A rose by any other name…
Whether you call it a buttonhole or a boutonniere, if you have ordered these delightful little bundles of flowers from your florist then there is going to come the time where you look at your groomsmen or groomswomen and ask the question – “Ok, so who knows how to put these on?”
Then the inevitable fumbling around with jackets and collars happen, and looks of fear as sharp pointy pins come close to groom’s chins.
The original boutonniere in the good old days was more often than not a single flower, a carnation or rose, and was inserted into the lapel’s button hole on the jacket. There was usually a little loop to catch the stem stitched in the back of the lapel and held it in place.
These days, buttonholes are usually a collection of little flowers complementing the bride’s bouquet. Sometimes with greenery behind and the stems tied securely together and covered in florist tape or string to make the whole thing presentable. This allows it to be pinned to the front of jackets not inserted into the hole.
Left or right?
It is traditionally pinned to the left side of the jacket but as to where exactly depends on your jacket and also the size of the buttonhole. You don’t want to have the buttonhole poking over the top of your shoulder so don’t put it too high, but at the same time you don’t want it too low.
The idea is to pin it so that you can’t see the pin. If you have a very top heavy buttonhole you might need two pins. A good method is to start with the pin in the back of the lapel, push it through the back of the buttonhole where the bulk of the stems meet and then push it through to the back of the lapel again.
This might be the only time you wear a button hole so take a few minutes to pop it on right the first time and then you won’t have to worry about it for the rest of your day.
KEY TAKE-AWAYS:
Pin the buttonhole on the left side of the jacket.
Pin securely from underneath the lapel, using two if you need, so that the pin cannot be seen in pictures.
Any florists out there reading this? Please feel free to add your comments… any tips or tricks?