Unique Boutonniere Ideas for Your Wedding

(Scroll down for unique boutonniere ideas from real grooms at real weddings)

The choice comes down to how closely you want this tied to the flowers everyone else is holding. Pull a stem straight from the bridal bouquet and the whole party reads as one set of photos. Use a feather or a vintage button instead and he’s wearing something that only makes sense at his wedding. Both pin to the same lapel, and both photograph well.

This article is for anyone building the groom’s look, including the bride who quietly ended up in charge of it. It will also work for groomsmen, and family members.

Every boutonniere below came off a real wedding we’ve featured, and you can click through any of them to see the whole wedding it belongs to. For more, browse our Real Weddings directory.

White Rose Boutonnieres

A white rose is the safest thing you can pin to a lapel, and somehow no two of them ever look the same. Get close and the differences turn up in the filler, the wrap, and how far the florist let the bloom open.

Single White Rose Boutonniere

One rose, one leaf, and nothing else on the tan lapel. It reads deliberate rather than sparse.

A bud this tight will still look like this at the end of a long reception. Fussier arrangements rarely manage that.

See Lisa and Brandon’s Abbey Station Wedding →

White Rose and Scabiosa Boutonniere

Pale pincushion centre out front, white rose tucked in just behind it, slim olive-toned leaves fanned to either side. The scabiosa is the one you notice first.

White ribbon on the stem, navy shawl lapel behind it all. The effect is silvery rather than stark.

See Annie and Fred’s Whitehall Manor Wedding →

White Spray Rose Boutonniere

Instead of one large head, small spray rose blooms cluster together, and the profile stays low and flat against a peak lapel.

Two broad glossy leaves sit behind them like a backing card. A thin white ribbon binds the stem without hiding it.

See Kirsten and John’s Oak Island Wedding →

White Rose and Green Sedum Boutonniere

Half of this one never opens. A tight cluster of green sedum buds sits shoulder to shoulder with the open white rose, and that unopened texture is the reason to look twice.

Twine around the stem picks up the burlap running through the rest of the cream and tan palette.

See Julia and Tony’s Golf Club Wedding →

White Rose and Pepperberry Boutonniere

A thin gold wire loops around the outside of the arrangement like a hoop. You almost never see a structural trick like that on a lapel.

Burgundy pepperberries and rosemary needles crowd in close around the ivory rose, and the twine-wrapped stem stays long and fully visible. Grey suit, maroon pocket square, and this bridges the two.

See Jaclyn and Kevin’s Milestones Barn Wedding →

White Rose and Dried Scabiosa Pod Boutonniere

Dried scabiosa pods, papery and starred like tiny sea urchins, sit alongside a white rose that has only just begun to open.

The stem spirals down to a point in taupe satin. Against charcoal wool, inside an old industrial hall, that muted texture works better than anything brighter would.

See Leslie and Jessie’s Sodo Park Wedding →

White Rose and Silver Berry Boutonniere

This one fits entirely within the width of the lapel: one white bloom, sprays of tiny pale berries, a single grey-green leaf angled behind.

Black jacket, ivory bow tie, and the small scale is what makes it read formal.

See this Tate House Mansion Wedding →

White Rose Boutonniere with Ribbon Streamers

Red Sole Events built this one along with a matching corsage in place of a bouquet, so the ribbon carries a lot of it.

Streamers in red, white, blue and silver trail well past the hem of the flowers, and silver-painted spikes shoot up behind a cream garden rose. The blue satin around the stem is the only part of this holding still.

See this Fourth of July Elopement Styled Shoot →

White Rose and Blue Delphinium Boutonniere

Photographed in the box before anyone pinned anything, lined up in a row with the groom’s marked in handwriting on a paper tag.

Each one pairs a cream rose with a few blue delphinium florets and a couple of pale berries. The white satin wrap keeps the stems tidy and gives the pin something to bite into.

See Erin and Matthew’s Lyman Estate Wedding →

White Rosebud Cluster Boutonniere

This goes on the buttoned collar of a cream sherwani rather than a lapel, so it has to stay compact and upright with nothing trailing off the bottom.

Tight white rosebuds alternate with coral-tipped buds, and jute wraps the short stem. Next to a pearl mala and a red dupatta, it still registers.

See Lenel and Nehal’s Farm Wedding →

White Rose and Baby’s Breath Boutonniere

Small clusters of baby’s breath ring the white rose bud tightly rather than fanning away from it, with a rosemary sprig angled up behind.

Green tape holds the short stem. Against a navy three-piece and a printed floral tie, the whole thing stays neat and low.

See Raechal and Gordon’s Pond View Farm Wedding →

Calla Lily Boutonnieres

A calla lily comes with its own architecture: one long curled bloom that holds its shape without any help from the florist. What changes from wedding to wedding is the colour, and how much gets added around it.

Lilac Calla Lily Boutonniere

A mini calla shades from cream at the base to plum at the curled tip, so it meets the purple tie halfway instead of matching it flat.

Pearl-headed pins hold the white ribbon wrap in place, and a few silver berries tuck into the throat of the bloom.

See Amy and Michael’s Lorimar Winery Wedding →

White Calla Lily Boutonniere

Nothing but the flower. One ivory calla, its own green stem folded back against the lapel, no ribbon and no filler anywhere.

Charcoal suit, mint tie, matching pocket square. With sage running through the rest of the palette, nothing more was needed up on the lapel.

See Terry and Scott’s Phoenician Resort Wedding →

Calla Lily and Wax Flower Boutonniere

The calla stands tall and the wax flower runs up the stem beside it, a dense line of tiny white blooms and green buds.

