DIY: Bridal Boutonnieres



Moments after their I-Do's!

I mentioned that we recently helped out a lot with my new sister-in-love's wedding. Michelle was extremely creative with her wedding decor and really wanted things a certain way that only she could see in her mind. We would be talking about certain things and you could tell that certain ideas that came up were just not at all what she was seeing. I loved that she had this vision because I certainly did not have that for my wedding! It did make it a little hard to help out, because I wanted her to love anything I helped with and sometimes it was hard to grasp her mental image. Even when I thought I knew what she wanted, I never could be sure!



She also planned on doing almost everything herself. This was awesome, but when it came down to the wire, there were certain projects that I just didn't think she'd have time for. I mean, if she was going to sleep before her wedding at all - which I highly recommend [sleep!]! So I stepped in [and recruited my mom for help] with a couple things I knew we could handle: floral arrangements. My mom and I, with some help from Michelle and a couple of her friends, created 7 bouquets, 11 boutonnieres, and 3 corsages!

Luckily, we had also made all our own bouquets at my own wedding, as well as all the floral centerpieces. So we definitely had some good experience to get started with those. We ordered boutonnieres and corsages though. Over the past 4 years, Josh and I have probably been to over 25 [I am NOT exaggerating. I am actually guessing low] weddings. So, I have seen and helped pin a fair share of boutonnieres.... I was glad for this vision and understanding. I really enjoyed creating the groomsmen's boutonnieres for this wedding. I actually thought it was the most fun wedding project I got to work on! And I think they came out pretty well, if I do say so myself. Many people were surprised to hear that I had done them the night before.

I was not as happy with the corsages, but I thought they turned out nice. I had a lot less vision for how to put them together and it was pushing 2am when I got those done.



Most of the finished boutonnieres



Studly Josh with his Boutonniere on



We bought flowers that Michelle liked at Costco and Trader Joe's



Finished Corsages

For the future, I would not really recommend a bride to be spending her time trying to figure this out right before her wedding. I would also maybe do a little more research on what types of flowers hold up and how to store them, because the hydrangeas wilted in the fridge. We put the first couple in the fridge because we thought that was how they were typically stored. I remade a few boutonnieres because I was not happy with the wilty look. I was also REALLY nervous about how they would hold up throughout the wedding day.

That said, they held up just fine, and I WOULD do this again! I thought it was a lot of fun and was pleased with how they turned out in the end. I also loved the flowers and colors that Michelle chose. We ended up buying 2 potted plants to cut from too, and I know she was really excited to have those in her new home as well.

A huge thank you to Michelle for trusting me with such a big, important, and noticeable part of your important day!

Some of these photos taken by Chuck & Betti Irsak