Though your mind may be on what flowers you and your bridesmaids will be holding down the aisle, the boutonnière is just as important. Ever wonder why the groom and his groomsmen wear boutonnières in the first place? The groom traditionally wears a flower from the bride's bouquet to symbolize his ties to the bride, and his groomsmen do the same—placed on the left side, right above the heart (awwww!). And though they may be small, boutonnières can make a big statement. They add a punch of personality, color, and texture to the groom and groomsmen's lapels.
While flowers are the traditional choice for boutonnières, guys these days can be found wearing other types of bouts that are meaningful to the couple-to-be. If the groom has a favorite hobby (say, golf, tennis, or baseball) he may want to include a nod to that spot in his lapel accessory. If he's allergic to blooms, or feels they don't fit with his look, greenery, succulents, or berries are all great alternatives. Even paper flowers can do the trick!
Although they're small, the men's boutonnières can make a big impact, so it's important to put some serious thought into your choice. To help inspire your own bout, we rounded up a few of our favorites from past real weddings.
Thistles
These lush and full bouts were crafted from rosemary, thistle, spray roses, and ranunculus.
Romantic Blooms
Blue thistle, eucalyptus, and soft pink blooms brought a romantic vibe to this groom's look.
Orange and Green
A bright orange orchid boutonnière popped against an emerald-hued jacket, and picked up the burnt pumpkin shades in the groom's pocket square.
Love Note
The main attraction of this groom's boutonnière—beyond the colorful ranunculus and carnations, that is—was a sweet card, written with a simple promise: "Forever."
Blue Velvet
A green-and-white bout, complete with exotic greens and a single cream flower, was made more luxe thanks to a navy velvet ribbon.
Green Scene
A sprig of greens, an orchid, and a calla lily brought sophistication to this gent's lapel.
Dusty Rose
An oversized rose, in the prettiest shade of muted pin, looked even better flanked by leafy greens and a twine-wrapped stem.
Pretty Peony
Wrapped in tuxedo black satin, an un-unopened peony and textured greens brought color to a traditional suit.
Little Lily
Front and center, a speckled magenta bloom popped against this gent's dove gray jacket.
Berries and Lace
Berries and a single white floret were held together with a strip of knotted lace—the perfect nod to the bride's wedding dress.
Color Contrast
This splashy peach and pink bout added some levity to this groom's fashion-forward burgundy suit and leather bow tie.
Succulents and Suspenders
A tiny bundle of succulents fastened onto navy suspenders brought a casual vibe to a groomsmen's look.
Fiddle Head
Fuzzy fiddle heads were an unexpected pairing for this deep pink spray, but the contrast works beautifully.
Lots of Drama
A dramatic long bloom added verticality to this unique arrangement; the surrounding hot pink florals brought color.
Dried Display
For their rustic-inspired fête, groomsmen donned dried four-leaf flower and berry bouts, wrapped in crimson ribbon.
Floral Affair
Everything about this groom's look—from the daisy-studded tie, to the succulent and wildflower boutonnière—screamed style.
Dashing Dahlia
We're not sure what's more attention-grabbing—this groom's patterned bowtie or his striking dahlia boutonnière.
Strikingly Simple
At a barn wedding, a twine wrapped calla lily bout was beyond appropriate.
Just Peachy
Lots of peachy petals made this small arrangement appear bigger than its actual size.
Fall Harvest
This boutonnière looked like it was crafted from early autumn's flora. The groom kept the fall theme coming with a pumpkin-colored bow tie.
Christmas-Inspired
One groom sourced fern, hemlock, holly, boxwood, and holly berries from his family's farm to craft boutonnières for him and his beau.
Tallow Berry
Eucalyptus and tallow berries united on these groomsmen's lapels for this wintry wedding in Colorado.
Citrus
Men's lapels at this winter wedding were colorfully decorated with olive leaves, euphorbia, and kumquats.
Greens for the Guys
The groomsmen, ushers, fathers, and godfathers adorned their lapels with these boutonnieres of seeded eucalyptus, white berries, and pine at this fall wedding in upstate New York.
Punch of Purple
Ranunculus buds and rose hips were wrapped with velvet ribbon before adorning the guys' lapels at this Minnesota wedding.
Dapper
These blue hydrangeas, rose hips, and dahlia buds boutonnieres were tied off with blue silk ribbon.
Coming Up Roses
The gents spruced up their lapels with boutonnieres of petite roses and seeded eucalyptus at this North Carolina wedding.
Desert-Ready
Ranunculus and rice flowers in desert hues were two of the flowers used for the groomsmen's boutonnieres at a Santa Fe wedding.
Billy Balls
Billy balls, dusty miller, and handmade button flowers tied with twine dressed up a groom's lapel.
Gin-Inspired
For this summertime fête, the gents' lapels were dressed up with aromatic boutonnieres with herbs and ingredients found in spirits like gin, such as rosemary, juniper, bay laurel, hops, grains, Douglas fir, and cinnamon.
