Whether you’re planning your prom, homecoming, or wedding, chances are you’ll hear the word corsage at least once, either from a florist, your parents, or wedding planner.
While corsages have been around since Ancient Greece—where small bunches of fragrant flowers and herbs were worn at weddings and special events to do everything from ward off evil spirits to symbolize new beginnings—their name today comes from the french term “bouquet de corsage,” referring to a small bouquet of flowers worn on a woman’s body. Notably, their popularity peaked in the mid 20th century, particularly in the 1950s. Their male counterpart is a boutonniere, which is typically worn on the lapel of a suit jacket or tuxedo and can match the corsage if a couple if choosing to wear both.
Different Types of Corsages
There are several different types of corsages that you can wear to a wedding, prom, or other special event. They are:
- Wrist corsages: This small arrangement of flowers is attached to a ribbon or elastic band that is worn on the wrist.
- Pin-in corsage: Essentially a boutonniere, this small arrangement is pinned to a suit lapel or dress.
- Shoulder corsage: Less common than a wrist corsage, this is attached to a ribbon or elastic band that is tied around the upper arm or shoulder
- Choker corsage: The flowers are attached to a ribbon or other necklace type material that is worn around the neck.
- Ring corsage: A small arrangement that is tied to a small band that fits around the finger.
WGM Says: If you’re looking for your corsage to be a major statement piece, consider a shoulder or neck version to really stand out.
Who Buys the Corsage?
If you’re planning on going to prom or homecoming, then you would buy a corsage or boutonnière for your date, and they would buy one for you.
For a wedding, these would typically be purchased alongside the other wedding flowers so they have a similar aesthetic. Traditionally, wedding flowers fall under one of the expenses that a bride and her family would pay for, however today that can be a cost split by the couple or both families, depending on how you’re divvying it up.
At a wedding, corsages are completely optional. However, if you want to include them they are typically given to the mother of the bride and/or groom, as well as grandmothers. Boutonnieres are given to the groom and groomsmen, as well as father of the bride and/or father of the groom.
Where to Buy Corsages
The most popular place to buy corsages is from a florist, especially for a wedding. This will give you more options for a custom design that will match your colors and theme. Certain grocery stores may offer affordable options as well (we recently wrote about Whole Foods wedding flowers), though their selection might be more limited. You can expect to pay between $14-$50+ for real or artificial corsages, though expect that price might go up if you’re having a florist create a more elaborate design.
If you’re hoping to buy a corsage online, popular retailers include:
For real flowers:
For artificial flowers:
You can also find long-lasting options at Venus et Fleur, which include a gold or silver cuff and can last up to a year or longer with proper care.
How to DIY a Corsage
Corsages and boutonnieres are actually one of the easiest wedding DIYs you can do. (We shy away from most DIY’s, but we came up with a super easy and chic DIY wedding boutonniere that you can easily do). Not only are they fun to do (and harder to mess up) because of their small size, but you only have to do a few versus, say, all your centerpieces.
While DIYs vary, the supplies you’ll generally need are:
- Flowers (real or articial). Aim for at least two different kinds of buds along with greenery
- Floral stem tape
- Low temp glue gun
- Small zip ties
- Ribbon (1/2 inch to tie flowers and 1 1/2 inch for your wrist)
- Slap bracelet with adapter (this will be your wrist cuff)
This easy DIY will help you make a wrist corsage in no time:
And here is one using artificial flowers:
Are you going to wear a corsage for your special event? Let us know in the comments section, below!
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