Two narrow leaves flank the stem, which is taped green and left long. That length needs a generous lapel, and it gets one here.

See Christine and Mike’s Wayzata Country Club Wedding →

Magenta Calla Lily and Silver Brunia Boutonniere

Jennifer asked her florist for elegance with a little edge and said outright that she did not want everything matching. The silver shows up here as brunia berries clustered at the base of a magenta calla.

The bloom is one deep fuchsia curl backed by a single leaf on a green-taped stem. Below it sits a purple pocket square in a different shade entirely, exactly as she asked.

See Jennifer and Sam’s Park City Wedding →

Calla Lily Boutonniere with Purple Ribbon

Cole’s Floral and Garden Design made these, and the calla is the simpler of the two: white bloom, a puff of baby’s breath, green hypericum berries, all bound in deep purple ribbon.

Beside it sits the companion piece, green hydrangea florets studded with white buttons and finished in the same purple organza. One wedding, two entirely different builds.

See Oz and Elizabeth’s Bluffs Country Club Wedding →

Simple Boutonnieres

One good bloom and a strip of ribbon will photograph better than a crowded lapel nearly every time. These lean on a single flower and very little else, and they are also the easiest brief you can hand a florist.

White Gerbera Daisy Boutonniere

A single white gerbera daisy takes the front here, and its chocolate-brown eye pulls straight from the black tie and jacket. Behind it, a cream rosebud and a pale leaf of dusty miller. Black ribbon runs down the stem to a clean green tip.

Amanda and Steve kept their Maryland day to black and white with silver, so that dark center lands as part of the palette rather than a new colour.

See Amanda and Steve’s Maryland Country Club Wedding →

Single White Orchid Boutonniere

Flat, wide and white: one phalaenopsis orchid bloom with a thin spray of pale gold berries running off to the side. Ivory ribbon covers the stem so nothing breaks up the white against the blue jacket.

Katlea and Nayef went with white, gold and soft pink for their ballroom reception. An orchid gets you formal without any fuss.

See Katlea and Nayef’s Romantic Ballroom Wedding →

Dark Centered Anemone Boutonniere

The near-black center of this anemone is the first thing you see, ringed by white petals that sit almost flat against the grey lapel. A small pink rosebud tucks in behind, ruffled greenery cushions the base, and grey ribbon winds tight down the stem.

Brooke and Christian ran a rustic chic love bird theme, and this dresses it up without stiffening it.

See Brooke and Christian’s Love Bird Wedding →

Yellow Alstroemeria Boutonniere

Yellow alstroemeria blooms open side by side, speckled through the throat and backed by small green leaves. He is in shirtsleeves here, so it goes on the grey vest just off the striped tie.

Nicole and Robert married at Yellowhead Brewery in Alberta and ran yellow through the whole day, so the match with the tie was on purpose.

See Nicole and Robert’s Yellowhead Brewery Wedding →

Succulent Boutonnieres

A rosette holds its shape from the first look in the mirror to the last dance, and it never needs a drop of water. That is most of the appeal. Give it nothing but a leaf or a shell alongside and it reads closer to jewelry than to a flower.

Sage Succulent and Olive Leaf Boutonniere

A small sage echeveria sits at the middle of this one, ringed with slim pointed leaves and bound so tightly in green tape that no cut stem shows. On a blue suit with a lavender tie it stays quiet, with a crisp white pocket square folded just below.

A desert plant on a groom in Tucson is about as at home as a boutonniere gets.

See Casey and Katelyn’s Tucson Wedding →

Pale Green Rosette Boutonniere

Caught mid-pin, and this is the entire design: one pale green rosette with the faintest pink at the leaf tips, no wrap and no ribbon. Ann’s Flowers built it to match the succulents running through the rest of Annie and Gero’s day.

On a charcoal pinstripe lapel with a black tie and a silver tie bar, that single green shape carries all the colour in the frame.

See Annie and Gero’s Santa Monica Wedding →

Pearl and Eucalyptus Succulent Boutonniere

The succulent on this black tuxedo is a big one, silvery pale and wide enough to fill most of the lapel. Seeded eucalyptus fans out behind it, a few white pearl beads catch light near the base, and the stem is a curl of green wire rather than anything cut.

It suits a wedding held inside a stone manor house, where everything else in the room is already grand.

See Ann and Sal’s Alder Manor House Wedding →

Succulent and Seashell Boutonniere

Willow Gardens built this out of echeverias and mixed succulents, and you can pick out every variety: a green rosette flushed pink at the edges, a smaller chartreuse one below it, a ruffled rust-coloured succulent off to the side. A spiral seashell tucks in at the base with cream reindeer moss and dried grey sprigs packed around it, and the whole stem is wrapped in ribbon with raffia ends left hanging.

Grey tweed lapel, teal at the collar, and a shell where most grooms put a rose. Tybee Island in miniature.

See this Little Mermaid Coastal Styled Shoot →

Succulent and Blue Thistle Boutonniere

Mint green and nearly as wide as the lapel, the rosette on this one dwarfs everything around it. Blue thistle, a burgundy scabiosa bloom, seeded eucalyptus and a sprig of rosemary crowd in behind, and a navy grosgrain ribbon wraps the stem to pick up the bow tie.

Below the wrap the cut ends stay bare. Nothing in this one is soft, and on a grey suit that works.

See Jamie and Brandon’s Arroyo Grande Wedding →

Succulent and Lilac Floret Boutonniere

Not every succulent is a tight rosette. This one opens out loose, with long pointed leaves, a scatter of tiny lilac florets and white filler at the top, and twine wound low on the stem.

He wears the charcoal suit with a lilac shirt and a satin tie in the same shade, so the purple in the flowers looks planned.

