Yes, it’s Prom Season! - List of Helpful Suggestions

It’s that time again!

No, not Tax Day - although that typically is the start of thousands of promposals across the United States. Yes, it’s Prom Season!

And of course, who wouldn’t like some tips and tricks to make their prom memorable? So, we here at The Garden of Eden have compiled a list of helpful suggestions that we hope will ease your flower buying for this milestone occasion!

TIP #1: COMPLIMENT AND CONTRAST IS BEST!

The days of EXACTLY MATCHING your corsage, hand-tied bouquet, or boutonniere to your theme color are over. People are becoming savvy to the idea that, say, a navy dress DOESN’T have to have navy-dyed flowers to accent. How about a sunny yellow, or a vibrant hot pink? These colors contrast and compliment the color navy, as does white, lavender, and orange, making them stand out and the navy dress pop off of them. Have a teal or aqua dress? Let it shine with a combination of hot pink and orange with a ribbon wrap that matches the dress color - it’ll all combine to give a sassy, tropical feel. Imagine that same dress with an all-white bouquet of roses tipped in turquoise paint. Not as impactful, right? We agree!

Here’s a short list of other trending gown colors and flower tones that will make a statement:

- Champagne: green, cream, baby pink, hot pink, red, burgundy. - Light Blue: all shades of purple and plum, peacock shades, baby pink, hot pink, pale yellow, green, dark blue. - Black: any colors work, just keep them in vibrant, jewel tones. Avoid dark flowers; if you want red, choose a bright red so they pop. All white is also stunning. - Sage: again, any colors work. Brights or darks. The prettiest complimenting colors for sage are pinks and plums, though. - Pink: yellows, baby pink, hot pink, red, green, and white are best for light pink. Hot pink benefits from brighter colors such as orange, lime, and hot pink.

TIP #2: ORDER EARLY TO GET WHAT YOU WANT!

We can’t say this enough. Trust us, we’d put it in neon if we could! The earlier you order, the more time we have to get those specific flowers in on time for you. No order is too early! If your date has her heart set on pale lavender roses in a hand-tied bouquet, call us the moment you know - we’ll be able to make her happy, simply because we have enough time to special-order them at no extra cost to you. The closer to your prom day, the tighter the window becomes for us to special-order, so PLEASE ORDER EARLY!

TIP #3: HANDLE WITH EXTREME CARE! Flowers are fragile. Let’s say it again: FLOWERS ARE FRAGILE.

Lilies will bruise if handled roughly. Stock flower will break if banged around. We take the utmost care to make sure that we handle your prom flowers gently; you can help continue that chain by treating them with kid gloves as well.

A hand-tied bouquet can be laid on its side on the table during the prom, but do so GENTLY; we don’t recommend doing it if flowers such as lilies are in it, as any slight bump will mark them. If you’re set on preserving your bouquet, ask the catering staff at the prom for a glass or container of water, and place it in there while you’re dancing - upright is always better than flat on its side!

For wrist corsages, just keep in mind that as long as you’re not in a mosh pit, it’ll be fine; most people are aware of something on their wrist. But if there’s a few hours between when you pick up your corsage or boutonniere and when you hit the prom, keep it fresh by placing it, in its box, on the middle of the top shelf in your fridge.

DO NOT PLACE IT ON THE BOTTOM SHELF OR NEAR THE SIDES!

Cold doesn’t rise, so the bottom shelf is always colder than the top; same with the sides of the fridge. And the corsage or boutonniere won’t be any fresher if you place it in the freezer!

You’ll just end up with dead flowers. Hand-tied bouquets should be kept in a vase of water (enough water to be BELOW the ribbon - soaked ribbon isn’t any fun), and can either stay out or be put in the fridge if it fits; the same applies, top shelf, middle. If you continue the cold chain from our shop to your house, your flowers will thank you!

TRICK #1: PINNING A BOUTONNIERE IS EASY. SERIOUSLY. Okay, guys, this one’s for you:

1. Place the boutonniere on your lapel where you want it (traditionally, the left side).

2. Holding the boutonniere in place with your thumb, grasp the edge of your lapel with the rest of your right hand and fold the entire lapel over, exposing the other side. The boutonniere should be UNDER the lapel.

3. With your left hand, pinch the fabric around the base of the boutonniere, as if you were picking up something with a tissue.

4. Take the pin and insert DOWNWARD, parallel to the boutonniere. The head of the pin should be at the base of the flower, with the rest of the pin through the fabric and base, the point aiming toward your feet.

5. THAT’S IT! Putting the pin in vertically instead of horizontally stabilizes your boutonniere. No more saggy boutonniere! You can also further stabilize your boutonniere by pushing a second pin in above the first, through the back of the head of the flower.

TRICK #2: HOW DO I PRESERVE MY BOUQUET WITHOUT SPENDING A MINT?

We only suggest this method if your hand-tied bouquet doesn’t contain lilies or gerbera daisies, as they don’t dry well; if you won’t miss them, you can simply snip them out.

All you need is a clothes rod in a closet with a door, and some twine. Wrap a length of twine firmly around the bottom stems of your bouquet, tie the other end to the clothes rod, and let it hang upside-down. Make sure the closet door is closed (except when you need to get in there), and let gravity and darkness do the drying/preserving for you for at least two weeks!

Hanging the bouquet upside-down will let the flowers dry nearly in their natural state because gravity will pull the blooms downward - which is actually upright! And the darkness in the closet will help preserve the colors as much as possible.

After the bouquet is dried, make sure you keep it in an area away from sunlight; the colors, of course, will naturally and eventually fade, but sunlight will fade them VERY quickly.

Keep in mind the bouquet won’t dry EXACTLY as it looked when it was fresh, but will have a dried, antique look. If you’re crafty, you could even take it apart and glue the dried flowers into a shadowbox along with your prom tickets or invitation!

So there you have it! We hope you gained some valuable prom flower knowledge! Hope to see you very soon for your special order... and from all of us here at The Garden of Eden, have a MAGICAL and SAFE prom!