Flowers For The High School Formal or Prom A Magic Night
High School Formal or the Prom.
That wonderful time when girls’ conversation is all about prom dresses, hairstyles, make-up, nails, jewellry and flowers.
The guys are quite often organized by the girls or their Mum.
As for the flowers, the guy gives his partner a corsage, posy, (now called nosegay) or single flower.
The girl gives her partner a buttonhole or boutonnière.
The color choice of flowers is normally to suit the girl’s dress color and usually the guy has organized his tie, cummerbund, cravat etc. to match his partner’s color.
Long, long ago, a corsage was called a nosegay. This was in the days when bathing was not a thing to do very often and the ‘nosegay’ made from beautifully perfumes flowers, was given to the lady and attached to her evening dress on her shoulder so the perfume of the flowers would over-ride the ‘perfume’ of her partner while they were dancing.
So the name “nosegay” came about.
They were made to pin on with the stem up, so the lady could see the beauty of the flowers when she looked down. They were meant for her to see, if they were pinned on with the stem down, then she would not be able to see the beauty of the flowers.
Okay, all that aside, when ordering flowers for the formal/prom, contact the florist at least 2 weeks before. This will give the florist time to order the flowers in the colors you want.
The most popular corsages today are the wrist corsages. So many of the evening dresses worn are of delicate fabric and quite often strapless and nowhere to pin on a corsage and the pinning could damage the fabric.
The wrist corsages are made with the delicate flowers too, like mini or spray roses, these have the smaller heads, dendrobium orchids, alstroemeria lilies and other small flowers such as delphinimums, cornflowers and freesia.
Your florist will want to know the dress color and the build of your partner, tall, short, medium, petite. If the flower color cannot be matched to the dress, then often ribbons will add that color for you.
If you have no idea of the dress color, then you can go neutral with white or cream and silver or gold ribbons. Some fabric color is very hard to match with flowers, so often a contrasting color or the neutral is fine.
A pretty posy is a good choice if your partner is not into corsages. These too are made with the delicate flowers, like the mini or spray roses, freesias, little carnations and the very pretty filler flowers, like geraldton wax and baby’s breath and soft greenery, tied with pretty ribbons.
Always talk to your florist about your options, if your partner wants a single flower, if it is a rose, make sure the florist protects the head with a small piece of wire, taped over with florist’s tape and the end of the stem sealed, so the moisture stays in the rose stem. Your rose will stay looking good all night and your partner will be impressed.
Just remember, consult with your florist, some florists have a special price for proms and if you order both your and your partner’s flowers at the same time, then they will match perfectly. This is good if your budget is tight too.
Also if your budget happens to be tight, then there are always these options, a single flower, a small posy, maybe a corsage with not so expensive flowers.
Ask how the flowers will be packaged. Will the corsage be in a presentation box? Or will they be wrapped in a florist special cellophane package? If you order both together will they be in the same presentation box? Just so you know when you pick them up.
If they are kept together, then when you present them to your partner, you will put the corsage on her wrist and she will pin the boutonnière on your lapel. For this the pin goes underneath the lapel so it cannot be seen from the outside.
To wrap up, try to find out the dress color of your partner, if you can get a small swatch, then this will help the florist match the color. Give the florist at least two weeks to find the flowers needed.