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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!

Imagination Thrives At Oak Hill Florist In Scarborough ME

Creative Wedding Flowers from Oak Hill Florist

Creative Wedding Flowers Aplenty!

I love Oak Hill Florist! I’ll admit it. I’ve been a huge fan of their prom flowers, wedding flowers and blog since first learning about this Scarborough Maine flower shop a few years ago.

Working with florists is a large part of my job as is sifting through thousands of photos of flower arrangements every year. Even as jaded as I often become, my mouth still drops every time I see an arrangement from Oak Hill Florist. The creativity and sheer beauty that fills their flower arrangements is amazing! Every. Single. Time.

I was going through some prom flower photos recently and came across one from Oak Hill Florist in which a young man is displaying his “prom pocket square.” In lieu of a traditional boutonniere, this young man planned to grace his Scarborough prom by wearing a photo of his date on his tuxedo jacket where a pocket would be instead. The prom pocket square is accented at the top with flowers that add beauty while masking the mechanics. Having never seen this before, I was floored to say the least. It’s a great idea!

Prom Pocket Squares from Oak Hill Florist

Prom Pocket Squares from Oak Hill Florist

That’s the kind of creativity that you’ll see in every arrangement for every occasion when you use Oak Hill Florist. The florists here want to make sure that your occasion quickly becomes the most special night possible and that their flowers contribute to that magical evening in a huge way.

Whether going simple with a traditional flower arrangement or going to the hilt with something more extravagant, Oak Hill Florist is the place to go. It’s that simple. I’m sure I could go on for hours about their incredible wedding flowers, prom flowers, special occasion arrangements, gifts and all the rest but I’ll leave it with one quick statement.

Your heart deserves the happy reaction it’ll have when you visit Oak Hill Florist in Scarborough Maine!

Try These 5 Prom Flower Styles in 2009!

Ok. It’s the big night. You’re standing there looking stunning in the dress that took two weeks and as many credit cards to find. Your hair has never looked better. Your face is clear, your teeth sparkle. You are a beauty to behold. That’s when you hear your date ring the doorbell. You coyly greet him only to find that he has brought something else besides a prom corsage. Could it be so? Is he even able to do that?

Yes.

Prom flowers have taken many new shapes and sizes over the years. As the dresses get shorter, lighter and much more “springy,” so also do prom flowers change. (Yes, I actually say “so also do” and I’m not 100.) As far as having to stick to prom corsages goes, that’s not so much the case anymore. These flowers are gorgeous and perfectly acceptable. Plus, you can dress them up to fit you. However, don’t be alarmed if your date shows up with something a little less standard.

Florists are finding more and more that prom flowers need to fit the personalities of both the young lady and the young man. What I mean by this is that if you are a flashy, showy woman who likes to be bold–try a bolder looking bracelet wrist corsage. As a rocking young woman, I prefer these because your accessories ring a lot of personality to the whole ensemble. Instead of simple black and a pop of color, you now have your pretty black dress with an eye-catching bracelet and flowers that suck the attention straight back to you.

Prom Flowers by Inspired Floral Design Prom Pocket Squares from Oakhill Florist Beautiful Prom Corsages

Want to get some major compliments on prom night? Here are some flowers for prom that are hot in 2009:

1) Prom Pocket Squares (for guys) — not as familiar as the rest but definitely worth the wear. Prom pocket squares hold a photo of your date with floral accents to complement her corsage. Want more information on prom pocket squares? Call Oakhill Florist, a great flower shop in Scarborough Maine.

1) Wrist Corsages — you guessed it. The traditional is always going to show up in a list like this. However, modern girls are turning the traditional prom accessory into something trendy and fun. All it takes is a phone call to your local florist. He or she will talk with you about how to use ribbons, jeweled bracelets and particular types of flowers to make your corsage work for you.

2) Boutonnieres — again with the traditional but there are modern spins to be put on these as well. Just let your florist know that you want a very unique, contemporary boutonniere for your date. Once you know what color he’ll wear, the rest is a breeze! (Want a fun prom photo? Have a friend snap a pic of your date wearing your flowers and you wearing his. Strike a James Bond-esque “cool” pose and laugh about it for years.)

