The
Alisandra Photography Blog

While shooting a wedding, I arrived at the groom’s house to find the florist’s assistant and the planner’s assistant getting frustrated. They had 7 boutonnieres, 14 pins, and neither of them knew how to pin one.

I wear many, many hats on a wedding day and one answers the question, “So, does anyone know how to pin a boutonnière?” Knowing this skill has saved me and my groomsmen time and stress. I pin flowers on a lot of my groom’s, groomsmen’s, and father’s jackets on a wedding day, so I thought I would share a quick how-to so more people will be able to do this job! And hopefully if you’re the only one in the room, you’ll be able to help pin these gorgeous man flowers.

What you’ll need:
1 boutonniere
1 pin

1. Hold the bout in place with your hands.

2. With one hand [my left], hold your bout in place while pulling the lapel back. With the other hand, insert your pin from underneath of the lapel, right to left, at a downward angle…NOT straight across.

3. Feed the pin through the bout and back on the other side of the lapel. Slightly fold the lapel around the bout to help the pin slide into the different materials. Make sure you get enough of the stem in the pin that it is secure, but not so much that the pin bends or breaks.

4. It should feel very secure…wiggle the bout to make sure you have a solid hold.