How to pin a boutonniere:
Pinning a boutonniere is a tricky one. Depending on who you ask, you will get a variety of answers. First and foremost, the flower is pinned to the lapel on the left side. Boutonnieres are a symbol of fragile life, of beauty in nature, of love undefined yet captured in a single bloom. When selecting your flower for the groom, you want to be sure to select a flower that has a low profile. Bigger flowers like roses can weigh down the lapel and tend to get squished when guests are hugging someone. Flowers like stephanotis and mini tulips are the perfect size. The flowers worn by the groom are often beat up after a long receiving line or dancing. Going simple will help the flower thrive and last long into the dancing hour. The question at hand is, I have a flower, how do I pin it?
How do you pin it?
There are a couple different ways to pin a flower to a lapel. First, place the flower on the lapel. Make sure its above the breast pocket of the jacket. Then fold the lapel over the flower and take a pin and push it through the lapel and into the head the flower and stem at a downward angle. The second way to pin a flower is to place the flower, fold the lapel and push the pin through the stem (going up the stem) into the head of the flower. The third way to do it is to place the flower on the lapel fold the label over and pin through the lapel to the outside of the lapel, into the stem of the flower at the top just below the flower, and then back into the lapel. The motion up through down through is what you are going for. You are weaving the pin from the lapel, to the flower back to the jacket and through the lapel. Which ever way you choose to pin the flower, wiggle it back and forth to make sure it’s not floppy or wiggly. If it’s floppy , re-pin it.
What should a lapel flower be like?
To find a great flower, it should have a strong stem. Have the head of the flower not be too big and be bright and colorful. The rule is that the groom and groomsmen should not have the same flower. Its okay to have the same flower, but maybe a variation in color to discern between the groom and the groomsmen for guests who don't know him.
Reading Photographer Headshots-Portraits-Kids-Families, Senior Portraits 40 Marla Lane, Reading MA 01867 781-315-6030 - aw@cordelephotography.com