3) Bracelet Corsages — this is a little bit different than a typical wrist corsage because modern prom flowers mean very contemporary styles for the accessories worn with them. Jeweled bracelets make people WANT to show off what used to just be something to keep the flowers on their wrists. Now it’s an eye-catching fashion statement! Florists now have awesome bracelets and other jewelry that they can attach the flowers to.

4) Flower Bouquets — seems a little unorthodox considering the party atmosphere of a prom but these favored flowers are anything but passe. If your date shows up with a bouquet of flowers–well, that’s just worthy of a good solid hug. Only a sweetheart would go the extra mile to make YOU fell special. After all, you’re not going to be showing off a bouquet to your friends. These flowers are just for you; something to keep the memories of that night alive. Extra points for him and you if he shows up with something to wear to prom AND something to enjoy for yourself. He’s a keeper!

While these may not seem like “new” concepts for prom flowers, the whole idea with this accessory in 2009 is to make it all…about…YOU. Accentuate your personality because it’s YOUR prom. Flowers are just the icing on the cake. You’re the main attraction so ask your florist to create flowers for prom that bring your personality to life. Bold? Be a little brazen. Reserved? Try something traditional. In love with your date? Go romantic. It’s all up to you!

Prom Trends: Prom Accessories and Flowers

Prom Flowers: Traditional Meets Up-and-Coming

In the past, trends for prom flowers have been limited to the prom corsage or prom boutonniere. 2009 brings new creative ideas for not only corsages and boutonnières but for other accessories as well. This year, corsages and boutonnières will be as important as always, but florists all around are gearing up for the endless possibilities of accessorizing with flowers. “How do you accessorize with flowers,” you ask? Well, I’ll tell you.

Traditional Prom Corsages

Red Calla Lily Boutonniere

Red Calla Lily Boutonniere

Traditional prom corsages and prom boutonnieres were created using roses or mums and adorned with a thin silk or satin ribbon for decoration. Boutonnieres and corsages were both worn on the shoulder of the prom-goer, which for a girl in a prom dress is very uncomfortable and inconvenient. Over the past couple of years prom corsages have made a transformation. Florists now create prom corsages to be worn on the wrist, making it easy to take on and off and much more suitable for a teenage girl.

Modern Prom Corsages

As for prom corsage and boutonniere decorations, 2009 is the year of accessories. Forget the ribbon. Rhinestones, feathers and just about anything you can think of can be incorporated into your corsage or boutonniere. Most florists these days even have a “create your own design” option, so you can pick out all of the flowers and decorative details you want for your corsage or boutonniere.

Prom Wrist Corsage

Prom Wrist Corsage

Modern prom trends are all about embellishment; not only with the wrist corsage and boutonniere, but with other accessories as well. For so long prom flowers remained limited to the traditional corsage or boutonniere. With more accessory options and creative assembly, flowers now can be incorporated into a multitude of prom accessories. Small flowers such as mini-roses and button mums are being added to simple and boring hair pins to make beautiful and elaborate hair accessories.

Don’t Stop At Corsages – Prom Accessories Are In!

Don’t stop at just the flowers though, add some rhinestones for extra sparkle and maybe a little ribbon as well to create that trendy adornment for your hair. Florists and hairdressers are working together to create new and unique prom hairstyle trends. One such prom trend is to match the ribbon length to the girl’s hair length. Prom tiaras can also be embellished with flowers and other accessories as well. Beautiful sparkling tiaras can be woven with strands of miniature flowers adding some delicacy and feminism to a bright and shining tiara. Not wearing any hair accessories this year? You don’t need to wear an up-do just to incorporate flowers into the hair. Flowers can be bound together in small groupings or just singly wrapped to simply stick behind your ear on prom night.

