high school prom corsages
Hi, I came to the US as an adult, so my knowledge of local high school customs is based on TV and books. It seems like it's important for a girl to get a corsage when she goes to prom. Is that right? And if so, what kind of corsage does one expect? I see some with real flowers, and also lots on Amazon, all with great ratings.
And, there are wristlets and the ones that go on the dress (no idea how that would work!).
My son is clueless, and his date isn't sure what she wants either. Any ideas?
Apr 26, 2019
Parent Replies
My daughter is not yet to prom age, so I'm not up on what is currently done. But I think that fake flowers would be tacky and would go with no corsage before I went with artificial flowers. You can get a corsage (and a boutonniere for your son) from any florist (call ahead with timing and to request flowers/colors). Pin-on corsages are little more than a few blossoms and leaves attached together with floral tape. They are usually pinned onto the dress with one or more large straight pins. Whether to do a wrist corsage or a pinned-on one depends on the girl's dress. If she's wearing something that is sleeveless or has very delicate fabric, I'd lean toward the wrist corsage. Basically, if you aren't sure where or how you would pin a corsage to the dress, the wrist corsage is probably the best choice.
I have a high school senior boy and we are doing this right now. Florists already know about "prom corsages" so you can go to any florist and get one. You should order it a few days ahead of time to be picked up on prom day. We live in Berkeley and we are using Ashby Flowers because it's three blocks away. They have a website https://www.ashbyflowers.com/ and they even deliver. There is a special page just for prom flowers: https://www.ashbyflowers.com/prom/cat1100003 It looks like all the corsages are $54. But the one we got in person was less than that.
Now, in terms of what kind of corsage to get. First, your son needs to find out what color his date's dress is, and whether she has any color preferences. My son asked his GF and immediately got a picture of the dress back via text, so I have a feeling girls are ready to provide this sort of information on request. I don't know, I have three boys and did not go to prom myself. Anyway, you might help him with the color since she has said she doesn't know. You don't want to get red roses if her dress is chartreuse. White is always safe. You could add ribbon that matches the dress. Wrist corsage or pinned corsage? If she doesn't have a preference get wrist. Last year at the prom all the girls had wrist corsages (I was on clean-up duty) so it seems like wrist is the default.
Then there is the boutonniere for your son. I believe it is supposed to match his date's corsage. I am not sure if the girl is supposed to buy it or the boy. It makes more sense to get them both at the same time if you want them to match, which is what we did. The total for both of them at Ashby Flowers was around $50.
It's crazy that these rituals are still around after decades of so many others thankfully falling by the wayside! But it makes my 18 year old feel very grown up and like he's entering the world of adults with all its mysteries.