Traditional Versus Modern Boutonnière Styles

 
Boutonnières have been worn by gentlemen as an expression of their love for the women in their lives for many centuries. The boutonnière has always been worn on the left side of a man’s chest, directly above the heart as a sign of this love.

Traditional Floral Selection for Boutonnières

 
Traditional styles of boutonnières included white roses, white orchids, or white carnations, depending upon the floral selection of the bride’s bouquet. The bride usually selected the flower to be used in the boutonnières by choosing one of the flowers in her bouquet. Typically, it was the flower type that was the most prominent in her bouquet. Since traditional bridal bouquets have always been a medley of white flowers, in particular, white roses, white orchids, or white carnations, traditional boutonnières always featured white blooms as well.

Modern Floral Selection for Boutonnières

 
As bridal bouquets have evolved to feature more colorful blossoms, so too, have modern boutonnières. The bride typically selects one or more of the larger flower types from her wedding bouquet to be used in the boutonnières of the groom. In some cases, the bride might choose to pick a specific color rather than a particular type of flower for the groom’s design.

The Groom’s Boutonnière Versus the Groomsmen’s Boutonnières

 
If the bridesmaids’ bouquets are made from a different selection of flowers from the bride’s bouquet, the boutonnières for the groomsmen are often crafted from one of the types of flowers included in them. Each design typically uses a single bloom.

Fathers of the Bride and Groom

 
Traditionally, boutonnières for the father of the bride and father of the groom were crafted from a single blossom that was identical to the one used for the groom’s design. The only difference is that they were smaller in size. Modern versions make use of the same colorful blooms as the groom’s in smaller sizes.