Prom Flower Jewelry

Flower Ring For Prom

Flower Ring For Prom

Embellished flower jewelry is a trend for prom 2009 as well. Florists are making wrist corsages look more like bracelets. They are also creating rings, earrings, and necklaces with flowers for prom as well. Prom flower rings are the cutest and most unique idea for 2009 prom trends.

Prom Flower Rings

Florists simply take a flower of your choice and make it into a ring. Miniature flowers like spray roses look the best and most size appropriate for the finger. These rings can be adorned with rhinestones and other materials just like any other prom accessory. Prom flower necklaces are also a big trend for this year. However, depending on the prom dress, a flower necklace may or may not be appropriate. Strapless prom dresses are the most suited to the flower necklace trend. As with the other prom flowers, you can work with your florist to decide which flowers and embellishments to use.

Prom Flower Earrings

Talk to your prom florist about creating matching earrings. Creating flower earrings for prom is a rising trend for 2009 and beyond. Although prom earrings are a new floral creation requiring special florist tools, they are extremely unique and rising in popularity. As with the flower rings and flower necklaces, petite blooms also are more appropriate for the prom flower earrings. This trend requires a little more planning and discussion between the customer and the florist since special earring hooks are necessary. Once the florist has the hooks they can then create the actual earrings with whatever blooms and embellishments the customer chooses. Personalization is the key to these trends and florists have responded with the “create your own design” service. Many florists are offering customer the option of creating their own personalized prom jewelry in a convenient setting.

Prom Flower ..Shoes? Yes!

This year like last, prom flowers are also being incorporated into shoes. Yes, I said shoes. It seems like a crazy idea. However, the final product is quite beautiful and discretely fabulous. Not many people think to accessorize shoes, but especially with the extra-strappy heels that are being worn these days, incorporating flowers into prom shoes is effortless. Shoes can be embellished in a couple of different ways. Tiny blooms can be glued into the shoe straps, creating a “band of blooms”. This makes the shoe look as if it were made out of flowers, and is guaranteed to turn heads on prom night. Flowers can be grouped to just one part of the shoe as well for more of an impact . These are dainty and discrete embellishments that just add a touch of glamour to an already fabulous pair of shoes. Endless opportunities abound when you incorporate flowers into your prom accessories.

Making prom your own is as simple as creating a personalized look with your accessories. If you have a new idea or have questions about incorporating flowers into other prom accessories, you can contact your local florist for ideas or suggestions. Who knows? You and your florist may start a new trend!

Amazing Prom Flowers, Dresses, Formal Wear And A Hummer Limo

Things sure have changed since my prom days. My sister-in-law just sent me pictures of my nephew’s prom. Oliver went to prom last week with his girlfriend, Courtney, and as is custom these days, it was a group affair with a Hummer limousine to boot.

When I say things have changed I mean everything: the hair styles, the prom dresses, formal wear for the guys — even the prom flowers!

When I was in school the pin-on corsage was the only option we had for prom flowers. Now, prom flowers are a fashion accessory, not just a nice gift from your date. Prom-goers embellish their purses, shoes and necklaces with flowers for prom. They use the wrist corsage like a piece of jewelry! In fact, one of the girls in my nephew’s prom group had a flower ring. Not a ring in the shape of a flower, but a flower ring.

Flower Ring & Prom Wrist Corsage

I have never really wanted to relive my youth, but I wish I could go to prom just so I could wear one of these cool wrist corsages and flower rings.

Prom Transportation

The transportation to prom is another thing that is completely different. I rode to prom in a Toyota Corolla, not the most prestigious of vehicles in 1983. Now, they arrive in limos and not just any limo, but a Hummer limo!

Two Couples Departing For Prom In A Hummer Limo

My nephew, Oliver, is on the right side with his girlfriend, Courtney, and his friends, Whitney and Dustin, are pictured on the left. I think the colorful prom dresses, fantastic tuxedos, amazing prom wrist corsages and the limo are a huge part of the whole prom experience, but the most important thing last weekend was the memories Oliver and friends made that will last him a lifetime.

If you want to see more pictures of the gorgeous prom dress and prom flowers, I know that several are posted on Wedding and Party Network. If you have prom pictures you would like to share, Wedding and Party Network lets users submit pictures to their site!