See Lauren and Ryan’s Maryland Fall Wedding →

Suspender-Pinned Succulent and Lavender Boutonniere

There is no jacket in this shot, so the boutonniere goes onto the suspender strap instead. A small cream-green rosette sits with lavender sprigs and a few round green leaves, stems cut short and left bare with no wrap at all.

Black elastic over a white band-collar shirt gives it a plain backdrop, and the midday sun throws its shadow straight across the chest pocket.

See this Boho Lavender Field Styled Shoot →

Greenery and Eucalyptus Boutonnieres

Skip the bloom entirely and the lapel still has plenty going on. Foliage brings shape and scent, and it survives a long day of hugging relatives far better than a soft petal does.

Bay Leaf and Seeded Eucalyptus Boutonniere

Three broad bay leaves fan out behind a cluster of unripe eucalyptus pods, and a few pine needles push up through the middle. The jute twine at the base is thick and deliberately shaggy.

Greenery carried most of the florals at this wedding, so the lapel and the bouquets came off the same cutting.

See Victoria and Dylan’s Blackwater Lodge Wedding →

Rosemary Sprig Boutonniere

Rosemary is the whole idea here, cut into a few sprigs and bundled with feathery fern and small variegated leaves. Fine natural twine holds the stems, thin enough that you have to look twice to find it.

The silvery green nearly disappears into charcoal windowpane wool. It also holds its scent all day, something no rose on a lapel manages.

See this Industrial Rooftop Styled Shoot →

Blushed Leucadendron Boutonniere

Pointed leucadendron leaves layer over one another in sage green, tipped and streaked with dusty rose. Not one open bloom in the bunch.

Two dusty blue silk ribbons trail down past the chest pocket, long enough to move when he does.

See this Kindred Barn Styled Shoot →

Baby’s Breath Boutonnieres

Filler flowers get treated as an afterthought until somebody builds the whole lapel piece around them. How tall it runs and how tightly it sits against the bloom changes the result completely.

Baby’s Breath Spray Boutonniere

Jessica made the flowers for this wedding herself, from her own bouquet to the altar arrangements.

This one runs the baby’s breath tall above the bloom instead of tucking it underneath, with a blush rose sitting open and low at the base and green tape holding the stem. You need a bit of nerve to wear it at full height on a black tuxedo lapel.

See Jessica and JR’s Piedmont Club Wedding →

Ranunculus Boutonnieres

Ranunculus stacks dozens of tissue-thin petals into one round head, so a single stem can fill a lapel with almost nothing behind it. Colors run from near-white to nearly black. That range is why the same flower shows up in weddings that look nothing alike.

Burgundy Ranunculus Boutonniere

Petals stack so tightly on this burgundy ranunculus that they look like folded silk. One leaf and a sprig of pale buds ride behind it, and against a navy suit and patterned shirt that turns out to be plenty.

See This Maui Ranch Styled Shoot →

Marigold Ranunculus With Blue Hyacinth

Marigold yellow sits directly against powder blue hyacinth florets, white berry filler tucked between them, cut stems left raw and unwrapped. Amy and Charlie built their day around cerulean and gray, so this is the one warm thing in every photo of the groom.

See Amy and Charlie’s Wild Horse Pass Wedding →

White Ranunculus With Scabiosa Pod

Still furled, the white ranunculus bud gets a taupe scabiosa pod on one side and tiny cream bell florets trailing off the other. Twine binds the stem, and it sits pinned above a white pocket square on plum pinstripe. The bouquet shown alongside works from the same washed-out palette.

See Sarah and Jason’s New Hampshire Farm Wedding →

Wildflower Boutonnieres

Loose stems and seed heads give a lapel that just-picked look, though a florist put more planning into each of these than it appears. Expect grasses and berries alongside the blooms, in colours you would find in a ditch in August.

Dried Seed Head and Yarrow Boutonniere

Up top there is a papery tan seed head, with a tight purple bud below it and clusters of mustard yellow blooms filling the bottom edge. A thin gold blade arcs over the whole thing like a handle, and the jute wrap is thick enough to count as part of the design.

Kevin and Juliana went purple at Pine Lodge in Lake Tahoe, though here that colour only shows at full strength in the tie.

See Kevin and Juliana’s Lake Tahoe Wedding →

Peach Carnation and Goldenrod Boutonniere

Against a pale grey suit the peach carnation nearly vanishes, which is what the yellow goldenrod bunched around its base is there to fix. Slim green grass spikes stand up behind the bloom. A looped blade curves across the front, and small white berries sit tucked in near the ribbon.

Brittany and Seth kept their details DIY and bright. That is far easier with garden-variety flowers than with anything precious.

See Brittany and Seth’s Cheerful Pink Wedding →

Wheat and Green Berry Boutonniere

Bearded wheat heads shoot straight up out of this one, long awns and all, over a squat cluster of green bells of Ireland florets and hard little green berries. Green tape binds the base and holds the bottom half tonal, so the wheat makes the shape.

Tyler and Emily married at their own home in Washington, surrounded by gardens and hay fields, and the same wheat runs through the bride’s bouquet.

See Tyler and Emily’s Washington Backyard Wedding →

Purple and Lavender Boutonnieres

Purple runs a long way in a flower cooler, from a lilac so pale it reads white in bright sun to hellebore that photographs nearly black. Where a groom lands on that scale sets the tone before anyone looks closely at the bloom itself.

Tight Lilac Rose Bud Boutonniere

Somebody cut this lilac rose right before it opened and then left it alone. The stem is bare and long enough to run well below the buttonhole, so what you get is one clean line of pale purple against charcoal wool and a purple paisley bow tie.

