5 Things to Know About Boutonnières

One: Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve

The tradition of boutonniéres goes way back in history and is deeper than I can delve into here; however, a few thoughts would be helpful. The tradition is rooted in the Middle Ages when knights would enter competitions or go into battle. At that time, it was customary for their “true loves” to give them a scarf or a ribbon that they tied around their sleeve. Wearing this item was declaration of love and affection for all the world to see. They were in fact “wearing their heart on their sleeve”. Later the practice evolved that brides would break a flower out of their wedding bouquet and present it to their groom on the day of their wedding. The groom would wear it, and does wear, with the same heartfelt sentiment that drove knights to declare their love. A boutonniere is not a just a decoration. It actually has a very romantic tradition associated with it.

Two: Always something from the Bridal Bouquet

Given the tradition of the boutonniere, you can now understand that the boutonniere is generally always made from something from the bride’s bouquet. If she carries roses, the groom wears one of her roses. If she carries Calla Lilies, he wears a Calla Lilly boutonniere. It is seldom that brides do not follow this custom, although I cannot say all brides conform to this practice. In the same way that a groom’s boutonniere is made from a flower used in the bridal bouquet, the groomsmen generally have flowers that are made from the flowers in the attendants bouquet.

With all of this said, if your wedding is a military wedding, those wearing uniforms do not wear boutonnieres at all.

Three: Cost $6-$30, with $10 to $15 being average

For the most part, a single carnation boutonniere is around $6, a rose is about $9, and a single Calla Lily is around $20. Again, that is our pricing. I have seen bride’s with estimates that price rose boutonnieres out at $15 to $20. Remember a boutonniere is a flower from the bridal bouquet — A FLOWER. It is not in itself a bouquet. Most men do not want to wear a large cluster of flowers on their lapel. In fact, a lot of grooms have trouble agreeing to wear a flower at all. So moderation is good here. With that said you can do a mixed flower design that clusters some smaller flowers together. The result is boutonniere no larger than a single carnation or rose, but that is unique to you.

Four: Finishing Details

Just because it is a small item does not mean a boutonniere should have less attention to detail than a bridal bouquet. We finish all our boutonnieres to match the finish on the bouquets. If the bride’s bouquet is finished with white satin and a wire detail, we finish the boutonniere the same way. You can also add rhinestones, pearls, or feathers to you boutonnieres to pick up similar details in your bouquet. Every Bouquet is a little different and a good Bridal Consultant can help you with the finishing details.

Finally, you can also avoid the boutonniere pins with magnetic holders. These are available in a number of styles and cost anywhere from $10-to $20 depending on how ornate you want them. The boutonniere is placed into the holder and a magnet secures it to the clothing. I will say, they are really nice to work with, and alleviate a lot of stress in the moments before a wedding. However, they can cost as much or more than the boutonnieres themselves.

Five: Not all flowers hold up well

Despite what you may see as you look at pictures of flowers, not all flowers hold up well when made into boutonnieres. A lot of times, the things you see in magazines and on Pinterest, are just made for the photograph. Lilies, gerbera daisies, sunflowers, some orchids, hydrangea, just do not hold up once they are made into a boutonniere. Not to mention also that some flowers are just too big to made into a boutonniere. A good Bridal Consultant can help you select something that will hold up and be appropriate for your wedding.

Our Wedding Planner Floral Checklist also includes an extended list of people that you may want to have flowers which include fathers, grandfathers, godfathers, and others.