Last night I took a break from Christmassy things to think about buttonholes for a wedding that I am doing next month.
9 times out of 10 I am asked to provide "thistle" buttonholes which are seem as being Scottish. The thistle is Scotland's national flower, the colour goes well with kilts and it is not too "flowery" for men. Florists also love it as it is available all year, is easy to wire and as it is a dryish bract it can be wired up quite far in advance.
The thistle that is used for buttonholes is an eryngium - a sea holly - native to the mediterranean and hotter places. The Scots Thistle is onopordum, a spiky monster over 8 feet tall and not at all suitable for buttonholes or bouquets.
I always try to persuade grooms to try something a little more unusual, something linked to the bride's bouquet.
I do not always succeed.
Here I was playing about with white heather - for the Scottish connection with cranberries and paperwhite narcissi, which are going to be in the Bride's bouquet. The cranberries are wired with a small vintage pearl on top and the shank would be bound in ribbon (here it is hurredly wrapped and pinned).
