Corsage pins or boutonniere pins are straight metal pins, with a round or tear-shaped, usually plastic, head that is most traditionally a pearl color. They can be made in a variety of different colors to correspond to dress colors, wedding colors or to other events. Length of these pins varies from about 1.5 to 2.5 inches (3.81-6.35 cm). The shorter ones are more likely to be used for boutonnieres, and the longer corsage pins are best when you have elaborate or heavy corsages to pin. Sometimes you may need two pins to accomplish the job, if the corsage arrangement is particularly large. For a smaller corsage or boutonniere you may not require these pins at all, and a safely pin pinned out of sight will suffice.
If you’re ordering flower arrangements from a florist, you’ll usually get pins with each corsage or boutonniere. You can even speak to the florist about specially ordering pins if you’d like ones different than the traditional pearl head. Many people like to make their own corsages or boutonnieres, especially for weddings. If you do so, you’ll need to purchase pins for them. These are available from florists, and you can buy them in bulk on the Internet, where you can usually get the best deals on corsage pins if you need several.
Using corsage pins can be a tricky process. For young gentleman, offering a corsage before a dance doesn’t necessarily mean you should be the one to pin it. In order to make sure you pin the corsage only to the dress, and don’t poke the skin, you really should insert a hand behind the pin while you are pinning. When young ladies wear strapless dresses, this may be impractical and inappropriate. Instead you might want the young woman to pin the corsage herself, or get another lady in the house to help her with the pinning.
Usually the strongest part of the corsage is the wrapped stem, and you want to pin both through and under the stem at a slight angle downward. Start with the corsage in the appropriate position, which on most dresses is at the collarbone and straight up and down. Pin into the fabric just near the stem, then pin through a tiny part of the stem and back through the fabric. Repeat this process again, weaving the pin through the fabric at least one more time, and be certain that the sharp point of the pin rests securely outside the fabric on the last weaving, so as not to poke into the skin. The head of corsage pins can show, but the pin tip should be hidden from sight by the corsage.
If you’d like to bring a corsage to someone and are not aware of what the person might be wearing, a wonderful alternative is the wrist corsage, which does not require corsage pins. These are simply slipped over the wrist and worn as a bracelet. They’re a good choice for those fearful of pinning. Yet once you’ve pinned a few corsages, it’s not that challenging to do.
