"I have made this multiple times over my lifetime. For Proms, Winter Balls, Homecoming dances, baby showers, and even just for special birthday events. I decided I have to make them for my own wedding. Yup... These pretty boutonnieres were for my Groom and his Best Man!
Are you wondering how to make a boutonniere and corsage? Many DIY wedding brides and couples have asked me for advice on this topic, and of course, I am more than happy to help! These two types of flower arrangements are important because they serve to honor some of the most important people of the day. From the Mother of the Bride to the Ring Bearers, key family and wedding party members wear these little arrangements to signify their BIG role in the couple's lives.
Materials:
Scissors
Floral Tape
Ribbon
Pear-head Pins
A Lateral Greenery: This is a long line of leafy greenery, like used in my design.
One to Two Filler Flowers: These flowers have smaller blooms, and serve to fill in the gaps of your boutonniere. Popular filler flowers include baby's breath, statice, and heather.
One to Two Focal Flowers: These flowers are the main flower in your design, and are the star of the show. I used purple roses in my husband's to match my bouquet!
Directions:
Learning how to make a corsage and boutonniere along with the flower bouquets is a great skill to have, not only because it will help you save money on wedding flowers, but because it will come in handy for other events too. You may need these flower arrangements for future proms, galas, date nights, and more! Adding flowers to your formal attire helps take your look to the next level while also highlighting your personal style.
DIY-ing these flower arrangements can be simple and easy. I have developed a step by step guide to help you master the art of designing while taking the guess work out of these special pieces. Keep scrolling to learn my process! As you design yours, and you find a simple trick to help, feel free to comment and leave your ideas to share with someone else on the same DIY journey!
Step 1: Gather Your Boutonniere Supplies
Start by gathering all of the floral tools and supplies you will need to create your arrangement. Tools are listed above. Once you have chosen the flowers you would like or that suit your seasons occasion follow along belong for tips on storing them once you make your artwork!
As you explore how to make a boutonniere, you may want to consider ordering flowers in bulk to save time and money. You can choose to make them with fresh or silk flowers. If you aren't sure what specific blooms you want in your arrangements, you can start off shopping by color, or can try a DIY Flower Combo which comes with an array of different types of flowers to match your color palette or style!
Once your flowers arrive, or you find them at your local floral or crafting store make sure to trim their stems, hydrate them in cool water, and store them in a dry, dark, and cool place. The refridgerator is the best place, for fresh flowers. Silk flowers of courase can be stored almost anywhere, away from pets, or children. And definitely store them where they won't be crushed.
Step 2: Cut Your Stems to the Length of Your Boutonniere
Then, cut each of your flower and greenery stems down to 1.5-2 inches in length.
Step 4: Strip Off Extra Leaves
Remove any excess leaves, thorns and foliage from the lower half of each stem to make room for the floral tape. Keep the ones that are closets to the bloom to add more greenery.
Step 5: Your Greenery and Focal Flower(s)
Arrange one to two stems of lateral greenery behind your focal flower. Secure with floral tape.
Step 6: Add Some Filler Flowers
Place a stem of filler between your greenery and focal flower to add dimension. Secure this section with addition with floral tape.
Step 7: Continue Layering
Add another type of filler flower to your arrangement, and then another focal flower if you desire. Continue layering greenery, focal flowers, and fillers until you achieve your desired look. You can be simple as one flower or multiple, and the same goes for your filler. Play with your art! Tape all of the stems together, leaving some part of the stems exposed at the bottom. Trim and even out the bottom of the stems if needed.
Step 8: Finish Your Boutonniere with Ribbon and a Pin or Two
Finally, wrap the taped stems in ribbon of your color choice. Start the ribbon at the bottom of the taped section, and wrap around until you reach the base of the flowers. Tie your ribbon off in a knot, stick with a pin, and enjoy the fact that you now know how to make a boutonniere!
Wrist Corsage
Creating your DIY corsage will look similar to creating a boutonniere at first. The first step is to gather the supplies that you'll be using for your arrangement. For corsages, we recommend having these tools on hand:
Materials:
Scissors
Floral Tape
Ribbon
Wristband or Pins
A Lateral Greenery: This is a long line of leafy greenery.
One to Two Filler Flowers: These flowers have smaller blooms, and serve to fill in the gaps of your boutonniere. Popular filler flowers include baby's breath, statice, and heather.
One to Two Focal Flowers: These flowers are the main flower in your design, and are the star of the show.
Directions:
Step 1: Gather Your Corsage Flowers and Supplies to Match Your Boutonniere
Next, you'll want to gather your greenery and flowers. I use the same flowers to match the boutonniere, just in a slightly higher quantity. If you're crafting matching boutonnieres and corsages, you may want to use the same flowers for each. Plus, this makes it easier to buy your blooms in bulk, saving you some money and effort! On the other hand, if you want your corsages and boutonnieres to feature different blooms, that's totally fine too. Remember: it's your design. Have fun with it!
Step 3: Cut Your Stems
Learning how to make a corsage may feel a little more familiar after you've practiced making a boutonniere. Similarly to the How to Make a Boutonniere tutorial above, your design process will start by cutting the stems of your flowers and greenery down to 1.5-2 inches in length.
Step 4: Remove Leaves from Bottom of Stems
Again, you'll want to remove the leaves from the bottoms of both your flowers and your greenery. This makes wrapping your corsage in tape and ribbon a lot easier later on.
Step 5: Start with Your Focal Flower and Greenery
Layer one to two stems of greens behind your focal flower, and secure them together with floral tape.
Step 4: Add Some Filler Flowers
Then, place a filler between the greenery and flower. Add more tape to secure the stems together. Then add your second, bigger type of filler flower, and secure this as well.
Step 5: Add a Bow to Your Corsage
If you desire, tie a bow with the ribbon that was used in your boutonniere, and secure it to the stems of your flowers so far using tape. As you add more blooms to your arrangement, the bow will be positioned in the middle of your arrangement, and hide the tape so position it accordingly!
Step 8: Layer the Rest of Your Flowers
Next, continue layering greenery, focal flowers, and filler until you have your perfect design. You will usually want around three layers of stems, with around two focal flowers in your arrangement. Continue securing with tape after every other stem.
Step 9: Finish Taping
Finish with one last taping of all stems, leaving the bottom half of the stems exposed.
Step 10: Wrap Your Corsage in Ribbon
Finally, wrap your floral tape in the ribbon of your choice, starting at the bottom of the taped stems, and wrapping all the way up to the base of the flowers. Tie off in a knot.
Step 11: Secure to A Corsage Wristlet or Pins
When creating a wrist corsage, attach your arrangement to a wristlet. If your wristband comes with attached strings, tie these to the middle of the flower arrangement, and then at the bottom.
When creating a pin-on corsage, add a pin to your ribbon-tied stems.
