How many times have you been part of a wedding and the guys look at you like you have 6 eyeballs and 4 eyebrows when they look at a boutonniere before putting it on? So many people don’t know what to do with them. Here’s where I help! Moms, wedding planners, sisters, cousins, grandmas: here’s the 4-1-1 on boutonnieres to help you on a special day!

First, let’s talk about placement. Where do they go? Boutonnieres always go on the left of the jacket. An easy way to remember this is when you are looking at the ceremony, the gents are always on the right. As their standing there you see their boutonnieres. If they were on the right they would be covered up by the guy in front of them.

Now, there is a sweet spot, if you will, where boutonnieres need to live on the jacket. It should not be on a skinny lapel, it should reside right next too it and not too close to the shoulder. An exception would be if the lapel is wide or prominent. Here are some examples:

Too low and on the lapel.
Boutonnieres should be on the left side of the groom.
This one is a smidge too low. Raise it about 3 inches.
Not every groom has a jacket, but the last thing I want anyone to notice is the pin. The head of the pin should be behind his vest.
Perfect placement.
This is an exception. The lapel on this jacket is large. I can tolerate this.
Bullseye!

Last, let’s talk about how to pin on these bad boys. Typically when a florist delivers them to you they will have pins (I always do two, so there’s a spare) already in the stems. You should start with the pin behind the jacket fabric and stick the pin through the stem and back into the jacket fabric.

I hope you find this helpful!