I was looking through photos on a wedding blog the other day and noticed that the groom’s boutonniere was pinned to the wrong side of his suit! So….here’s a quickie for ya on how to wear a boutonniere…
First, the boutonniere gets pinned to the left side of the lapel of a man’s suit. (This is the same side as the pocket for a pocket square.)
Most suits and tuxedos have a buttonhole in the lapel that is intended to hold a flower. (You’ve seen this in old movies where a dapper Dan stops off to buy a pink carnation that he tucks into his lapel before picking up his dame.) Now, one doesn’t put a boutonniere through this buttonhole, however use it as a guide for where the flower should be placed.
If the suit doesn’t have a buttonhole, then position the boutonniere so the flower is in line with the bottom of the shirt collar and top of the lapel {much like the photo below}.
I always put 2 pins with each boutonniere so one can be pinned going up the back of the boutonniere (pushed up toward the flower head) and then the other pin can secure it from the top down if need be.
The pins should be placed behind the lapel so they are not seen.
To recap: boutonnieres go on the left; pins go behind the lapel. Simple.