Florists Can Blossom During Prom Season

It’s hardly news to anyone that prom remains one of the biggest events in a teenager’s life. These young adults, with their mass of disposable income, spend months planning the perfect evening for themselves and their prom dates. To them, prom would be incomplete without the perfect dress or tuxedo, shoes, hair, ride, and matching corsages and boutonnières. This is where the florist can make the difference between fancy trimming and shabby accessories.

Prom Wrist Corsages

Florists often pass on prom business while many realize this sudden inward cash flow to be a profitable staple from year-to-year. The March 2008 issue of Floral Management includes an article that showcases some of the reasons florists may want to reconsider this youthful venture. Teenagers still have extreme purchasing power and choose to spend a hefty chunk of it on prom and homecoming. Being the chosen local florist is not only a profitable honor in that year but for the remainder of that teenager’s life. Taking the time to nurture the desires of your young customer will bring him or her back for their wedding, birthday, anniversary, and other floral needs.

Now that you are assuredly on the prom flowers bandwagon, here are some tips for making this prom season a big hit.

  • Be prepared! Phone a contact inside the local schools for the event dates, colors and themes, and other things that may make preparing easier.
  • Make the most of the Internet! This generation’s prom goers are increasingly tech-savvy. Most are more comfortable shopping online initially. This is a convenient trend as it reduces many costs to the florist including manpower and sales tracking.
  • Spice it up! Proms and prom attendants are now decorated to the hilt with lavish colors, sequins, glitter, boas, anklets, jewelry, and other accessories to make every vision of the evening a creative statement about themselves.
  • Show off your ideas! Let your customers see a line of possibilities first, then sell a more personalized version if necessary. Be creative! Make it fun! Organize a Corsage Bar!
  • Get your customer involved! A popular practice among florists is to let the females bring in their dresses to get a better match or to test different ideas.
  • Get to know formal wear and dress shop owners! An alliance with local dress shop owners is a fabulous way to get your name known. The customers are already in prom shopping mode and reminding them about their need for prom flowers while in the store can’t be beaten as the way to stand out.

When attracting prom customers be sure to capitalize on word of mouth. Parents, siblings, neighbors, and friends have a huge impact on who the teenager is likely to choose. You’re likely already the best around so let them know! Also, great tips for targeting young people in your area may come from the same people that give you the color scheme, themes, and dates of the proms. These people are sure to know where these young people hang out and where they’re going for their prom needs. Now you’re ready to take center stage as the go-to florist for prom and homecoming needs!

Spring Into Prom With Flowers

Prom is almost here. You have the date, the dress, the shoes, the hair, and the car. What’s missing? The prom flowers!! The perfect corsage or boutonnière makes the difference between a fun yet elegant statement and a shabby accessory. Here are some tips for finding the perfect floral decorations for your night!

  • Prom Corsage InspirationFind a decorative, matching corsage wristband! Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but funky sequins, elegant gems, coral, and pearl with your corsage make just as beautiful a statement.
  • Small flowers or floral hair accessories are definitely an up-DO! These become an eye-catching way to show off the hair and makeup you worked so hard on, not to mention the aromatic fragrance they give your date when you’re dancing cheek to cheek.
  • Talk with your florist! These experts are sure to have creative ideas and unique arrangements to bring out even more beauty.
  • Know your budget! Don’t risk spending too much or passing over the perfect bouquet because you don’t know how much you would like to spend.
  • Doll up your date also! Matching boutonniere and cummerbunds not only are a stylish look but announce to prom guests that you and your date are the perfect stylish prom couple!
  • (Guys) Surprise your date with a bouquet! It’s an unexpected twist that your date will remember and probably brag to her friends about for days. Face it; she’s expecting the corsage. Go the extra mile for a date that she’ll love!

Find a local florist to design your perfect corsage or boutonniere.

Create a Unique Prom with Flowers in this Flower Shop Network newsletter you’ll find a variety of ways to make your prom special.