking forward celebrating this year’s event in your flower shop! Start a tradition this year with your very own corsage bar!