written by Janet Lee Harrold

Ahh, prom season is here. I know, I know to some that word is like a swear and to others, its like music to their ears. I wonder what this word means to you? Maybe as a parent it is an exciting but stressful time of year, after all, we are extremely proud of the achievements and sacrifices that our children have made to finally get here but on the other hand we can’t help but worry a little bit about other things like…what actually happens on prom night, I want my child to be safe and I also want them to have the best time of their lives…then there is the money…when you think about the expenses that actually go into prom night, you may just need to get another part time job so that you don’t have to worry about the cost of the dress, the tuxedo, the hair, the make up the nails, the ticket to the prom itself, whether you are riding in a limo or having professional pictures done and the flowers, don’t forget about the flowers…see i’m getting stressed just writing this article. What we need to remember here is that Prom night is one of the most memorable nights in a young persons life today, or at least at this point in their lives. Every detail that I mentioned above is important to them on this very night so really, can we talk about the flowers? As florists, we are here to set your mind at ease, I believe the flowers are probably one of the least expensive details on the list. Typically starting at $35.  As I write this article the following pointers are for you or for you to show to your children if they are the ones who will be purchasing the flowers for prom night so that we can work together to make it an easy process.

There are many different options out there when it comes to choosing prom flowers, often times a traditional and classic rose comes to mind as they are known to be a safe yet elegant choice. The rose also comes in many many different colors, making it easy to match the girls corsage to the guys boutonniere. and in the case where the rose doesn’t grow naturally in the desired color, we can always add accessories to make it the perfect fit to any style. Ribbons for example come in lots of different styles and textures and we often use a couple of different styles when designing your corsage…lets say you have a turquoise dress to match and roses do not grow in turquoise, it’s the designers job to make that work, so often times we will use a white flower, whether it is the classic white spray rose or something a bit more daring as a focal flower like a calla lily, a dutch ranunculus or phaleonopsis orchid it really doesn’t matter what you choose as long as we accessorize properly, (these may just be a flower to you, but to us they are small works of art)  a sheer ribbon matched with a turquoise satin ribbon and  paired with individual rhinestones or perhaps a rhinestone or pearl novelty wristlet would certainly be an elegant design and work nicely with a turquoise prom dress or compliment his turquoise tie. Another popular choice this year is succulents, a bit more earthy but very textural and different. Small pieces of echeveria rosettes and other small succulent pieces make fantastic prom flowers as well.

A few pieces of advise to keep this busy time as simple as possible and still have beautiful flowers for that memorable evening would be to leave the design itself to the designers, we always ask you a few key questions when ordering so that you are sure to get what you want. Don’t obsess over exact color matches, more often than not the flowers would never be the same exact color as the dress anyway, let the ribbons and accents work to achieve that. Don’t skimp on the wristband, if paying an additional $10. for a novelty wristband is all it takes to add the perfect touch of elegance to the evening why not make it special? Most importantly,  don’t wait until the last minute, often times prom season becomes a very busy time of year with the Mother’s Day holiday nestled right in the same time frame. As always, we are excited to help you choose and create the perfect look to fit your style, so don’t wait, call us today and check one thing off of that list!