Wedding Flowers for Wedding Party and Family

Dear Dr. Dave and Dr. Dee,

My wedding is coming up, and I need to purchase flowers for my fiance and myself. Do I get a corsage for my maid of honor and a boutonniere the best man? What about our parents? If so, what kind of corsage should each of us wear?

Signed,

Flower Frazzled

Dear Flower frazzled,

The maid of honor usually receives a bouquet not a corsage. All members of the wedding party and parents should receive flowers.

The purchase of wedding flowers is the responsibility of both the bride and groom. The groom is traditionally responsible for the bride's bouquet, corsages for the mothers and grandmothers and all boutonnieres for the men in the wedding party and special family members.

General guidelines for who should receive wedding flowers:

1. Bouquet: Bride - bridal bouquet plus a toss bouquet.

2. Bouquets smaller: maid of honor and bridesmaids

3. Corsages: mothers and grandmothers, bride's going away corsage.

4. Flower Girl: flower basket and flower halo

5. Boutonnieres for groom, best man, groomsmen, ushers, ring bearer, fathers and grandfathers

6. Optional corsage or boutonnieres: readers, officiant, godparents, other close family members not in the wedding party

The bridesmaid's bouquets are smaller than that bride's bouquet. The maid of honor's bouquet can be slightly larger than the other bridesmaids.

Popular flowers for boutonnieres are a single rose or carnation.

The corsages for mothers and grandmothers do not have to be identical. The corsage color should complement the color of their dresses. Also, ask them if they prefer a pinned corsage or wrist corsage. There are many flower choices for a corsage such as roses, orchids, camellias, mini-carnations, or gardenias. Consult with your florist for options and prices.