All about Buttonholes
I get lots of questions about buttonholes at consultations and even on the wedding morning. It's like "Who do I include"? and "Help which side is it meant to go on and how do I attach it!???" Well the answers are endless but hopefully this blog helps give you few pointers.
Who to include?
So obviously the groom will need one and most likely the ushers and the Fathers of the couple too. But who else? Well it all depends on a few things like your budget and the kind of wedding you are having. Are you having a small intimate gathering? Then maybe just a groom's buttonhole is enough. Or are you having a large family affair and want to include more of the family members, like your Mothers, Sisters (corsages) Brothers, Grandparents and so on ? One of our weddings last year we did 85 buttonholes!! Yes 85, as they wanted every guest to have one which was such a lovely touch and did look stunning in the photos.
photo www.gemmahughesphoto.co.uk
So which side do the buttonholes go on and how do I attach them?
Well the Groom's buttonhole and other male guests are meant to wear them on their left side close to the heart. A little history here as this tradition goes way back to Ancient Greece. It is believed that putting small bunches of mixed herbs and flowers close to the heart ward off evil sprits and that these evil spirits would cause the groom to turn his heart against the bride and refuse to love her and wearing these pretty little bunches would ward them away.
photo www.hanalaurei.co.uk
For any ladies that are wearing corsages they are meant to be worn on the right side.
And this is the bit most people don’t know, they are also meant to be worn with the flower pointing downwards, with the stem pointing towards the shoulder. This is the traditional way to to wear the corsage but I always say just stick to the right side and personally do think that the corsage does look better facing up like a buttonhole. We supply all of our corsages on magnets as well and pearl pins if needed to make them extra secure.
"How do I attach it to my suit" ?
Now for the tricky part. On the wedding morning we arrive and deliver the buttonholes and almost always are asked "How do I attach it to my suit" ? You already know now which side I hope!
So here is a little explanation of how to attach your buttonholes (we do also give you a little leaflet explaining all of the flower care and how to on the day)
photo www.ruby-roux.com
If there is a button hole on the suit, then pushing the stem right through the fabric will be the best option and will keep it secure and in place. If, however, this is sewn up (which is almost always the case) The buttonhole will need to have it pinned on to the fabric of his lapel. A pin will come with the button hole when it arrives (plus extras if you drop and loose them) Basically the aim is to have the pin trap and hold the stem against his jacket. Make sure that the flower head is point up towards the left shoulder for the males and that the corsages for ladies go on the right side.
Style
There is also the style and size to think about too but I won't go too much into that as then I could really go on and on. Traditionally the groom’s buttonhole is slightly bigger than the groomsmen and I always like to add a little something from the bridal bouquet to make it a little extra special It’s also a good idea to coordinate the choice of colours, flowers and foliage to the colour of the suit as for example you do if you have a dark navy suit you may want to think about using lighter colour flowers as the darker shades would not stand out well against the navy.
photo www.teddypigphotography.com
Over the years I have come up with so many different styles of buttonholes and corsages from traditional to quirky and I do love creating these dainty little bunches. If you are still looking for wedding flowers in 2020 do get in touch and we can set up a wedding flower consultation and hopefully after reading this you will have a better idea of where to start with buttonholes at least!
Who to include?
So obviously the groom will need one and most likely the ushers and the Fathers of the couple too. But who else? Well it all depends on a few things like your budget and the kind of wedding you are having. Are you having a small intimate gathering? Then maybe just a groom's buttonhole is enough. Or are you having a large family affair and want to include more of the family members, like your Mothers, Sisters (corsages) Brothers, Grandparents and so on ? One of our weddings last year we did 85 buttonholes!! Yes 85, as they wanted every guest to have one which was such a lovely touch and did look stunning in the photos.
photo www.gemmahughesphoto.co.uk
So which side do the buttonholes go on and how do I attach them?
Well the Groom's buttonhole and other male guests are meant to wear them on their left side close to the heart. A little history here as this tradition goes way back to Ancient Greece. It is believed that putting small bunches of mixed herbs and flowers close to the heart ward off evil sprits and that these evil spirits would cause the groom to turn his heart against the bride and refuse to love her and wearing these pretty little bunches would ward them away.
photo www.hanalaurei.co.uk
For any ladies that are wearing corsages they are meant to be worn on the right side.
And this is the bit most people don’t know, they are also meant to be worn with the flower pointing downwards, with the stem pointing towards the shoulder. This is the traditional way to to wear the corsage but I always say just stick to the right side and personally do think that the corsage does look better facing up like a buttonhole. We supply all of our corsages on magnets as well and pearl pins if needed to make them extra secure.
"How do I attach it to my suit" ?
Now for the tricky part. On the wedding morning we arrive and deliver the buttonholes and almost always are asked "How do I attach it to my suit" ? You already know now which side I hope!
So here is a little explanation of how to attach your buttonholes (we do also give you a little leaflet explaining all of the flower care and how to on the day)
photo www.ruby-roux.com
If there is a button hole on the suit, then pushing the stem right through the fabric will be the best option and will keep it secure and in place. If, however, this is sewn up (which is almost always the case) The buttonhole will need to have it pinned on to the fabric of his lapel. A pin will come with the button hole when it arrives (plus extras if you drop and loose them) Basically the aim is to have the pin trap and hold the stem against his jacket. Make sure that the flower head is point up towards the left shoulder for the males and that the corsages for ladies go on the right side.
Style
There is also the style and size to think about too but I won't go too much into that as then I could really go on and on. Traditionally the groom’s buttonhole is slightly bigger than the groomsmen and I always like to add a little something from the bridal bouquet to make it a little extra special It’s also a good idea to coordinate the choice of colours, flowers and foliage to the colour of the suit as for example you do if you have a dark navy suit you may want to think about using lighter colour flowers as the darker shades would not stand out well against the navy.
photo www.teddypigphotography.com
Over the years I have come up with so many different styles of buttonholes and corsages from traditional to quirky and I do love creating these dainty little bunches. If you are still looking for wedding flowers in 2020 do get in touch and we can set up a wedding flower consultation and hopefully after reading this you will have a better idea of where to start with buttonholes at least!