Beginning in high school we are all taught that boutonnieres and corsages are expected for formal events. So naturally weddings, being the most special of formal events, have them too.

Times have changed a bit though and the jackets that held boutonnieres at prom are often not worn nowadays to weddings. With the influence of Pinterest photos of groomsmen and fathers in dress shirts and no jackets means the nice sturdy backing of a suit coat is missing and the boutonniere becomes a challenge to pin and keep straight. A constantly tilting boutonniere doesn’t look very nice in photos.

Corsages face the same challenge in regards to safely pinning to delicate materials on mother’s dresses.Corsages are often large and heavy and though lovely pull unattractively on soft fabric. So, what is a bride to do to ensure that the thought given to these flowers of honor serve their purpose properly? Here are some suggestions:

For men who will only be wearing dress shirts or even thin vests, you can ask the florist to use a magnet rather than pins. There may be a tiny up-charge but it is worth it. If you are going to spend the money to have boutonnieres then spend the tiny bit more so they stay properly in place.

For the moms, you can either choose wrist corsages or magnets. Either one of these options is great and definitely appreciated by mothers so they aren’t battling to secure it to a delicate dress.

Honoring parents and grandparents with a flower is always proper and making sure it stays easily in place shows thoughtfulness. And since groomsmen will be in many of your photos, making sure their boutonnieres remains straight and pretty is extra important.

(And, coordinators everywhere will definitely thank you for helping make what can be a stressful process as easy as it should be.)

Happy planning!