See Olivia and Jacob’s Purple and Mint Spring Wedding →

Open Lavender Rose Boutonniere

The same flower, this time open: petals loosened into a soft lilac cup with a couple of small leaves tucked underneath. Jeff wore his with an open collar and tan linen in his mother’s El Cajon backyard. Green tape on the stem, nothing fancier than that.

See Jeff and Shayla’s El Cajon Backyard Wedding →

Dusty Mauve Rose

Pink wax flower and small purple statice crowd in around a muted mauve rose, and one blue thistle head pushes up through the middle of them. The mix pulls straight from the dusty lavender Julie’s bridesmaids wore at Pines Lake.

See Julie and Dan’s Pines Lake Wedding →

Purple Clematis Boutonniere

Clematis is a climbing vine flower rather than a florist staple, and one star-shaped bloom covers more lapel than a rose of the same price. The petals shade from aubergine at the tips to pale violet near the center, and the ivory satin wrap picks up the tie and pocket square.

See Sara and Chase’s La Caille Wedding →

Deep Plum Hellebore Boutonniere

Nearly black at the center and rimmed in plum, this hellebore was set beside a blush succulent rosette and loose cream astilbe. On navy pinstripe with a polka-dot tie it reads moody rather than romantic. That suits a shoot styled on Vancouver Island in low coastal light.

See This West Coast Boho Styled Shoot →

Dried Lavender Bundle in Burlap

Dried lavender gathered tips-up into a burlap cone, tied off with a jute bow, and not a fresh flower anywhere in it. You can put one together yourself the week before and leave it in a box until the morning of.

The wedding was a laid-back farm day in Fredericksburg that ran outdoors from start to finish, and nothing on this lapel had a chance to wilt.

See Jordan and David’s Virginia Farm Wedding →

Plum Bloom and Privet Berry Boutonniere

Two cone-shaped magenta blooms, tight clusters of blue-black privet berries, broad eucalyptus leaves, slate ribbon binding the stem. Against a black jacket the berries read almost navy, and without the greenery the whole arrangement would sink into the fabric.

See This Colorado Industrial Styled Shoot →

White Anemone With Lavender Sprigs

White anemone with an inky black eye, a few stems of fresh lavender, a little greenery, and the photo catches it mid-pin rather than finished. Half of what makes the shot is the pinning itself. Fitting, for a backyard lavender garden party that the family showed up early to set out.

See Alyssa and Joey’s Backyard Lavender Wedding →

Blue and Thistle Boutonnieres

Sea holly is the flower doing the work in most of these, a steel-blue globe wrapped in spiky bracts. It stays cool against dark wool and holds its shape through a full day, which is more than most small blooms manage.

Blue Thistle With Black Satin Ribbon

One thistle head, a few silvery dusty miller leaves, and black satin ribbon left long enough to hang below the pin. The blue is dusty and cool, and on a shawl-lapel tuxedo it ends up being the only color anywhere in the frame.

See More Weddings by epagaFOTO →

Blue Thistle and Burgundy Calla Boutonniere

Thistle again, this time against a deep burgundy calla lily with thin grassy blades shooting past both. The stem is bound in black satin on a black tux, so the flowers look like they are floating off the lapel with nothing holding them.

See Ann and Sam’s Superhero Themed Wedding →

Cobalt Delphinium and Alstroemeria Boutonniere

White alstroemeria, freckled maroon and gold down the throat of each petal, next to cobalt delphinium florets saturated enough to look painted. Gold-edged variegated leaves sit behind, and the green-wrapped stem runs long down the lapel. That is a lot of color to put against black tie at St Clement’s Castle.

See Emily and Brian’s St Clement’s Castle Wedding →

Cream Spray Rose With Thistle and Succulent

Two cream spray roses anchor a cluster that also takes in a taupe scabiosa pod, silvery berries, and a small succulent rosette, with thistle that reads more green than blue. Someone pinned it to the V of a charcoal vest instead of a jacket lapel, a pink tie warming it up underneath. About what a barn wedding in East Tennessee calls for.

See Stephanie and Matthew’s Tennessee Barn Wedding →

Red and Burgundy Boutonnieres

Red goes two ways here. There is poppy-bright on a black tux, and there is burgundy so deep it reads nearly black in the shade. What shifts the mood is usually the foliage and the wrap rather than the flower itself.

Red Ranunculus and Black Berry Boutonniere

Out front is a ruffled red bloom, with a dusty mauve rose tucked behind it and black privet berries spilling over the top. The black ribbon wrap vanishes straight into the tux, so the color appears to float on the lapel.

That much red and black on a peak lapel is exactly the spooky-chic register Amber and Michael were working in.

See Amber and Michael’s Brooklyn Wedding →

Wired Burgundy Ranunculus Boutonniere

One bloom, and that is the entire design: a tight burgundy ranunculus with spiky dried fronds fanned behind it and thin gold wire curling out near the base. The color carries through the rest of the day at Laurita Winery, where the bridesmaids carried deep red ranunculus too.

See Jules and Joe’s Laurita Winery Wedding →

Wine Dahlia and Scabiosa Pod Boutonniere

Beside the wine dahlia sits a near-black cluster of scabiosa pods, tiny orange berries flicked through it, one big dusty miller leaf standing in for greenery. Green wire coils into a spiral at the stem, and for a deco botanical circus theme that works far better than a length of ribbon would.

See this Garden Circus Styled Shoot →

Red Rose and Calla Lily Boutonniere

Two tight rose buds sit low and one white calla curls up between them, so the silhouette rises to a point instead of lying flat.

