What makes prom different
- High unit count, low complexity per item — many corsages and boutonnieres rather than a few large arrangements
- Orders often come in groups (a group of friends coordinating colors), which affects both design consistency and pickup timing
- Almost everything is pickup, concentrated into a narrow window the afternoon or evening of the dance
- Color-matching to dresses is a common special request, which means more back-and-forth with customers than a standard order
Planning ahead
3–4 weeks out
Open prom ordering with a clear cutoff date, and confirm wholesale availability for common prom flowers and colors.
1–2 weeks out
Confirm your pickup-day staffing and workspace — corsage and boutonniere assembly is labor-intensive per unit even though each piece is small.
2–3 days out
Batch-build what you can in advance (bases, ribbon work) without wiring live flowers too early, so pickup day is assembly and finishing rather than starting from scratch.
Pickup day
Have a clear system for matching each order to the right customer — group orders with similar color schemes are easy to mix up without one.
Common questions
How far ahead should prom orders open?
Many shops open ordering a few weeks before the dance, since prom dates are known well in advance and early ordering helps with wholesale planning and workload spacing.
Should corsages and boutonnieres be priced differently from regular arrangements?
They're a different kind of labor — many small, detailed pieces rather than one larger arrangement — so pricing them off your own real labor time per piece, not just stem cost, tends to hold up better than treating them like a scaled-down bouquet.
How do I keep group orders from getting mixed up at pickup?
A clear naming/labeling system tied to each customer's actual order, checked at pickup, is the most reliable way to avoid mismatches when several similar-looking orders are ready at once.