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Graduating With Glitz and Glitter
Graduating with Glitz and Glitter |
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Written by Karen Hall
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Graduation is one of the biggest events in a young person’s life, and
because many want to be different and stand out from the crowd this
year, a number of florists across Canada say we can expect to see lots
of glitter and glitz in corsages and boutonnieres.
 Graduation is one of the biggest events in a young person’s life, and because many want to be different and stand out from the crowd this year, a number of florists across Canada say we can expect to see lots of glitter and glitz in corsages and boutonnieres.
According to Derrick Hollar AIFD, CAFA, in-house designer at Florist Supply in Winnipeg, Man., “bling” is definitely in this year.
“Anything that is sparkly and twinkly is very strong,” he says. “The girls are wearing jewelled bracelets. So it can be like a pearl bracelet, the thickness of a man’s watch for example, and then the corsage is put onto that. I have them in diamante, rhinestone, and pearls and I can’t keep them in stock.”
Linda Code AIFD, CAFD, who owns Strathmore’s Florist in Strathmore, Alta., with her husband Brian, says the new beaded wristlets are going to be a big seller this year.
“I predict I’ll sell them like crazy,” she says. “They’re about one or two inches wide, and they’re a stretch beaded band. It just adds an extra touch of comfort and it’s jewellery on its own. And because bling is in, one of the reasons I really like the wristbands is they add a little bit of sparkle all on their own.”
Karen Drimmie, who owns Drimmie Florist in Elora, Ont., with her husband David, says for her young customers, the more unusual the corsage or boutonniere, the better.
“They want anything but the traditional look,” she says. “And glitz is a big thing. It’s the glitter in there that makes it fun for them. It definitely has to be on the funky and crazy side, and totally different. For example, we started putting little lights in boutonnieres last year and it was a big hit, so we’ll do more of that this year.” Drimmie says they also like to use “fun foliage,” especially in boutonnieres.
According to Hollar, the young men once wanted to have diminutive, almost unnoticed boutonnieres, but that has changed.
“Guys are wearing bigger boutonnieres than ever, and they like them even with the little jewellery broaches included in them,” he says. “They’re like peacocks and they want all the fancy stuff.”
Kathy Goh AIFD, CPFD, owner of G7 Florist Ltd. in Port Moody, B.C., says she has two types of customers when it comes to graduation.
“Eighty per cent still want traditional formal corsages and boutonnieres, and 20 per cent are trendy and dare to try new things,” she says. “I have done corsages and boutonnieres for 26 years and I realize the girls still like very traditional – but they like to change the flowers a little bit. Instead of just roses and carnations, they might like to have calla lilies, alstroemeria, and freesia.” But it’s important to educate your young customers, Goh says.
“They might want funky looking (flowers), but they also might not know that other flowers are long-lasting,” she says. “They might ask for bird of paradise, for example, but they get bruised easily. So I think we have to be professionals that way because we handle flowers everyday and they don’t.”
So what flowers and colours are going to be popular this year?
“The little green dendrobium is always a good one to work with because it’s tough,” says Drimmie. “We’re using hypericum berries because the scale is really nice to work with and it has the range of colours from the green to sort of the peachy shades. And the mini callas are just stepping up in boutonnieres in the yellow and orange tones.” Code finds gerberas are gaining in popularity all the time.
“And orchids are always popular,” she adds. “We also still use a lot of spray roses because they’re so nice and easy to work with. The number one flowers we use are white spray roses. But using orange and pinks together for the last three or four years has also been quite popular.” Goh has found that because most of the girls want to be a princess for the day, they want yellows, pinks, and mauves. And Hollar predicts hot pink, black, red, and aqua right through to strong blues, will be popular. He also adds that price seems to be no object for many students.
“If they want it they will pay $30, $50, or $70,” he says. “The beaded wristlets are quite costly and they don’t mind paying the price. The girls are wearing the gowns now with the trains behind them and the whole thing, so they’re going for it and they want to stand out.” Code agrees, but adds it really depends on the area you’re in.
Average Prom-related Expenses:
• Prom dress $250
• Shoes $40
• Beauty Salon (nails, hair) $98
• Florist $50
• Accessories (jewelry, gloves, garter) $65
• Make-up (nail polish, lipstick, eye shadow, liner, mascara, blush, powder, etc.) $75
• Tuxedo Rental $150
• Transportation $151 (53 per cent will rent limo)
• Dinner $60
• Photography $32
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“We have girls who fly to New York to get their dresses,” she says, “so what’s spending $50 or $75 on a corsage after that?” But Code says no matter what, it’s important for florists to charge enough for their work.
“Corsage and boutonniere work – heavy-labour skilled design work – and our professionalism, is one of the last places where we can still stand out from the corner grocery stores,” she says. “And we can’t undervalue that because we all do ourselves a disservice if we do.”
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