A pearl-headed pin holds it against the herringbone tie, and red with white gets to Christmas without a sprig of holly involved.

See Katelyn and Nate’s Christmas Inspired Shoot →

Leaf Backed Poppy Red Boutonniere

Rosehip Flora built this around one poppy-red bloom, backed by a broad leaf folded up behind it like a collar. Chartreuse berry sprigs poke out either side and pick up the yellow at the center of the flower, and it matches the all-red bouquet Cindy carried.

See Cindy and Mario’s Texas Ranch Wedding →

Burgundy Carnation Boutonniere

Carnations get written off constantly, and then one turns up in deep burgundy with silver dollar eucalyptus behind it and the case falls apart. A short burgundy ribbon trails from the wrapped stem, pinned high on a light gray vest since Adam skipped the jacket entirely.

See Samantha and Adam’s Northern California Wedding →

Blush and Pink Boutonnieres

Soft pink reads gentle from across the room and detailed up close, so it holds up in the ring shot and the aisle shot alike. What changes the read is whatever sits next to it. Silver eucalyptus pulls it one way, a fern frond another.

Blush Rose and Blue Filler Boutonniere

Nothing here is bound tight. The roses tip downward on soft stems, pink bud sprays shoot up past them, and a cluster of periwinkle florets throws in a cool note against all that dusty rose.

See this Natural Romance Styled Shoot →

Blush Spray Rose Boutonniere

Three blush spray roses and a run of seeded eucalyptus, pinned high above a black-and-white plaid pocket square instead of tucked into it. Keeping the two apart lets both read clearly, and the olive ribbon on the stem adds a bit of earth to the pink.

See Kelsey and Josh’s Lakeside Wedding →

Peach Rose and Lavender Boutonniere

Fresh lavender spikes fan out around peach spray roses and a couple of unopened buds, the lot of it bound with a thin coil of silver wire.

Below the wrap the stems stay long and bare, so it looks picked that morning rather than ordered weeks out.

See Marina and Christian’s Swedish Wedding →

Cymbidium Orchid Boutonniere

A cymbidium orchid, pink and gold down the throat, with nothing competing against it. A bright fern frond cuts across behind, and burgundy amaranth trails well below the stem for a length most lapel flowers never reach.

See this Colorado Ranch Elopement Styled Shoot →

Peach Hypericum Berry Boutonniere

Berries only, no flowers at all. A tight cluster of peach hypericum sits on a broad glossy leaf, bound in green with a few loose strands left hanging, and berries hold firm through a long reception in a way petals rarely manage.

See Lisa and Brandon’s Abbey Station Wedding →

Pink Waxflower Boutonniere

Karen and her best friend found these at a wholesale florist the day before the wedding, made the bouquet, and pinned the extras to Jonathan’s jacket. Tiny pink waxflower buds, most of them still closed, tied off with a scrap of white ribbon. That is about as little effort as a boutonniere takes while still looking deliberate.

See Karen and Jonathan’s Smoky Mountains Wedding →

Yellow and Billy Ball Boutonnieres

Craspedia dries as well as it photographs, so these still look sharp by the last dance. The yellow ball stays the same every time. Everything around it is where the decisions get made: the wrap, the greenery, whether a softer bloom goes in alongside.

Twine Wrapped Billy Ball Boutonniere

The stem here is an actual bare twig. Pale twine wraps it, and it runs most of the way down the lapel. Two craspedia sit high with eucalyptus leaves and green buds fanned behind them, and without that green backing the yellow would vanish straight into the gray.

See Meredith and Tadd’s Greenville Wedding →

Billy Ball and Seeded Eucalyptus Boutonniere

Pale lilac filler flowers soften the two craspedia, and one broad eucalyptus leaf sits behind them as a backdrop. Raffia wraps the short green stem and stops well short of the lapel edge, so nothing dangles.

Against charcoal pinstripe and a white tie, the whole thing reads polished. Nobody would call it rustic.

See Chelsea and John’s San Clemente Wedding →

Ribbon Wrapped Craspedia Boutonniere

Gray satin ribbon winds down the stem and hangs in two tails, matched almost exactly to the suit fabric. Silvery dusty miller and a spray of chartreuse florets cool the yellow down a few degrees. Inside Sodo Park’s timber and brick, that restraint was the right call.

See Leslie and Jessie’s Sodo Park Wedding →

Billy Ball and Feather Boutonniere

Craspedia heads sit at four different heights on long dark wires, so the shape spreads sideways and never bunches in the middle. A brown feather angles out beneath them, matched to the chocolate half of Jessica and Andy’s mustard-and-brown palette.

See Jessica and Andy’s Grove Park Inn Wedding →

Succulent and Billy Ball Boutonniere

Steal the blue embroidery thread wound tight around the stem. It ties the flowers to the navy suit and ignores the yellow tie completely, which is not the obvious move and is the better one. A small green succulent tucks in beside the craspedia and holds the whole thing to roughly the size of a bottle cap.

See Shelby and Martin’s Austin Wedding →

Billy Ball and White Rose Pocket Boutonniere

This one sits low over the breast pocket instead of small and high, and it spreads to nearly the width of it. A white rose anchors the middle, with feathery fern and green berries filling the edges. The dried lavender sprigs pick up the purple running through Melissa and Tony’s Sedona palette.

See Melissa and Tony’s Sedona Wedding →

Craspedia and Thistle Boutonniere

Two spiky blue thistle heads flank a single craspedia and a white rosebud, so the yellow reads as an accent and not the main event.

Chunky green cord wraps the stem in fat visible loops that nobody tried to hide, and against the cream jacket that looks like a decision rather than a shortcut.

