DIY: Prize Ribbon Boutonnieres

As some of you may know, our upcoming wedding is based around a country fair theme. We came to rest on this theme for two reasons: the fun of it fit our personalities and it was sentimental.

Our first date was at the Coweta County Fairgrounds way back in September 2006. How fitting is it that almost six years later to the day, we will be getting married at the same place where our first date was?

While I am absolutely in love with our theme, it has presented its fair share of challenges. One of the biggest is making sure my country fair wedding doesn't turn into a kid's carnival-themed birthday party. There is definitely a fine line.

While walking the fine line, my mother (a.k.a. my wedding planning partner in crime) and I have discovered there are not really many decorations or wedding-related paraphernalia that fit our theme appropriately. Like I said, it was all mostly made for a child's birthday party - leaving us to brainstorm and hand create items on our own. One of those items - prize ribbon boutonnieres!

I wanted to find a way to incorporate the fair theme into our ceremony. Our idea? Using prize ribbons instead of your typical flower boutonniere.

There are hardly any tutorials online about how to make such a thing so most of this one was trial-and-error. I'm sharing this one to help the bride that comes after me searching for a tutorial on how to make these unique boutonnieres.

Enjoy!
Miranda

Tutorial: Prize Ribbon Boutonnieres

You'll need:

• Cardstock
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Printer

Instructions:

1. Print out the Rosette Template and cut out the strips along the dotted line. 
2. Fold the strips carefully along the dotted lines keeping each fold approximately the same width down the entire strip. 

3. Glue the ends of the strips together by laying one fold over the other. 

4. Print out the Circles Template and Back Disc Template. {The Circle Template is editable so you can put anything in the blanks that you wish. You could even leave the circles blank and write in calligraphy in the centers.} 

5. Cut out the circle and the back disc. I made these a little big so you can trim them down to whatever size you want on your prize ribbon. Lay the rosette out. Then, glue the circle onto the back disc like so.

6. Now comes the tricky part. Pinch the rosette so that the middle comes together and use lots of hot glue to keep it in place. Do this to both sides. 

7. Now, glue the circle and back disc to the rosette by putting a circle of glue on the back of the disc. 

8. Cut two legs to attach to the rosette and glue one leg on top of the other. 

9. Lastly, glue your legs onto the rosette by putting a triangle of glue on the top of the legs. And there you have it! A prize ribbon boutonniere! 

When the big day draws near, I plan on hot gluing safety pins to the back.