The Wedding Scenting Journey

A key part of our memories is fragrance. It has the power to transport us to places in our past, to the embrace of a loved one, to a cherished moment in time. The evocative nature of fragrance and our sense of nostalgia go hand in hand. It’s little wonder that many modern couples use it to mark their wedding day; choosing a scent that not only reflects who they are and the type of wedding they hope to have, but one that will be able to whisk them back to that day, and everything it made them feel, for a lifetime.

I know it may sound strange, but I started thinking about what my wedding would smell like almost as soon as I started thinking about what it would look like. Fragrance has been a powerful marker on almost every momentous occasion of my life. I remember the perfume I was wearing when I got my dream job, when I turned 30, when I got engaged. I knew I wanted scent to play a leading role in my wedding, and how I will always remember it. So, I booked Jo Malone London’s Scent Your Wedding experience and brought my mum along for the occasion.

‘Scented weddings have been a passion for the brand since the very beginning, becoming more formalised over the years into three main areas: personal scents for the couple, dressing the venue with fragrance, and ticking gift-giving off the to-do list by finding bespoke presents for the wedding party,’ explains Emma South, Jo Malone London’s fragrance and lifestyle expert. ‘With our extensive collection of fragrances there are so many ways to reflect the season, the venue and location, florals, and thematic elements through different notes. Most importantly, with reference to your personal fragrance tastes, likes and dislikes.’

I usually favour rich, lingering notes of smoky woods and ouds, heady exotic florals and sticky, juicy fruits, but I knew I didn’t want my wedding to smell like anything I normally wear (so my go-tos of Velvet Rose & Oud, Pomegranate Noir and Tuberose Angelica were out). Nor did I want it to be a scent I associate with anyone else (Red Roses will forever remind me of my mum).

Nothing too gourmand, either. And nothing too masculine – as much as I love the delicious heaviness of notes like whisky and leather, and the underrated lasciviousness of cedarwoods and birches. So, a fond farewell was bid to Cypress & Grapevine, Hinoki & Cedarwood, Silver Birch & Lavender and Whisky & Cedarwood.

So, what did I want my wedding to smell like? To answer this question, Emma asked me to explain what the day will look like: the overall aesthetic; the venue’s natural features; our chosen colour palette; and any other key design elements. I told her that we were getting married at a charming Georgian estate tucked between the rolling hills of the Kent countryside, a stone’s throw from the seaside town of Deal. The ceremony would be outside – pending many prayers to the British weather gods! – in the venue’s rose garden, where bountiful rows of wildflowers, zinnias, hydrangeas and verbena bloom. I wanted our wedding to celebrate the sun-drenched vibrancy of summer, with a colour palette of light pinks and peaches, powder blues and sunrise oranges. It will be natural, whimsical and romantic, yet fun and laidback; a joy-filled day of dancing and spritz-sipping slowly ebbing into a warm, hazy evening as the sun sinks behind the hills and the fairy lights flicker into life. Essentially, we want it to be the best darn garden party you’ve ever been to.

With that in mind, Emma selected a range of colognes and lined them up in front of my mum and I, sampling each one in turn and asking us to provide a ranking out of 10, without revealing their names. ‘See this as your “fragrance fitting”; much like a dress fitting, you’ll know the winning option once worn,’ Emma said, encouraging us to employ the brand’s philosophy of Scent Layering (combining different colognes together). ‘Each fragrance at Jo Malone London is designed with a minimal number of ingredients so it can be layered with others from the collection, creating a wedding scent that is uniquely you.’

After some time spritzing and deliberating, I settled on two that I felt perfectly captured the spirit of our wedding day – the first, a light floral, sumptuous but not saccharine, with a luscious juiciness singing through; the second, equally romantic and uplifting, but with something extra that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, almost like a sunnier, warmer version of a white musk.

Emma revealed the fragrances: English Pear & Sweet Pea and Peony & Blush Suede. Next, a pampering hand & arm massage using the Peony & Blush Suede Body & Hand Wash and Hand Cream. ‘This helps you discover the different ways of wearing scent, creating layers of fragrance to enhance its longevity,’ Emma said. ‘On your wedding day, start your getting-ready prep with Peony & Blush Suede Bath Oil, which will bring an aura of calm and provide the first veil of fragrance. Next, apply the indulgently rich body crème for glowing, supple skin, while ensuring your scent lasts throughout the day. The final flourish is a mist of English Pear & Sweet Pea over your dress and veil, creating a marriage of notes bespoke to you.’ I also hope to use the Peony & Blush Suede candles throughout my venue to not only scent the day further, but because nothing adds to a romantic atmosphere like the cossetting amber glow of candlelight. ‘Clustering candles in different heights adds visual impact,’ Emma added, ‘not only to the tables, but to other photographic locations such as stairwells, arches and the aisle.’

The personalisation was a perfect finishing touch; I came home with both fragrances, engraved with my married initials and in an iconic ribbon-tied Jo Malone London gift box, embossed with the words: ‘Bride-To-Be’.

Overall, I couldn’t be happier with my chosen wedding fragrances. Together, the abundance of delicate flowers creates a bright bouquet of blossoming petals, the pear and the apple adding that refreshing, quenching top note, and the base notes of patchouli and suede – that ‘muskiness’ I detected – adding a subtle sensuality. It smells like the best darn garden party you’ve ever been to, where guests are dancing in the wildflower gardens, while children dash through the pear-scented orchard, the warm summer sun peeking between the leafy trees. It smells like my wedding. Together, these fragrances will have the power to take me back there for the rest of my life.