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Prom Flowers with Versatility and Functionality

Here at Gillespie Florists, we have been offering Fitz wristlets and other keepsake products for three years running.  Every year we are surprised at not only how many keepsake wristlets we sell but also the unique uses for the Fitz products!

This year we had a young man come in looking for an alternative wristlet. He was asked if he was looking for something new to this year or a unique design.  He was having a hard time explaining what he wanted. He said he wanted a wrist corsage but that it simply wouldn’t work.  He was showed some of our more unusual corsages, such as Wild Side and Pink Ice




Wild Side is three yellow sweet heart roses put in a triangular design with zebra ribbons hanging off the side of the wrist. It is accented with seeded eucalyptus and limonium and is attached to a black and silver Fitz beaded wristlet!



Pink Ice has three pink sweet heart roses with a delicate silver bow and rhinestone sprays. These beautiful roses are attached to one of the new cascade wristlets made by Fitz.  The new cascade wristlets are rhinestones that appear to be cascading from your wrist, across the top of your hand and finishes off with a delicate strand meeting the middle finger with a rhinestone topped ring!

Our customer liked these corsages and many of our other designs but we could tell it was not quite right. We were stumped; he was not communicating the real issue that would help us solve the problem.

Finally, he told us his date had only one arm. He didn’t get into details as to what had happened but he wanted to make sure that she had a great and memorable prom. He felt like that a wrist corsage would get in her way and hinder her movements. The thought of getting her a pin-on corsage made him cringe. He needed something that was functional but made her feel included, special and beautiful.

Now, with understanding, we knew the perfect corsage for her!


Callista has five lavender sweet heart roses, lovely silver ribbon, small silver leaves and beads. All adorned to a prom silver armband with swirls and large rhinestones.

He loved it! It was unique enough to make her feel special but close enough to a wrist corsage that she wouldn’t feel out of place!

Year after year, we at Gillespie Florists come up with many new prom designs for reasons just like this! Everyone wants a corsage that will fit her personal style and needs. For us to meet that, we need versatility in our collection!

Gillespie Florists
9255 W. 10th St.
Indianapolis, IN 46234
317.273.1100


All images are copyrighted and owned by Gillespie Florists.



Y.H.S. Prom Review

Prom has come and gone here in Yerington NV
What a busy busy couple of weeks!
Prom orders ready for flowers
We started ordering new ribbons and bracelets in March &
we also started making the wire free form cuffs that were so popular this year. 
In the week before prom we carefully combined the bracelets, ribbons and selected
rhinestones or bead sprays to make the corsage base on which the 
flowers were eventually attached.

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Here are a few of the finished free form wire cuff corsages...
Red black and white corsage on wire cuff

Red and black corsage on black & gold free form cuff


White corsage and boutonniere  also lavender wire cuff
Blue and white corsage with callas and pearls

We did a few other styles with wire and beads- below a turquoise & silver cuff with 
miniature Calla lilies. One of my personal favorites was this whimsical 
dragonfly  finished with white rosebuds.
Turquoise and white Prom corsage & boutonniere

Custom Dragonfly prom corsage with white roses

We took lots of orders for bright colors this year too. Many of those orders were to be paired 
with black & white dresses. 
Orange & turquoise corsage and matching boutonniere

Orange and Hot pink roses with blue black and turquoise ribbons.


 AND lots of pretty white corsages too...

White and green with navy blue corsage and matching boutonniere

Elegant white wrist corsage with royal blue accents & ribbon

Tracey Foster
Yerington. Nevada
775.463.1052

Color - Finding the Perfect Combination!

   
The first question your florist will ask you, 
"What color is your dress?" 

Night Moves One Shoulder Prom Dress

Red and Yellow Prom flowers


This dictates the direction of the conversation and questions that will follow. 
Many girls are looking to match the color of their dress and although  that is one way to go, some
colors are difficult to match.  Look for complimentary colors to your dress.   Shades of your color are a great way to go and give more dimension and texture to your corsage.


Magenta, Lavender & Pink corsage with bead & wire accents
Jovani Pink Print Strapless Prom Dress


It's also important to remember that  multi-color corsages compliment a solid color dress beautifully, while corsages in all one color (monochromatic) are best with the beautiful print dresses so popular this year.
I find that when a customer has a dress that doesn't have a rose color that matches perfectly, the customer always falls back to that faithful  white rose.  
 There are many other great flowers that can be used in corsages. Take a look at orchids, freesia, mini-gerberas, and gladiolus blooms, all come in a wide range of colors. 
You would be surprised!

Peach Rose Boutonniere with grass accents

  There are a variety of fun greenery and filler flowers too!  Don't be afraid to step outside of the box and set a trend!  Your floral designer is always looking
 for the new  flower varieties and corsage accessories on the market and keeping up with the latest trends.

White Dendrobium Orchid Boutonnieres
  If you give your florist enough notice they can even customize a wrist band and flowers to match your dress perfectly.   
For example, if you have turquoise beading in your dress, your floral designer can wire some beading  into your flowers or wrist band  to match your dress.  It's no longer just a corsage,
it's floral jewelry! 

