How to Save Money on Your Prom Corsage Without Looking like a Cheapskate

Prom is an expensive affair - the tuxedo rental, the dinner, the dress, the shoes, the matching bag - not to mention the hair stylist, the photographer and the prom tickets themselves! Prom corsages only add to these expenses. But you can easily save money on your prom corsage without looking like a cheapskate.

In eighteen years as a professional florist I've learned a thing or two about prom corsages. To someone outside the floral business some of the things which make prom corsages so expensive might not be obvious.

People have asked me if it was the roses, the ribbon, the elastic band or some kind of secret product florists spray the flowers with that make prom corsages so expensive. The answer is - none of the above. It's the one thing people almost never consider when buying flowers - labor. Prom corsages are very labor intensive. Prom corsages, especially wrist corsages, can take anywhere from ten minutes to half an hour to make.

The number one thing you can do to reduce the cost of your prom corsage is to reduce the amount of florist labor. For the exceptionally brave or crafty, this can go as far as buying cut flowers and making the prom corsage themselves. For those who are a little less bold there are still things you can do to reduce the amount of labor the florist puts into your prom corsage to reduce its cost.

Wrist corsages take longer to make than pin on prom corsages and usually have a much higher starting price. By choosing a pin on prom corsage you can reduce your costs. However, that doesn't mean that the prom corsage can't be worn on the wrist, it just means you aren't paying for a wristlet and the extra labor involved in attaching the flowers to it.

A pin on prom corsage can be attached to the wrist in several ways. Choose a ribbon that coordinates with the prom dress and tie it through the corsage leaving enough ribbon on either side to tie it securely around a wrist. Leave short or long tails when you tie on the prom corsage or you can tie a bow just as you tie your shoes. Don't tie the ribbon too tightly. This is definitely a two person job. This technique for attaching a prom corsage also has the advantage of looking less tacky than corsages made with the mass produced elastic bands most florists use.

A prom corsage can also be attached to the wrist with a bracelet. Any relatively close-fitting bracelet that has a clasp will work. Slide the bracelet through the center of the prom corsage, using it to hold the corsage against the wrist. Then fasten the clasp.

The third option for attaching a pin on prom corsage to the wrist is to buy the elastic wristlet from the florist separately. To attach the corsage to the wristlet, bend the four prongs around the back of the prom corsage and pinch them tightly.

Little clutch bouquets have also become quite popular for proms and other formal dances and may have a lower starting price than prom corsages.

To save even more, you can make a clutch bouquet yourself. Select several nice blooms and hold them so their heads are clustered together, then tie them under the blooms with a ribbon. Tie the bundle of stems again about six to eight inches down and cut the stems off just below it. Wait until the last minute to make that final cut, keeping the flowers in water until then.

Another way to reduce the cost of your prom corsage is to skip the corsage. Yes, skip it.

It is just as elegant to carry a single open flower as it is to wear a prom corsage. Believe it or not, many grocery store flowers are up to florist quality these days. They often use the same suppliers, so there's no reason you can't find a lovely single flower at the grocery store.

If none of this sounds like something you'd feel comfortable doing, there's one more tip I have to at least help you get the biggest bang for your buck from your prom corsage.

Order what is called a "designer's choice" prom corsage. Tell the florist what color the prom dress is and how much you can spend and leave the exact details of the prom corsage up to the professionals. This gives the florist the leeway to choose what she thinks are the nicest flowers in your price range and to arrange them in your prom corsage to the best of her judgment.