How to Pin an Easter Orchid Corsage

Orchid corsages are given and worn to connote honor and celebration for a wide array of events all year long. The classic Easter corsage is a larger cattleya or cymbidium orchid, although phalenopsis and lady slipper orchids are now sometimes used as well. Securing a corsage is easy to do but requires a good anchor pin long enough to traverse through the corsage stem, into the clothing, and back through the corsage with a bit of pin to spare. Pearl-head pins between 2 and 3 inches in length are ideal, and two hands are a must.

Things You'll Need

• Orchid corsage
• Straight pin(s) with bulbous head
• Clothing strap, belt, or lapel

Instructions

1. Select a location to pin the orchid corsage that suits your attire and preference. The most traditional places to pin a corsage are the left breast lapel or shoulder area, the strap of a dress on the left chest or shoulder, and at the waist towards either side but not the center.

2. Hold the corsage in position on the fabric, moving and tilting it until you are pleased with the placement. Hold the corsage in place with one hand. Hold the straight pin in your other hand and reach around the back of the corsage where the taped stems of the corsage touch upon the fabric.

3. Stick the straight pin through the taped orchid stem down into the fabric. Catch 1/8 to 1/4 inch of fabric on the pin and then bring the pin back up through the fabric back into the taped corsage stem. Press until the bulbous head of the pin is as far as it will go into the corsage back.

4. Repeat this process with a second straight pin for particularly heavy corsages, when the wearer will be moving around vigorously, or when pinning an orchid corsage to a lightweight or delicate fabric such as silk or organza.

References

• Elegance in Bloom How to Pin and Wear Corsage
• The Pink Pelican