When designing Mother of the Bride or Mother of the Groom outfits I always take the corsage into consideration. Traditionally the corsage would be pinned to the right lapel of a jacket or coat which worked well when a suit was the accepted wear for Mother of the Bride or Mother of the Groom. But now many outfits don’t include lapels so where should you put a corsage?
It’s a custom that endures and even at the most relaxed weddings the Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom like to wear one. Maybe it’s down to our love of flowers in this country but wearing a corsage on a flimsy silk or lace dress without causing damage is a challenge. Often the bride’s mother will have a say in the bride’s choice of flowers. You can request the florist to use a magnet fixing instead of a pin to avoid damage – but if the flowers are heavy this won’t sit well. Another option is to wear the corsage on your wrist but this can be easily missed in the photos.
Julie, Step mother of the bride wearing Elizabeth Bessant couture duck egg silk linen dress with hand made flower corsage
Debbie, mother of the bride wearing Elizabeth Bessant couture blush beaded dress with a fresh flower corsage
One of my clients Julie, who was Step Mother of the Bride didn’t want to wear a corsage. Instead I made her a duck egg silk linen dress and for wow factor I added a cluster of silk flowers in soft shades of pinks and greys with pearl centres that cascaded over the right shoulder.
Sandra, mother of the bride wearing Elizabeth Bessant couture with a corsage of personal trinkets and peaco*ck feather
Sandra wanted her Mother of the Bride outfit to compliment her daughter’s original 1950’s wedding dress. I made her a slim fitting calf length peaco*ck silk dress with three quarter sleeves. The bride chose a brooch bouquet and wanted the corsages for Mother of Bride and Mother of the Groom and buttonholes for the men to compliment her look. Corsages and buttonholes of meaningful brooches and trinkets were made that were personal to each wearer. This solution meant there were no worries about keeping flowers alive and everyone had a keepsake.
But this was a more unusual choice. Once the flowers have been chosen the challenge then is how to keep your Mother of the Bride or Mother of the Groom corsage fresh.
Here are my top 4 tips:
1. Don’t have the corsage delivered too early. Speak to your florist to arrange the delivery schedule. However you must order in advance to ensure availability of your chosen flowers.
2. To keep your corsage fresh, spray the end of the stems with cool water to keep the blooms open. Just before wearing it spray a flower sealant over the blooms and stems to protect these.
3. If your corsage is being delivered the night before you can put it in the refrigerator on a shelf near the door – but for no longer than 24 hours.
4. Choose hardy flowers which can withstand temperature change without wilting – roses, chrysanthemum, orchids and baby’s breath.
If you would like any advice on Mother of the Bride or Mother of the Groom outfits or your corsage,
I will be at The National Wedding show, Olympia from February 15th-17th 2019.