Paper Flowers
The bride crafted DIY boutonnieres from crepe paper to adorn the wedding party suits, attaching each with oversized bronze safety pins she found online.
Scottish Roots
He didn't end up sporting a kilt at his wedding, but this groom did wear a boutonniere made of thistle to represent his Scottish heritage.
All the Color
Coral ranunculus boutonnieres offered a burst of color against the groomsmen's black suits from Black by Vera Wang at this New York City celebration.
Seashells
The guys at this Mexico destination wedding donned boutonnieres made from seashells and raffia.
Mellow Yellow
Boutonnieres of craspedia and chamomile provided a dash of yellow for the groom and his groomsmen at this Newport wedding.
Fall Buds
Ranunculus, rose hips, andromeda heather buds, and olive leaf made up the velvet-wrapped deep red groomsmen's boutonnieres at this fall wedding.
Fabric Floral
Wanting to have a signature floral motif throughout the event, the bride at this Minneapolis wedding designed a red-and-pink flower print, which was used to make the groom's fabric boutonniere.
Super Casual
The guys sported boutonnieres of lavender, wax flower, blueberries, and rosemary at this laid-back Martha's Vineyard wedding.
Olive Leaf
A pin of wax flowers, seeded eucalyptus, and olive leaves accessorized the groomsmen's lapels at this Italian destination wedding.
Poppy Pods
The groom, the bride's son, and the fathers wore boutonnieres of poppy pods and veronica at this Denver celebration.
Fresh Fern
The men in the wedding party sported boutonnieres made of mock orange blossoms and fern leaves, which were then wrapped with silk trim for this backyard bash in Utah.
Lily of the Valley
Lily of the valley brightened each cluster of blooms worn by the groomsmen at this destination wedding in Ireland.
White-Out
While musician Gabe Saporta didn't have official groomsmen, his close male friends and family wore boutonnieres made from local white larkspur, jasmine, and eucalyptus seedlings.
Fragrant Lavender
At this South Carolina celebration, the boutonnieres featured lavender sprigs coiled in pale ribbon.
Alaska
As a tribute to this groom's stint in Alaska, feathers from the state bird, the ptarmigan, surrounded a sprig of nigella.
Bejeweled
A sprig of lily of the valley and a faux gold leaf gave this groom's lapel a special touch.
Summertime Spray
Small clusters of gomphrena and spray roses adorned the menswear at this summertime celebration in California.
Into the Woods
For a woodsy look, this groom trimmed his lapel with small bundles of viburnum berries, raspberries, ferns, and millet.
Soft and Romantic
This boutonniere featured lambs' ear and scabiosa tied with pink velvet ribbons for a modern and dimensional effect.
Sequins
Gold sequined Ban.do hearts were incorporated into the boutonnieres at this whimsical wedding in Maine.
Orchids
The gents at this Richmond, Virginia, wedding sported orchid boutonnieres.
Formal in Feathers
The groom and groomsmen at this formal rustic wedding in Georgia pinned velvet millinery leaves and a variety of feathers to their lapels.
Garden Roses
David's groomsmen, all childhood friends (except for his dad, who was best man), donned garden-rose-and-rice-flower boutonnieres.
Red and White
A white ranunculus boutonniere adorned Mike's lapel, while the groomsmen sported red ones made from rancunculus, spray roses, and berries.
Embroidered
Embroidered crests that referenced the coat of arms from the groom's family were repurposed as boutonnieres for this California vineyard wedding.
Fall Berries
This boutonniere, by Lindsay Rae Design, included gold spray-painted bay leaves, spray roses, rosemary, and hypericum berries.
Ranunculus
JM Flora Design made the boutonnieres for this fall wedding in Virginia with ranunculus and privet berries, which were displayed with calligraphed tags by Laura Hooper before the ceremony.
Pure Elegance
The groom at this New York City wedding wore a boutonniere with blueberries, lisianthus, and peony buds made by Stonekelly Events.
Pussy Willow
Rebecca Grace of Natural Art Flowers crafted the boutonnieres for this wedding in Australia using olive leaf and pussy willow.
Pink and Yellow
Twigg Botanicals made this groom's boutonniere out of a pink ranunculus, a lisianthus bud, hypericum berries, and seeded eucalyptus sprigs.
Destination-Ready
Sarah Winward bound together a cluster of astrantias, jasmine blooms, and local foliage using a snip of silk ribbon at this destination wedding in Thailand.
Nautical
For this late summer wedding, Salt Harbor Designs wrapped white ranunculus, olive leaves, and tiny blue berries found growing on Nantucket in blue-and-white striped ribbon.
Winter White
Poppy Lane Design spruced up the groom's lapel at this Christmas wedding with a boutonniere made out of white ranunculus, fresh herbs, and some accent greenery.
Neutral and Earthy
Small clusters of astilbe, eucalyptus, and olives wrapped in crocheted lace, by Papertini, brightened the groom's lapel at this destination wedding in Italy.