The hardest button to button

Or, your advice is sought, please.  As usual, there’s a story to begin with.  Thank you in advance for your wise words and kind consideration.

Deri proposed, in our kitchen, on my birthday last year (at six o’clock in the morning because I was working that weekend), with a button threaded onto an offcut of ribbon left over from Christmas, which he tied onto my finger.  I’d always said I would want to be involved in choosing any ring I was going to wear for such a long time, and truthfully my engagement ring is not one he would have chosen, or the one I would have bought if I’d been shopping on my own, but we both love it and it’s a perfect combination of what we both wanted in a ring, which makes me really happy.

The button he proposed with is one of a pair he bought from The Button Lady in Hampstead, and he wants us each to wear one of the buttons on our wedding day.  His will be part of his buttonhole, and I want to wear mine in my hair.  My dress has a crew neckline and short sleeves, and I’m going to wear my hair (long, thick, dark brown) up, in a bun of some kind.

I would be grateful for your advice on what to do with my button.  On its own, pinned to the side of my head, I think it will get lost, but I don’t want to make it part of a big frothy headpiece in which it would disappear.  It is a very pretty, mauve- white and gold enamel button with a tiny pink-and-red rose in the middle and teensy green leaves, and I would like to echo this, and also the flowers of Deri’s buttonhole, in my hairpiece somehow.  I also want it to be quite simple, because I am not a girl who usually wears very pretty, decorative pieces, and I don’t see why I should morph into a Disney princess just because I’m getting hitched.

The button is about 2 cm in diameter, slightly smaller than a 10p piece, and bigger than a penny.

Do you think Queenie approves?

So, any thoughts?  I am considering using a few more buttons to make a small bouquet, with perhaps the odd fabric-covered button, and some of mother-of-pearl, which we both love.  Obviously I would want my engagement button to be the star piece!  Alternatively, I’ve thought of making the button an accompanying leaf of some kind, perhaps of felt with some little glass beads sewn on – or of course I could just have a buttonhole of my own to match Deri’s, and shove that into my hair.

If you’re wondering what the flowers will be, I don’t know!  My mum arranges flowers better than anyone I know, and has kindly agreed to do ours.  I’ve told her I want lots of foliage – ideally including leaves which smell good, like rosemary and bay – flowers which are in season in June, and an English-garden feel, and other than that she has carte blanche.  I know they will be beautiful.

Thank you so much for any thoughts you might have.  My button and I are really grateful.

About these ads