Prom is the one night of the year when teenagers can dress up, and feel like grown adults. The importance of Prom means that there are many traditions associated with the night. One of these tradition is wearing a corsage.

A corsage is a small bouquet of flowers, or even a single flower, worn by a woman. The tradition of wearing a corsage goes back to ancient Greece when women wore flowers for protection from spirits and for good luck. Today, the corsage is worn more as a fashion statement than as a guard against evil, but, if you don’t know how to correctly give your date a corsage on Prom night, your Prom may very well end in disaster.

How to present a corsage

Once you have found the perfect corsage, it is important to present the corsage to your date correctly.The time to present the corsage to your date is when you first meet her for the evening. Show her the corsage and ask her if she would allow you to help her put it on. If she accepts, you need to know how.

Putting on a wrist corsage

Wrist corsages are simpler to put on than the pin-on variety, but still require some knowledge. Usually the corsage is worn on the left wrist since most people are right-handed. But this rule is not set in stone. It is best to ask your date which wrist she would like to wear the corsage. Once you know, slide the elastic band, or one of our stylish keepsake bracelets around her hand and straighten the flower on top of her wrist.

Pinning on a corsage

Pin-on corsages are traditionally used for wedding anniversaries and special events to recognize an important woman in your life. If you decide that your prom date would prefer a pin-on corsage, they need a bit of skill to put on correctly. Take the corsage pin in your right hand and place the corsage against your date’s dress, just below her collar-bone, using your left hand. With your left hand, lift a small amount of cloth away from your date’s skin and run the pin from behind the dress out and through the thickest part of the stem. Then thread the pin back towards your date, being careful not to prick her. Finally, push the pin back out of the dress. Make sure the corsage is straight and secure.

Congratulations. You are now ready for a memorable night at Prom. For help with choosing the perfect corsage, talk with the flower experts at Eastern Floral, a West Michigan tradition for over 60 years.