How to Wear a Boutonnière: Formal Style for Men

Traditional parts of a wedding, such as vows and cake cutting, remain important over time. There’s a little detail from the wedding day that’s easy to disregard: the groom’s boutonnière. The little flower balancing on the left pocket lays claim to centuries of tradition, romance, and meaning.

What Is a Boutonnière and Why Does It Matter?

A groom puts a single flower or small arrangement on the left lapel of his suit or tuxedo during his wedding ceremony. Usually, it’s simply a flower from the bride’s bouquet, worn by the groom to symbolize his role and love towards the bride. However, in addition to their style, boutonnieres have a history of being meant to shield people against danger and sickness. They became seen as status symbols throughout time, especially among the aristocracy and lovers during the 18th and 19th centuries.

Nowadays, a man might wear a boutonnière for both style and to show his feelings. It gives the groom a light way to tailor his appearance to fit in with the rest of the bridal party. Floral or alternate, classic or fashion-forward,

Origin and Symbolism

Wearing the boutonnière began centuries ago, as people thought it would protect them from evil spirits. In the Middle Ages, knights attached a piece of their lady’s clothing to their uniform as a way to show affection before going into battle. During Romantic times, people used floral arrangements to reflect their great taste, idealistic thoughts, and feelings of love. It is so named for being traditionally placed in the buttonhole of a person’s jacket. Offering support to soldiers and superstition about luck, the boutonnière eventually became accepted as a symbol in formal men’s wear.

Why the Groom Wears a Boutonnière

• Represents the groom’s central role in the ceremony
• Symbolically links him to the bride’s floral bouquet
• Differentiates him from groomsmen and male guests
• Serves as a nod to classic romantic traditions
• Offers a stylish, customizable detail in formal attire

Traditional vs. Modern Boutonnières

Pure and loving symbols such as white carnations, roses, and lilies of the valley are often the focus of traditional boutonnières. For several decades, many people have chosen these to enjoy their beauty and convenience. Today’s trends are more open to celebrating diversity. Grooms today sometimes wear succulents, rosemary for remembrance, or even feathers and dried elements at rustic or bohemian ceremonies.

What the couple likes determines which style to select. Traditional flower types might suit a vintage-themed wedding, but a different type of celebration often features flowers made from non-traditional materials. What’s most important is that the boutonnière adds style to the groom and corresponds with the event.

How to Choose the Right Boutonnière for the Groom

• Match it to the wedding theme (formal, rustic, beach, etc.)
• Coordinate with the bride’s bouquet and color palette
• Consider seasonality for fresh flower availability
• Think about texture and size to balance the suit or tuxedo
• Choose meaningful flowers (e.g., forget-me-nots for remembrance)

Etiquette and Wearing Tips

It has always been customary to pin the boutonnière on your left lapel, slightly higher than the middle of your chest. If the jacket has these features, put the button through the hole and let the loop pass inside for a nicely secured look. If that’s the case, a floral pin or magnetic holder can be used to put the badge on top of your shirt.

Just the groom, groomsmen, fathers of the couple, the person performing the wedding, and perhaps grandfathers or ring bearers should wear boutonnieres. Choose different but similar boutonnières for everyone to clearly indicate every role on the bride and groom’s side.

Groom vs. Groomsmen: What’s the Difference?

Like the other male attendants, the groom may wear flowers, but his should look different by design. This can make him simple to spot, and you can achieve it by replacing his flower, adding a decoration, or choosing a bigger or more elaborate design. An example fellow may use basic greenery or a mini rose, but the groom can wear a more decorated buttonhole with a splash of color that matches the theme.

DIY Groom’s Boutonnière: A Step-by-Step Guide

• Gather materials: floral wire, tape, scissors, main flower, filler greenery
• Trim stems to 2–3 inches
• Arrange flowers with greenery and bind with tape
• Wrap with ribbon or twine for a polished look
• Attach with a pin or magnetic clasp

Coordinating with the Wedding Ensemble

The groom’s boutonnière should not clash with what he is wearing. However, it ought to give us a slight sense of improvement. If you’re wearing a black tuxedo, pair it with either white or red roses, yet a navy or gray suit provides a wider color range—consider lavender, dusty blue, or peach. It can be the same style as your tie or pocket square, but what matters most is that everything is coordinated, not completely matched.

Try to keep the floral decorations on your lapel small and stylish. A boutonnière should match the size of the lapel and look clean in place. It’s best to avoid very strong scents in your close-up flowers to prevent any unpleasant feelings while you wear them.

Classic vs. Modern Boutonnière Styles

Caring for the Boutonnière

To keep it fresh, leave your boutonnière in a cool spot and spray a little water over it just prior to wearing it. Invite delicate flowers to stay in a floral box in the refrigerator until you want to use them. Tell your florist to be ready with another boutonnière during very long or heated wedding events. Since adhesive tape closes up the hole in the floral foam, stems can be secured in place just by sticking the mouth of the stem into the foam. But be careful not to press the glue into the stem.

Conclusion

A groom’s chosen boutonnière might be small, but it means a lot. The way it represents tradition from history and modern flair, the bouquet helps unite romance and individual emotions. Choosing any type of boutonnière says something about you as a person, based on love and being unique—it also tells a story of celebration and time-honored joy.