Spring is synonymous with proms in high schools all over the United States, and Western Michigan is no exception. At Eastern Floral, we’re prepared for all styles of corsages and boutonnieres that our high school customers will ask us for so they can give them to their dates on prom night.

Some History Trivia Regarding Corsages

The idea of wearing a corsage didn’t begin with modern proms or weddings. Ancient Greeks wore flowers on their clothing because they believed that the floral fragrance would ward off bad spirits. Sometime around 1900, the position of the corsage changed. Before that, women would wear a corsage directly on the bodice of their dresses. In fact, corsage was a term used to describe the bodice itself. They pinned flowers to the bodice of the dress to stave off body odor because people didn’t bathe daily, as they do today.

Sometime around 1900, the position of the corsage moved from the bodice to an area closer to the shoulder. They were typically worn upside down so the bow would be at the top. Early corsages were much larger and heavier than anything women wear today.

In the early days of these formal high school dances, the tradition was much simpler. Young students would wear their Sunday clothes. A young man would show up at his date’s house bearing flowers for the girl’s parents. He would then remove a flower from the bouquet and pin it to her dress.

Important Prom Etiquette Tips

• If at all possible, try to match the corsage to the color of a girl’s dress. If you don’t know, or she doesn’t want to tell you, err on the side of caution and choose neutral colors. You can’t go wrong with white, cream or even peach. Those colors are versatile enough to look great with any color dress.

• Remember, today’s popular formal dress styles aren’t ideally suited to pinned corsages at the upper left part of a dress. It is very common for girls to wear strapless dresses or dresses that only have spaghetti straps. That’s not a problem because you can always choose a corsage she can wear on her wrist.

• Girls should give their date a boutonniere. Flowers are exchanged at home when a date arrives to pick up the person they are taking to prom.

The Serenity Corsage is sure to delight any recipient. This beautiful corsage combines a keepsake bracelet with white dendrobium orchids, diamond leaves and silver wire.

Serenity Corsage

Another memorable floral gift is the “Ivana Ring.” The ring is made up of stock purple flowers, and pink and silver wire for a really glamorous look with lots of bling. It’s something that’s sure to stand out because it is so unusual, trendy and modern.