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Photography by Aaron Bengochea

When I was planning my wedding, I received a quote from a florist for $16 per boutonniere. No offense to the world of immensely talented florists out there (who rightly so factor in labor, transportation, and many other things when articulating pricing to clients), but it challenged me to see if I could make 15 boutonnieres for $25. Total.

A quick trip to the flower market and 45 minutes later, voila! You too can pull off this bridal coup on your own. Follow the guidelines below for bout beauts at under $3 a pop.

Photography by Aaron Bengochea

What You’ll Need:

  • Assorted Greenery – Flatter leaves serve as great bases for boutonnieres: such as sage leaves, cocculus, lemon leaves. For texture, we recommend seeded eucalyptus, rhombs fern, anything with berries or seeds. Work in small flowers (optional, sometimes greenery is enough!) like roses and ranunculus.
  • Sheers
  • Florist tape (some florist tape is not adhesive, so you’ll want a second roll of something that sticks)
  • Boutonniere pins
  • Ribbon for finishing
  • Bucket
Photography by Aaron Bengochea

How-to:

1.

Hit up your local flower market for the greenery and florals mentioned above. You’re not looking for massive amounts here, so it’s worth negotiating with the vendor for smaller bunches (cash is king!). If you’re in NYC, go see Gus at US Evergreen and take a stroll through the flower market around the corner (28th Street between 6th and 7th avenues).

2.

Get your greenery into a bucket of water and preferably a cool environment, where it can stay fresh for up to 48 hours.

3.

Prep sprigs of assorted greenery measuring between 4 to 5 inches long. You’ll want to trim off the bottom of each sprig leaving a bare base (and a small cluster of healthy looking sprigs on top). This makes things easier when you go to build your boutonniere.

Photography by Aaron Bengochea

4.

Build the boutonniere using trimmed pieces. Start by laying a few of the flatter sprigs in the palm of your hand as a base (those sage leaves, cocculus, lemon leaves). From there, add on texture with seeded eucalyptus or fern, and finish with a small bloom of your choice.

5.

Pinch all the stems of your sprigs together, and wrap a 4-inch piece of florist tape tightly around the bunch. Trim the stems so they are less than two inches long.

6.

Finish with ribbon (and trim those ribbon ends so they’re nice and pretty), secure onto handsome groom and groomsman using one boutonniere pin per boutonniere.

Photography by Aaron Bengochea

See more DIY wedding ideas:

The Easiest Way to Make Any Flowers Look Expensive How to DIY a Wedding Bouquet That Looks Professionally Made Affordable Wedding DIYs That Look More Luxe Than They Are

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