See this Southern Rustic Wedding →

Burlap Wrapped Billy Ball Boutonniere

It goes on a charcoal vest, no jacket, so it sits higher on the chest and in full view. The stems vanish into a cone of burlap ribbon, and a white ranunculus sits between the craspedia to echo the billy balls in Fina’s bouquet.

See Fina and Nathan’s Austin Wedding →

Fall Boutonnieres

Autumn lapels work best with material that was already drying out when someone cut it. Cotton, rose hips, seed heads and berries hold their shape through a whole day of hugging, and they photograph warm against grey and charcoal suiting.

Dried Grass and Rose Hip Boutonniere

Wispy dried grass plumes fan out well above the lapel, over a few red rose hips and a scrap of grey lichen bundled up in raffia twine. There isn’t a fresh petal in it.

The florals at this Pacific Northwest shoot were foraged on site, so this is whatever happened to be growing nearby that morning.

See this Pacific Northwest Styled Shoot →

Blackberry and Thistle Boutonniere

A deep red blackberry sits beside a spiky green thistle head, with a small ivory rose and a sprig of rosemary rounding out the cluster. Pale twine wraps the short stem. The plum bow tie underneath pulls that berry colour up toward the collar.

Blackberries turned up all through this West Sussex woodland shoot, including a whole ripening branch worked into the bridal bouquet.

See this Woodland Blackberry Styled Shoot →

Shotgun Shell Cotton Boutonniere

Someone built this one into a spent shotgun shell. A cotton boll and a speckled brown feather sit down in the grey hull, with twine wrapped just above the brass base, so the casing does the job of a stem.

Valaree and John called their day at Carlee Farm rustic glam. The groom’s lapel came down firmly on the rustic side.

See Valaree and John’s Carlee Farm Wedding →

Cotton Boll and Rosemary Boutonniere

Cotton bolls with the dried brown husk still splayed open around the fibre, plus rosemary sprigs shooting out the back. Twine covers the stem end to end, and it goes on a khaki vest with no jacket over it.

Julie and TJ built their Tennessee day around Southern details, and cotton is about as Southern as a lapel gets.

See Julie and TJ’s Tennessee Wedding →

Rustic Boutonnieres

The binding does the work in this group: twine, burlap, a raw stem left showing instead of tucked away. What goes on top matters much less than how the thing was put together.

Burlap Wrapped Anemone Boutonniere

Burlap is wound around the stem and left rough at the cut edge, and that is the entire rustic element. Above it, one white anemone with a bristly black center and a short sprig of green seeded eucalyptus.

The light gray suit keeps things quiet, so the navy fox print bow tie and its matching pocket square get noticed first.

See Leigh Alexander and Dave’s Maryland Distillery Wedding →

Gilded Leaf and Silver Brunia Boutonniere

A wide cuff of blush satin covers most of the stem, bound with a few turns of fine gold thread, and the cut ends show below instead of being trimmed flush.

Sitting above the wrap: two silver brunia balls, a small sage succulent, thin blades of grass, and a skeleton leaf painted gold. Homespun build, glossy finish. For a gold wedding at a ski resort, that split is about right.

See Rachael and Nash’s Sundance Ski Resort Wedding →

Green and White Bud Cluster Boutonniere

No jacket, no lapel. It’s pinned straight onto a mint chambray shirt, right where the brown leather suspender strap crosses the chest.

Pale green buds, a few small white blooms and one feathery white spike, gathered tight enough to sit beside the strap without crowding it. Under the redwoods in Big Sur, a full three piece was never going to happen.

See Will and Rachael’s Big Sur Wedding →

Feather Boutonnieres

Plumes hold color in a way petals never manage, dyed mint in a craft store or speckled black and white straight off the bird. They also survive a full day of hugging without wilting, so the prettiest option in the room happens to be the practical one too.

Mint Dyed Feather and Guinea Quill

A dyed mint plume sits against a black and white speckled guinea feather, with a wisp of white down wound in at the stem. The aqua picks up the blue in the plaid shirt underneath. It also got through a riverside ceremony and a backyard reception without anyone misting it once.

See Kim and Brett’s Boho Backyard Wedding →

Coral and Mint Feather Fan

The feathers open into a flat fan instead of a bunch, mint above and coral below, with a brown striped quill running through the middle. Camilla and Jake built their day at Hope Glen Farm around birds, so a twine wrapped stem on a gray lapel was consistency, not a gag.

See Camilla and Jake’s Minnesota Farm Wedding →

Peacock Feather and Green Dianthus Cluster

Two peacock eyes fan out behind a tight cluster of green dianthus, a magenta bloom and a few cream florets, and the stem is wrapped in teal thread to match the feathers.

Against a black suit and a black tie it carries all the color in the frame. That is how Alexandria and Jackson pulled off a peacock theme at Snowbird without landing in costume.

See Alexandria and Jackson’s Snowbird Wedding →

Feather and Dried Berry Boutonniere

Katelyn made these by hand and laid them out in a brass cornered wooden tray before anyone put one on, so the whole range is visible at once: a purple dyed quill in one, a speckled guinea feather in the next, red berries and mustard florets tucked into dried grass in another.

Twine wraps every stem. That is the only thing they share, and at a fall ranch wedding it was enough to make a tray of mismatched pieces look like a set.

See Katelyn and Jesse’s See Canyon Fruit Ranch Wedding →

Barred Blue Feather Stick Pin

Photographed on its box instead of on anyone, this one is a stick pin: a black domed base holding a white feather barred with iridescent blue, plus two fine quills curving off the top. Huy and Graham ran their Toronto warehouse day in black, white and gold. A slim pin like this is closer to jewelry than florals, and it reads that way on a lapel.