Elegant Strapless Print Dress

Blue, Turquoise, Fuchsia Wrist Corsage

Let's have some fun coordinating your floral jewelry to your beautiful dress!  Remember, your florist is here to help you with perfect color selections!
  Let's set some trends ladies!  

Green & Purple Boutonniere

Rachelle Nyswonger AIFD
Flowers by Rachelle
www.flowersbyrachelle.net
2485 Notre Dame Blvd #240
Chico, Ca. 95928
530-345-2661

Thanks to Rachelle for this great post on color!

Custom Designed in Evergreen, Colorado



My favorite part of prom is when the kids come in to order and pick up.Some come in solo, some with a parent, 
and some as a couple.
  But, they usually come in and say the same thing.
"I heard this is where you go to get a cool corsage".
Yep. 
Stems is where you come if  you want more than
"option 4"
  offered from the local grocery store,
and you want a presentation that does not include 
a bar code on top of the box.
 Or, if you want to say, "just do something with this color, cool, funky, 
I trust you."

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I call these "tied dyed orchids"  They are bright and match just about any dress.
Blue/purple tie-dye orchid corsage
Matching Tie-dye boutonniere

Hand held bouquet and flower ring
Flower Ring



This one needed to match the bird of paradise boutonniere!
(shown in the top photo)
Black & white orchid corsage
White rose boutonniere
White Calla boutonniere



       Dore Huss
       Stems
          The Flower Shop
       Evergreen, CO 80439
          3 0 3 . 6 7 4 .4 9 9 5
    www.stemsaflowershop.com

Prom Flowers in the Deep South


Here in sunny and warm Alabama, things are still quite traditional and conservative.  Although the staff at the House of Flowers leads our area in offering more progressive designs for any occasion, our local high school girls still prefer a more standard and traditional flower design for their prom, which is quite ironic considering the styles of the dresses these days!  Wrist corsages are the most popular choice by far, with hand held or clutch bouquets becoming a little more accepted each year.

This year, we offered a choice when ordering wrist corsages...either “traditional” or “funky”.  The traditional corsage is rather conservative and focuses on flowers...nothing flashy or gaudy. Our girls here prefer small corsages with no ribbons hanging down, thus the corsage is very compact.  And we’ve made it easier for both the flower shop and the high school kids...we simply get the color of the dress, then promise to deliver something that would be appropriate.  We no longer go through the time consuming processes of choosing the flower varieties, the ribbons, or any accessories at the time the order is placed. As a result, the kids and their parents seem happier, and the staff at the shop spends less time on each order, which makes me happier!


Our “Funky” wrist corsages will incorporate decorative wire, feathers, berries, and playful ribbons that will give a little more modern look, while still maintaining the conservative appeal
 
All of our wrist corsages are designed on bracelets from Fitz Designs, and we’ve found that the fanciest and nicest bracelets sell out first, even when they cost a few dollars extra.

Our clutch bouquets have gained in popularity over the years.  It reminds me of my time in high school in the late 70s and 80s when every flower that my parents made were nosegays in a plastic bouquet holder.  However, these clutch bouquets are hand tied and the stems are wrapped with ribbon...a very natural look, as if you picked flowers from the garden just moments ago.

The most popular clutch designs this year incorporate two new elements that have never been available here before...wire bouquet collars and painted Tree Fern.  The House of Flowers is the only florist in the states of Alabama or Georgia that carries the Color Fresh Tree Fern, which looks much like feathers, but it is actually fresh foliage that is treated with a dyed preservative.  It comes in twelve different colors.


The price ranges for our wrist corsages average from $24.95 - $34.95, while our clutch bouquets average from $29.95 - $59.95. 

Steve Sorrell
House of Flowers
4207 20th Avenue
Valley, AL  36854
877-685-9848
www.bamaflowers.com
prom.bamaflowers.com

Hand-tied Clutch Bouquets for prom - A popular trend in Havertown PA

Hand tied yellow Clutch Bouquet and matching boutonniere
A lot of people are amazed at how many hand tied "clutch" prom bouquets we create compared to wrist corsages. Yes, here at Belvedere Flowers in Havertown PA, we do 90% bouquets, and only 10% wrist corsages for proms! 
Sometimes you just need to start your own trend. 
 About 10 years ago, I started to offer hand tied bouquets instead. Over the years, more and more prom customers started asking for them, instead of corsages :)

Our biggest prom is Haverford High School, however we also do a lot of prom flowers for about a dozen other nearby schools in Delaware County, and the Philadelphia area. I've talked to other florists in the area, and they still sell more wrist corsages, but they are also seeing a trend for more hand tied bouquets.

Most of our customers give us the creative freedom to design something beautiful for them. We get the dress color, and then suggest a monochromatic bouquet, or mixed colors to compliment the dress color.

Our prom bouquets range from $30-75, and the average customer spends around $45-50.

Here are a few more samples of prom bouquets we have done recently.
Spring flower bouquet for prom

Pink Prom clutch bouquet

White clutch bouquet for prom

Beautiful blue & white bouquet
Adam Pomerantz

Belvedere Flowers
28 W. Eagle Rd., Havertown, PA 19083
(888)449-3880
www.BelvedereFlowers.com


 See what Belvedere Flowers has been up to since this post!
Click on the link & check it out
More Hand-Tied Clutch Bouquets from Havertown