The smallest floral items cause the most trouble on the day, almost entirely because of how they are attached.
The Pin Problem
A buttonhole is traditionally pinned through the lapel from behind, and that is where it goes wrong.
Pinned through the front, it shows and it tears the fabric. Pinned too loosely it swings; too tightly it puckers the lapel.
The correct method is from behind the lapel, through the stem, and back through the lapel, so nothing is visible from the front.
Better Alternatives
- Magnetic fixings, which do not pierce fabric at all
- Two pins rather than one, crossed, which stops it swinging
- A lapel pin fitting on jackets that have a buttonhole slit
- Wrist corsages on an elastic or ribbon band, which need no pins
- Whatever it is, attach it before photographs rather than during
Corsage sets sold ready-made on bands, of the kind at floroom.net, remove the fixing problem entirely, which is why they suit anybody without a florist on the day.
Magnets and Pacemakers
Worth knowing. Magnetic fixings are convenient and they are strong magnets close to the chest.
Anyone with a pacemaker or an implanted cardiac device should use pins instead, and manufacturers of those devices publish guidance on magnets.
Wrist Corsage Fit
Loose enough to move, tight enough not to spin. Elastic bands stretch through a long day, and a corsage that has rotated to the underside of a wrist is the usual outcome.
Trying them on in advance, with the actual person, is worth doing.
Size Them Down
The commonest aesthetic error. Buttonholes and corsages are far smaller than people expect: one focal bloom and a little foliage.
Anything larger looks costume rather than considered, and it catches on everything.
Wire Ends
Cut wired stems leave sharp ends. Every one should be taped over, and the back of a buttonhole covered completely.
A wire end against a suit lining or a bare arm is a genuine nuisance.
Make Spares
They get crushed, dropped and lost. Two or three extra costs almost nothing.
Label Them
In a box, by name, so nobody is working it out on the morning.
Make Them From Offcuts
Trimmed stems from the bouquets are exactly what these need.
Check Them the Night Before
Bands stretch, pins fall out and glue joints loosen in a box, and finding that on the morning is avoidable.
