How to Make Wedding Corsages & Boutonnieres
Making your own wedding corsages and boutonnieres can be a great way to save money in wedding planning. Corsages and boutonnieres are not difficult to assemble, and can be as simple or as elaborate as desired. You can invite a few friends over to help and make it a pre-wedding party. With a few supplies, some extra hands, and a little time, the corsages and boutonnieres will be ready for the big day.
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Things You'll Need
- Flowers for the corsages and boutonnieres (roses are standard)
- Baby's breath
- Fresh greenery
- Silk ribbon (matching wedding colors)
- Floral tape
- Scissors and/or wire cutters
Instructions
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Boutonniere
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1
Select the flowers for the boutonnieres. Roses are the most traditional, although carnations can also be used. Just be sure to choose a flower that has a firm, medium-sized bloom. Be sure to get enough flowers for all of the boutonnieres that you will make.
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2
Remove any thorns (if using roses), and trim the stem of the flowers to between three and five inches. Place each of the trimmed flowers gently in a bed of small greenery and baby's breath. One piece of greenery and one piece of baby's breath is enough for a single boutonniere.
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3
Add floral tape around the stem of the flower, greenery, and baby's breath. The tape should just cover the stems but should not make the stems too bulky.
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4
Tie a small piece of ribbon around the floral wire, and set the boutonnieres aside.
Corsage
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5
Select one, three, or five flowers for each corsage. The corsage flowers should either match the flowers in the boutonnieres or be in other appropriate wedding colors. A corsage is more or less a large boutonniere that can be worn on the wrist (as well as on the shoulder or the waist), so the corsages and boutonnieres should complement each other.
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6
Trim all flowers to the length that you want. A corsage worn on the shoulder will have a slightly longer stem, while one worn on the waist or on the wrist will have shorter stems) Be sure to remove thorns from the roses before proceeding. For a one-flower corsage, proceed as with the boutonniere directions, adding a little extra greenery and baby's breath to make the corsage fuller than the boutonniere.
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7
Use floral tape to wrap each flower stem, a small piece of greenery, and a piece of baby's breath together. Wrap the stems of three or five flowers together to create a multi-flower corsage. Gather all stems together with a piece of ribbon.
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Tips & Warnings
Consider buying a few extra flowers, just in case assembly goes wrong or in case one of the flowers gets ruined. Having extra flowers will prevent a last-minute run to the florist should a shortage occur.
Be sure to place all corsages and boutonnieres in a cool, dry place while you are waiting to use them.
References
- Photo Credit wrist corsage wedding yellow flower image by Paul Retherford from Fotolia.com
