As a professional wedding officiant you wouldn’t think that I would necessarily know how to put on a boutonniere. I mean, it has nothing to do with the wedding ceremony, so why would I, right? Well, in many cases, if the wedding couple doesn’t have a wedding planner, there’s no one else to do it and I end up helping the groom, groomsmen, ring bearers, and even fathers pin on their boutonnieres. On a few occasions, I’ve even had to remind the guys to put them on before the ceremony.
I’ve learned a few tricks along the way that will help you learn how to pin on a boutonniere so it won’t fall off and will stay put throughout the whole wedding!
Handy Tips for Affixing the Boutonnieres
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In almost ALL cases you need two pins to properly affix a boutonniere. Kindly ask your florist to include two pins per boutonniere or buy some extra boutonniere pins.
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Boutonnieres should be affixed to the lapel of the jacket on his left.
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Boutonnieres should rest vertically along the lapel.
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The pins should be on the underside of the lapel and should not show if affixed properly.
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The pins should go through the lapel fabric, then into the stem of the boutonniere.
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One pin should go from the top down and the second pin should come from the bottom up. It’s not necessary to cross the pins.
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Do not put a pin through the flower or any part of the boutonniere that isn’t stem.
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Assign someone with steady hands (and preferably experience) to pin on the boutonnieres.
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Affix the boutonnieres as close to the ceremony time as possible without it causing stress. If they’re put on too early there is a chance they can get crumpled by hugs or wilt from heat and humidity.
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If the flower breaks off, carefully and slowly unravel the floral tape just enough and then try to put the flower back and re-create the boutonniere. someone who is brave needs to do this.
Even for professional wedding planners, pinning on boutonnieres takes time. Find out what else you probably haven’t thought of that takes time on wedding day.