See Huy and Graham’s Toronto Warehouse Wedding →

Button and Fabric Boutonnieres

Buttons usually come out of a tin somebody’s grandmother kept, and the fabric comes from whatever was already in the house. The material has a history before anyone stitches it into anything.

Vintage Button Medallion on Teal Tulle

A cream disc crowded with mismatched vintage buttons in sage, navy, brown and bone, including letter buttons that spell out the couple’s initials, all mounted on a pleated teal tulle rosette. It’s built like a county fair prize ribbon. Erica and Joe spent their wedding camping on a beach, so the prize ribbon energy fits.

See Erica and Joe’s Vintage Beach Camping Wedding →

Gold Medallion and Plaid Ribbon Brooch

Set on a scalloped cream backing, a gold rimmed medallion with a dark green center anchors this one, with a length of green plaid ribbon hanging below like a watch fob.

Buffy of Pink Posey Design made it for this shoot, and her argument is that any small trinket the groom already owns can go on a lapel, either on its own or handed to a florist to work into fresh stems.

See this Music Themed Styled Shoot →

Rolled Paper Rose Cluster

Small roses rolled from printed pages, clustered tight, with two chartreuse berries for contrast against a tan suit and a striped yellow tie. Judith made them a few hours before the ceremony. Reassuring or alarming, depending on your relationship with deadlines.

See Judith and Josh’s Vintage DIY Backyard Wedding →

Yellow Fabric Flower with Gingham Petals

A gathered yellow fabric flower with a button at its center, backed by one navy gingham petal and one yellow striped petal, tied off with a wide sheer ribbon that trails down the lapel.

Rebecca sewed every boutonniere for the day herself on her mother’s farm north of Ann Arbor. The gray ribbon is the piece doing the heavy lifting: without it, the checks and the pinstripe would clash.

See Rebecca and Jonathan’s Michigan Farm Wedding →

Pleated Blue Fan with Orange Button

Blue fabric folded into a pleated fan, pinned flat, with a small orange button holding the center and a coral petal cut with pinking shears sitting behind it. On a satin navy lapel over a peach gingham shirt it lands graphic instead of crafty, which suits the day Amanda and Steven had in San Antonio.

See Amanda and Steven’s San Antonio Wedding →

Button Stack and Feather Spray

Feathers rise out of a pad of pale fabric scraps, with coral, mustard, wood and teal buttons stacked at the base and twine holding the whole bundle together.

It sits in the waistcoat’s welt pocket instead of taking a pin. Borrow that when the tweed is too thick to pierce cleanly. Brittany hand made most of the flowers for their Orcas Island day, and this runs on the same scrap drawer logic.

See Brittany and Stephen’s Orcas Island Wedding →

Orange and Turquoise Button Cluster

Just a few buttons in orange, turquoise and purple, stacked and wired alongside a dried sprig, with twine finishing the stem. Bryan wore it on a cream linen vest under the olive trees at The Farm on Putah Creek, kept small enough that the turquoise tie still carries the color.

See Samantha and Bryan’s Putah Creek Farm Wedding →

Unique Boutonnieres

Sometimes the thing on the lapel comes from a tackle box or a jewelry drawer instead of a florist’s bucket. That only works when the object genuinely belongs to the person wearing it.

Hand Tied Fishing Fly

Jon tied these himself for every man in the party: amber barred pheasant feather over yellow and white hackle, a flash of red floss, and the hook still curving underneath.

On a navy lapel it passes for something a jeweler made. It cost him thread and a few evenings at the vise.

See Jodie and Jon’s Wisconsin Wedding →

Teal Fishing Lure with a White Rose

A painted minnow lure, teal with black barring and a tiny cast eye, wired in beside one ivory rose and a couple of grass blades. Take the rose out and you’re looking at tackle. Leave it in and the lure is simply the part that belongs to him. Twine at the base pulls the whole thing toward the orchard rows at Wea Creek.

See Ashley and Devon’s Orchard Wedding →

Blue Crystal Snowflake Brooch

No stems at all. A rhinestone snowflake in icy blue is pinned where the flowers would go, throwing light back at the window. It sat inside a New Year’s Eve palette of pale blue, white and silver, and unlike a bloom it went back in its box at the end of the night.

See this New Year’s Eve Wedding at Westland Distillery →

FAQs

Who wears a boutonniere at a wedding?

The groom and his groomsmen, first. After that it’s whoever you want to mark as family or as part of the day: fathers and stepfathers, grandfathers, the ring bearer, ushers, readers, and often the officiant. Mothers and grandmothers usually get a corsage instead, though plenty of them would rather have a small boutonniere pinned to a jacket.

Give the groom a slightly different one so he stands out in the group shots. A bigger bloom or a different ribbon is enough. You don’t need a separate design.

Which side does a boutonniere go on?

The left lapel, over the heart, with the stem pointing down and the bloom sitting just above the buttonhole. Pin it from behind the lapel so the pin head stays hidden, angling the pin up through the stem and back out through the fabric. On a jacket with a working buttonhole, the stem slides through and the pin only has to keep it steady.

If the fabric is delicate, or you’d rather not put a hole in a rented jacket, magnetic backers hold a light boutonniere without piercing anything. Heavier pieces still need a pin.

How far ahead should you order boutonnieres?

Order them in the same conversation as the bouquets, not as an afterthought, and confirm the final headcount a couple of weeks before the wedding. Boutonnieres are the easiest thing on a flower order to undercount, because dads, grandfathers, and the officiant tend to get added late. Fresh ones are assembled close to the day and kept cool until they’re pinned.

