You say buttonhole, I say boutonniere! These little cuties are traditionally worn by the groom and his groomsmen and often fathers of the bride and groom will also wear one on a wedding day. They can be a little fiddly to make, but with some perseverance, the right tools and a few secrets from a florist you may succeed in making your own!

Take a trip out to a craft store and buy some flexible green floristry wire, some floral tape, clear craft glue, pearl top pins and some fine satin ribbon for binding. If you don’t manage to get your hands on everything your local florist may be happy to sell you some items.

Select your botanical elements, flowers, individual leaves, buds etc. The more interesting the better! Leave a few centimeters of stem to work with and cut off the rest.

Wire underneath flower heads piercing the stem and bringing the wire down the length of the stem. Pierce leaves at either side of the spine and again bring the wire down the length of the stem.

Break off a length of tape and stretch and wind it about 5-10cm down the wire and stem. The tape is stretchy and rubbery and is easy to work with. It seals the moisture in the stem of your flowers so that they last longer out of water.

Once you have wired all of your items, arrange them together in a cluster and tape all of the stems together, winding the tape all the way down. Length should be about 10cm. Be sure to craft the cluster so that it is front facing with a flat back so it sits nicely on a lapel.

Cut a length of ribbon to bind the stem. Starting from the back at the top of your boutonniere place a small glob of graft glue and firm the top of the ribbon here, holding in place for a few seconds. Gently wind the ribbon down the length of the stem and all the way back up to the start position. Once again glue the end down.

If you want to try making a boutonniere with open stems you can do this by leaving the stems  slightly longer to start. Only wire and tape from the base of flower head a part of the way down the stem. Cut off with scissors any visible wire and tape and cover half way down with ribbon. Open stemmed boutonnieres will need to be kept in some water until they are ready to wear so that the stems don’t dry out.

Finally add the pearl pin and these babies are ready to wear! Make sure you have a few practice runs before the big day and give yourself plenty of time just in case they don’t want to cooperate with you. Have fun and good luck! x

Images by Pomp and Splendour

Ms Gingham says: What a fantastic tutorial! We are so lucky to have these insider tips from a talented florist like Petra! Many, many thanks!

About Pomp & Splendour: Pomp and Splendour is the inspiration of Melbourne floral designer Petra Cremming. With a background in theatre and acting and twelve  years in the floriculture industry, Pomp and Splendour marries the pomp of theatrics and the splendour of nature.