Q: What are Mums & Garters?
A: They are decorative, faux chrysanthemum flowers with long ribbons attached that include trinkets representing the school, and the activities of the wearer. Typically the girls will wear mums that attach to the front and are knee length or beyond and boys wear garters that attach to their arm and are shorter in length.
Q: What size mum should I order?
A: There’s two answers to this question!
- Traditionally Freshman will have 1 flower, Sophomores have 2 flowers, Juniors have 3 and Seniors have 4.
- The right size for you may not be the traditional size. Anything goes and you should order the size that is most comfortable for the wearer & your budget! I have made beautiful senior mums with 1 flower or 10 flowers and everything in between. When it comes to mums, rules are made to be broken!
Q: Am I supposed to order a mum or a garter?
A: Traditionally- girls wear mums and boys wear garters. Traditionally- you buy the mum or garter for your students' date. So, if your student is a GIRL and someone asked her to be their date for homecoming- you would purchase a GARTER. If your student is a BOY, and he asked someone to be his date- you would purchase a MUM. If your daughter does not have a date to homecoming and still wants a mum, get her one! I frequently make mums for girls that don’t have a date but do want a mum. If your son doesn’t have a date but still wants a garter- no problem, I can do that too…. However, it’s rare that a guy wants a garter and doesn’t have a date.
Q: Is there anything special for seniors?
A: Yes! Traditionally seniors will do a large mum with only white and a metallic for the colors. In the past few years, I have done a lot of senior mums with pink, light blue, rose gold or any other fun accent!
Q: Do I have to use school colors?
A: Nope! Most people do, but I love a “nontraditional” mum color…. Especially a theme! Think out of the box if you want! Peacock, Sunflower, Spiderman… the sky's the limit.
Q: How do you attach mums & garters?
A: For mums, I include a ribbon that goes around the neck, also a little loop that you could use a safety pin to attach to clothing if you prefer. Garters are attached with an elastic band that is attached to the garter.
Q: When do they wear the mums/garters?
A: As far as I know- all schools allow students to wear the mum/garter during the day on the Friday before the homecoming game (every once in awhile it’s different- so check). They also typically wear the mums/garters to the football game. Different sports that are involved in the game (football, cheer, drill team, etc.) will have different rules that they should communicate to the students.
Q: What is an “exchange” and when does that happen?
A: The exchange just refers to the time the homecoming dates get together and pass the mum and garter to each other. Typically the students work together to figure out a time and then the parents must make the transportation work if they don’t have a license yet. Usually this occurs Tuesday or Wednesday during homecoming week but be sure and communicate a different date.
Q: Will my student stand out if they DON’T wear a mum?
A: Don’t think so! Preferences among the kids seem to vary and they will see mums and garters in all shapes and sizes as well as plenty of people who aren’t taking part in the tradition. In general, it’s more likely that a girl will want a mum than a guy will want a garter.
Q: Why is Texas like this?
A: Listen, I don’t have an answer for you. It’s a longstanding tradition and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. If you or any of your friends are from another state they will be absolutely fascinated by this tradition and find it very confusing. Like many things in Texas- it’s more fun to get on board and enjoy than to try and buck the system :-)
https://texashighways.com/culture/how-homecoming-mums-became-a-texas-tradition/
Did I miss your question? Please send me an email: everythingmums@gmail.com