5 Secrets to a Blissfully Fragrant Wedding Day

What’s the recipe for a great wedding? Of course, love, respect and joy in abundance are most important.

But what about the details? Do you believe a wedding celebration should be a feast for all the senses – sight, sound, taste, texture and smell? Exquisite outfits and magnificent flowers are a sight to behold. The finest music lifts our spirits. The tastes and textures of the wedding feast bring us more delight.

The use of scent, the fifth sense, at weddings varies greatly. Weddings are, of course, culturally and traditionally different according to where in the world they are taking place. In some cultures, there is a great focus on fragrance. In others, scent is a smaller detail that can be a little overlooked.

Wherever you are, there are some compelling reasons to ensure that your wedding day is blissfully fragrant. We’ll look at what these incentives are before moving on to some ideas for adding scent to your wedding.

Why is fragrance so important for wedding celebrations?

The most stand-out reason is that fragrance can really set the ambiance for the day. Many scents are proven to have mood-boosting properties. Aromatherapy is a go-to treatment for many people looking to enhance their mood. It works because scent stimulates the synapses in the brain. These then release feel-good hormones.

Many fragrance options will help to create a positive mood and ambiance on your big day. For example, you can choose an uplifting scent like a citrus smell to highlight on your wedding day, or a calming and comforting scent like lavender. Consider how you would like to feel, how you would like your guests to feel, and the mood you would like to create. Then all you need to do is find which fragrance type will help achieve this.

Another powerful reason to scent your wedding is to invest in the memories that your chosen fragrances will later evoke. Consider how certain aromas can instantly whisk you back in time. The smell of freshly baked cookies may take you back to your childhood home. An exotic floral fragrance may remind you of a far-flung holiday destination. How and why does this happen? It’s because the region of the brain that deals with memory is very closely linked with the part that processes sensory information from your nose.

This biological fluke means that smells can trigger powerful and emotional memories more than any other sense. You can use this knowledge now. By paying attention to really fragrancing every element of your wedding day, you can help evoke memories of your special day in the future.

The final crucial reason to pay close attention to fragrance is that scent is so individual and personal. The scent you wear on the day can say a lot about your personality and sense of style, just as much as your wedding clothes and designer accessories. On a day that’s all about you and your betrothed, why not choose to infuse fragrance into your wedding using a scent that celebrates who you both are?

How to add fragrance to your wedding

Adding fragrance to your wedding celebrations can take your day to another level of beauty. Create a captivating, charming atmosphere and make a striking style statement using your favorite scents.

With inspiration from all over the globe, here are five ideas for creating an exquisite sensory experience for you and your guests on your wedding day.

1.     With flowers

Flowers are a part of weddings almost everywhere. Their appeal is both visual and olfactory. Visually, flowers can be a part of your wedding color scheme and bring delicate beauty to your celebrations with their vast array of shapes and styles. It’s important to pay as much attention to the scent of your flowers as their look. You can use an abundance of carefully chosen flowers to create a heady scent that will make an impact on your guests.

Some flowers are more scented than others. Here are some flowers that produce rich, evocative scents:

• The rose is a classic floral scent and an ingredient of many perfumes. It is popular at English summer weddings for its pretty, timeless and feminine fragrance.
• Lilies are more flamboyant, both in look and scent.
• The tiny flowers of jasmine are also beautifully scented. They have a romantic fragrance that features in countless perfumes.
• You can also add herbs to floral arrangements to add a woody, more earthy aroma.

Work with your wedding florist to create a floral display that is striking, both in sight and scent.

2.     With a perfume station

Fragrance is an important part of Emirati culture. Here, it is believed that scent is an important way to make a statement about who you are. For this reason, perfume stations are popular at Emirati weddings.

A wedding perfume station allows wedding guests to create their own fragrance to mark the day. With help from professional attendees, guests experience the joy of creating a fine fragrance. With every guest so beautifully scented, the overall aroma within the venue becomes incredible.

The bride and groom can choose the perfumes and oils. Oud is often used as a signature scent. This woody but highly unique fragrance is beloved in the region. Alongside perfume stations, fragrance is layered at an Emirati wedding venue using medkhan and dakhoon. Medkhan are a vessel for burning fragranced wood chips, dakhoon, to pleasantly scent a room.

3.     With scented candles

What could be more romantic than a candlelit wedding?  If you are getting married in colder, darker months, then fresh flowers will be harder to come by. Why not illuminate your winter wedding with beautifully scented candles? Their warm glow is also so welcoming to guests.

There are modern alternatives to creating fragrant rooms. Electronic devices such as dry air diffusers are very effective at creating exactly the scent you want and dispersing it effectively around your venue.

4.     With signature scents

The scents you and your betrothed choose to wear on your wedding day are very special. Whenever you spritz this scent in the future, you will always be taken straight back to this joyful day. Take your time to consider your options. Choose a scent that you adore and makes you feel like you. Choose one that encompasses everything you feel about your wedding day and your future marriage.

5.     With all the little details

There are so many little extra ways that you can fragrance a focal point of your wedding day. Once you have chosen your scents, why not give guests a sneak preview by spritzing invitations?

Confetti is traditional at European weddings. Why not present your guests with beautifully fragranced petals to throw around? Consider also providing guests with a little take-home gift like a candle or miniature scent to remind them of your special day.

With these five ideas, there is a lot to think about here, but the efforts made to layer scent at your wedding will be amply rewarded. After your big celebration is over, you can look forward to instantly reconnecting with the moment by enjoying the scent you chose.

AUTHOR BIO

Ayoob Ibrahim is the CEO and co-founder of Emirates Pride Perfumes, online Arabic perfume, oud and dakhoon retailers with 21 stores across the UAE. Ayoob started the company 10 years ago with his 2 brothers, guiding its journey towards becoming the most distinguished perfume company in the Middle East. Emirates Pride also offers flowers, wedding perfume consultations and customized products.