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Mt. Pleasant prom highlights trend toward Nosegay Bouquets
Mt. Pleasant students brought a fresh twist to prom night by swapping wrist corsages for vintage-inspired nosegay bouquets
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
MT. PLEASANT — Mt. Pleasant Community High School’s 2025 prom sparkled under this year’s “City of Stars” theme, but the evening’s most unexpected shine came from the hands of students walking into the Promenade.
More than ever before, students carried small, handheld nosegay bouquets instead of wearing the traditional wrist corsage — a shift local florists say reflects changing tastes and rising demand for personalization.
Prom began with Promenade at 4:30 p.m. in the high school gym, where families watched as students arrived in formal wear, many with bouquets carefully matched to their outfits. The prom dance followed from 8:30-11 p.m., and After Prom at Iris Bowling Center capped off the night from 11:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m.
“It’s basically been the same thing, just nosegay bouquets now,” said Tena Chiles, owner of From the Heart Flowers & Gifts in Mt. Pleasant. “They call them nosegays — I guess that’s what they used to call them in the olden days.”
A nosegay is a compact bouquet, typically hand-tied and round in shape, meant to be held rather than worn. The style dates back centuries, when people used them to carry pleasant scents or convey symbolic meanings through flowers. Until recently, nosegays rarely appeared at prom, where wrist corsages had long been the default.
Chiles, who has been designing prom flowers for more than 25 years, said that the corsage tradition began to change just two years ago. Before that time, she had not received any requests for prom bouquets.
The shift from corsages to nosegays reflects a broader trend taking root across the country. According to national floral sources such as Flower Moxie and Orchard Lane Flowers, teenagers increasingly prefer bouquets for their visual impact, flexibility in design, and how well they photograph on social media.
Chiles also noticed students shifting toward different colors in 2025.
“This was the first year I didn’t do a lot of royal blue,” she said. “The past two years, that’s about all I did — royal blue and white.”
Spray roses, also known as miniature roses, remain her go-to bloom for both corsages and bouquets because of their durability and color options.
While baby’s breath was a frequent request this spring, Chiles said she prefers other fillers.
“I did use a lot of baby’s breath this year because it was requested,” she said. “I prefer other fillers, like wax flower, because they hold up better. Baby’s breath just falls apart. It sheds.”
With prom season landing right alongside Mother’s Day and graduation, Chiles called the timing hectic.
“Mother’s Day and prom and graduation season is a lot,” she said.
Considering how busy she is keeping this spring with these occasions, and soon graduation, Chiles says it is never too early to place your flower order, especially for a special occasion. This allows the florist time to not only put together the flower arrangement but also order specific florals to make visions come to life.
As Mt. Pleasant students danced under the lights of their “City of Stars” prom, they carried more than flowers — they carried forward a tradition, reimagined in their own style. And with florists like Chiles adapting alongside them, the future of prom flowers looks just as fresh as the blooms in hand.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
