Buttonholes and Corsages
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Buttonholes, also known as boutonnieres, are a wedding-day tradition and are worn by the groom, the fathers of the bride and groom, grandfathers, and the men in the wedding party (ushers, best man, and groomsmen). They are worn on the left lapel of a suit jacket or tuxedo. A male witness might also wear a buttonhole if there are no attendants.
Buttonholes are usually simple in design such as one or two small flowers on their own or with a bit of fern, greenery or baby's breath, and match the colour theme of the bride’s bouquet. The groom's buttonhole can stand out from the rest by selecting a different colour for him. If you prefer the groom and his attendants to wear the same colour flower, you can have the groom's made with a double flower. Traditionally the groom can wear a white buttonhole flower matching the bridal bouquet and the groomsman wear flowers matching the bridesmaids’ bouquets.
Popular flower choices for buttonholes are roses, carnations, lily-of-the-valley, gerberas, daisies and Australian native flowers.
Corsages are given to female guests of distinction. These are normally the mothers of the bride and groom, the grandmothers, and any other dear relatives, like a special aunt. It is also important to give a corsage to step-mothers, if there is one. A female witness might wear one if there are no attendants.
Corsages can be pinned to an outfit in a similar position to a man’s buttonhole, or are worn around the wrist. Corsages worn by a woman are usually a bit bigger than a buttonhole with some small bows. They are worn with the flowers aimed down with the bows and stem facing up. Corsages are too large to go around the other way like a buttonhole as they will hang out from the persons clothes.
Ideally the colours of the corsage should match the bridal party, but it is often best to be diplomatic and find out what the mothers plan to wear so that you can arrange corsages that match their outfits to keep them happy. Popular flowers are roses, carnations,lily-of-the-valley, gardenias and freesias. If anyone has allergies to flowers then consider using silk flowers for them.