DIY We Love: Wedding Boutonnières

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We're delighted to introduce our newest contributor, Amy Brueckman, resident DIY goddess and web intern extraordinaire. Love the exclusive craft that she created below? Check out more style musings and do-it-yourself tips at her blog, Letters from the Lighthouse.

Spring is just two weeks away and bouquets of daisies and tulips are already starting to crop up at the florist’s. Passing those flower stands on the street inspired me to create a do-it-yourself boutonnière for BG brides that can be customized to fit any wedding theme. For an all-natural rustic wedding, use materials like twigs and leaves. For a colorful look, bright flowers and beaded sprigs can add a hint of glitz. From buttons to fabric shapes to fresh flowers, the possibilities are endless. Search Pinterest for ideas and get creative! Plus, unlike store-bought versions, which can be costly, this project only rang us up to around $25. As long as you can tape a few flower steps together, then this craft will be a breeze.

Important Note: Try to make your boutonnières the day before or, if possible, the day of the wedding.

Materials:

Floral tape
Flowers and greenery
Your choice of decoration

Step 1: Select your flowers

Be sure to select flowers with thin and sturdy stems that have relatively small blossoms. For spring, we love sturdy flowers like tulips, daisies, lilacs, calla lilies, and bluebells. We chose to use daisies for this project because even without water, they won't wilt for days. Steer clear of irises (it's challenging to make them lie flat against the lapel), hyacinths (which can make the boutonnière look bloated), and hydrangeas (they wilt too easily).

Don't limit yourself to just flowers—try beaded springs, decorative ribbon, feathers and twigs. Browse the aisles of your local craft stores for inspiration!

Step 2: Arrange your materials

Arrange your flowers so that the biggest blossom is in the front. Add the greenery behind and around the main flower. Use the leaves from the flower’s stem or leafy vines to supplement and add balance out a flower blossom. We love the look of rosemary, mint leaves, boxwood and sprigs of berries.

Step 3: Wrap it up

Starting just under the main blossom, wrap your arrangement with floral tape on a downward angle all the way to the bottom of the stems. Wrap tight enough so that the boutonnière will remain intact when you're busting moves on the dance floor.

For a more polished look, wrap ribbon around the stem in the same way that you used the green tape. Add a dot of glue to the end to keep from unraveling (we recommend crazy glue, which works on practically any material).

To keep your flowers looking fresh, store in a moist, cool place (a refrigerator will work). You can even set them standing up in a cup of water with the bottoms of the stems submerged. Just make sure to dry them off before pinning them to a tux; you don't want water stains on your lapel.

All photos courtesy of Amy Brueckman