To get one through a long day, keep it out of direct sun and off the dashboard of a hot car, and pin it as late as you reasonably can. Some materials are simply sturdier than a soft petal: succulents, billy balls, eucalyptus, thistle, and dried stems all come through a full day of hugging in one piece.

Does a boutonniere have to match the bridal bouquet?

No. It needs to look related, which is a lower bar. The simplest way there is to pull one flower or one piece of greenery out of the bouquet and build the boutonniere around it, so the two read as a pair in photos without being a miniature copy of each other.

Color works just as well as flower type. A burgundy ribbon, a repeated eucalyptus leaf, or the same shade of blush somewhere in the stem is enough of a thread. Groomsmen can wear a simpler version of the groom’s.

What can you use instead of flowers?

Quite a lot, and none of it wilts. We’ve photographed grooms wearing feathers, vintage buttons, fabric flowers, a crystal brooch, a seashell, a fishing lure, and a shotgun shell. Succulents sit in the middle: alive, but tough enough to last the reception.

Non-floral pieces are heavier than a rose, so whoever pins it needs a sturdy pin and enough fabric to catch. They also keep once they’re boxed up after the wedding, which a fresh stem never does.

Why Put Effort into Creating a Unique Boutonniere?

History of the Wedding Boutonniere

The tradition of men wearing flowers on their wedding day is centuries-old and spans many cultures, from the Hawaiian lei to the Thai puang malai garland to the classic boutonniere. The boutonniere is often credited to Prince Albert and his wedding in 1840 to Queen Victoria. Legend says that he cut a slit in his jacket to slip in a flower his bride-to-be presented to him from her bouquet.

The daily boutonniere fell out of favor in the 1960s, today men throughout the U.S. and Europe only don a flower for special occasions including weddings, high school formal dances and military services. During a wedding, the groom, groomsmen, fathers, grandfathers, ushers and ringbearer typically wear a boutonniere on the left of their suit jackets.

My Wedding Boutonniere Story

I had one of my good friends (a craft expert) create unique boutonnieres for my groom, the best man, an usher, and three other family members. I am indebted to the loving time she spent crafting the boutonnieres, they turned out amazing! Moreover, they are truly a keepsake that both my husband and I can enjoy for years to come.

What were my unique boutonnieres? Champagne corks with a rose, baby’s breath, and ribbon.

The cork that became my husband’s boutonniere was the cork from the bottle of champagne that we drank the night of our proposal. My husband proposed outdoors with a stunning red/orange sunset at dusk on top of a centuries old tower in the heart of Florence, Italy.

With that much romance in the air, it would have been impossible for anyone to say no!

After my tears subsided and my heart stopped racing, we dined on a plate of gourmet food and drank a bottle of champagne while taking Florence’s skyline in the dwindling light. It was such a magical moment that I will always cherish.

We kept the cork in our luggage throughout the rest of our trip in Italy and Germany. For me, the cork had special meaning and symbolized the night of my engagement and the memories attached to it.

When it came time to get creative and think about unique boutonniere ideas for our wedding, my husband, who enjoys fine wine, found a great idea: a wine cork boutonniere. We both thought about it and then said, “Why not use our engagement night champagne cork!”

On its own, the cork is just another fashioned stopper to keep a little bubbly inside a bottle. However, because of the sentimental value attached to it, our special cork was transformed into a defining fashion piece for my husband’s wedding day.

What’s Your Boutonniere Story?

I tell you my boutonniere story in order to get you thinking about how you can make your husband-to-be feel special on his wedding day. As much as it is your day, it should be a special and memorable day for him too.

I think creating a unique boutonniere for your groom is a great gift idea. Handcrafted gifts always trump store bought in my books … unless we are talking a nice fat Tacori diamond ring! 😉

If you are crafty and are not afraid to use a glue gun, a DIY boutonniere project is perfect. Otherwise, enlist the help of a good friend (like I did) to help you craft a boutonniere your man will love.

Ideas to Create Unique Boutonnieres

1. Brainstorm: What are his hobbies? Is he into sports like golf, basketball, or baseball? Is he a huge Star Wars fan? Come up with a list of 5 of his top hobbies.
2. Sentimental Objects: Find items that you have kept from either your time dating, your engagement night, or some other special time in your relationship. Besides the cork from the night of my engagement, I could have selected a sea shell that my husband found on the beach and gave to me early in our dating life.
3. Select Items: Select the final items to assemble the groom’s boutonniere. This could include one or more objects from your list above as well as flowers or decor.
4. Integrate Into Your Wedding Theme: Make sure the objects you choose fits into your wedding theme. I had an elegant 1920s Gatsby vision wedding at a gorgeous Victorian manor house. A glitzy champagne fountain centrepiece in the inner foyer created a focal point for our overall style, so the cork boutonniere blended effortlessly into the wedding style.
5. Test Your Finished Boutonniere: I made the mistake of not testing the boutonniere before my husband pinned it on his tuxedo. The flowers for the boutonniere were purchased the day before the wedding, which meant my unfortunate girl friend created his champagne cork boutonniere (along with 5 others) the night before the wedding! The finished product was top heavy, and required some last minute pinning about 10 minutes before the ceremony to keep the boutonniere tightly in place. Luckily the base was the champagne cork and allowed for any amount of pins to easily be stuck into it and secured to the tuxedo. I suggest testing your finished boutonniere ahead of time to make sure it is not too heavy, oversized, and it looks the way you want.

Unique Boutonniere Ideas

Whether you choose floral or non-floral boutonnieres, try crafting up some of these creative boutonnieres for the men in your wedding party. Don’t have the time? Click the link and buy them online from Etsy. They’re just so cute and full of personality!