Your wedding day is undeniably one of the most special days of your life. Whether you choose to have a blowout, black-tie bash with 300 guests or an intimate gathering with your closest family and friends, you want the day you say “I do” to be one to remember.
To reminisce on their wedding, some couples have their guests sign a portrait, while others order wedding photo albums to look back on for years to come. Some brides, like everyone’s favorite royal Kate Middleton, are choosing another way to remember their special day: scentscaping.
Scentscaping is a method of using fragrance to create a custom mood or atmosphere in a space. Though this is a common practice in hotels, stores and spas, it’s frequently used in wedding planning.
By using candles or potpourri, you can customize the scent theme for your special day that guests will remember for years to come. Check out the infographic below or keep reading for details on how to create a personalized scent for your wedding!
Ways to Scent Your Wedding
By utilizing scentscaping for your wedding, all you have to do to remember your special day is rub on your signature perfume or light your reception candle. Once you smell your signature scent, you’ll be transported right back to the magic and love you felt during your wedding.
While Duchess Kate used her favorite candles inside Westminster Abbey for her nuptials, there are many ways to incorporate your favorite scents into both your ceremony and reception, including perfume, candles, potpourri, flowers, essential oils and cologne, just to name a few.
Candles
Get the best of both worlds with candles that double as lighting and as an easy way to create your scent theme. Use real or battery-operated scented candles along the aisle, on reception tables and throughout your venue to give your wedding a romantic (and scented!) glow.
Essential Oils
Implementing diffusers or drops of essential oils throughout your venue are perhaps the easiest ways to implement a scent theme into your special day. Use calming and relaxing oils, like lavender, vanilla, or geranium oils, to keep your guests—and yourself—stress free.
Flowers
What’s a wedding without flowers? To set a floral scentscape, use aromatic flowers as bouquets, centerpieces and decor—think petals down the aisle! Some of the most fragrant blooms include gardenia, rose and lily of the valley.
Perfume + Cologne
An easy way to scent your wedding is with a special aroma specifically for the bride, groom and wedding party. After the wedding, break the bottle out for anniversaries and other special occasions to reminisce on the magic of your day.
Potpourri
Get creative with your scent theme by implementing scented potpourri throughout your ceremony and reception. Include scented centerpieces, place scent satchels in your bouquets and send guests home with a sample of your wedding blend as party favors.
Popular Scent Themes
Based on the scent families and all of their subgroups, there is an endless array of scent themes for you to choose from. Whether you choose a woodsy and romantic or fresh and clean scent profile, you’re sure to create an atmosphere to remember for your special day.
Aromatic
Have some fun with a layered scent profile. Look to aromatic scents, like clean herbs and other tart scents, that will create a multidimensional scent profile to give you plenty of room to experiment or switch it up between the ceremony and reception.
Set the stage for a bohemian summertime ceremony with lavender bouquets, herbaceous centerpieces and a unisex scent for the entire wedding party, like Ck One.
Citrus
Give your reception a zesty zing. Think of orange, grapefruit or lemon and you’ll likely associate it with cleanliness and energy. These vitamin C-rich fruits—lemon scents in particular—can reduce stress and leave a positive impression on guests. What could be better for a wedding day?
For a classic Southern wedding, consider following in Kate’s footsteps with orange blossom ceremony candles and crisp, zesty scents like Green Tea Perfume for her and Eternity Cologne for him.
Floral
Make it feminine and romantic. Through the scents of roses, jasmine or gardenia, you’ll create an elegant atmosphere that can only be associated with the most upscale, classic, fairy-tale wedding.
For a dreamy, night-time wedding to remember, invest in fragrant bouquets, floral centerpieces, petals down the aisle and classically floral scents, like Gucci Bloom for the bride and Joop Cologne for the groom.
Fresh
Stage a no-scent scentscape. Sometimes the best scent theme is a clean one that’s not overwhelming. Think ocean breezes, rain and other crisp, clean scents to set the stage for a fresh-smelling, elegant reception.
For an upscale summer wedding, set the scent theme with fresh candles, lightly scented flowers and a clean scent like Byredo Blanche Perfume for the bride and Acqua di Gio Cologne for the groom.
Fruity
Make your big day fun and flirty. Your wedding is all about celebrating your love with family and friends, so prepare to celebrate with a fun, fruity scent theme. Think sweet scents like pear, apple or peach to add a tropical twist to your reception.
For a beachy summer wedding, use fruity centerpieces, sweet-scented potpourri and a fun, flirty scent like Light Blue Perfume for her and Nautica Voyage Cologne for him.
Green
Keep it down-to-earth. For those who want a more natural approach for their big day’s scent theme, look no further for inspiration than right outside. With scents reminiscent of green leaves and freshly mowed grass, you’re set for a clean and bright profile for your day.
To connect with your roots in an intimate springtime wedding, light some incense, decorate with freshly cut flowers and spritz yourself with a natural, unisex scent like Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca.
Oriental
Don’t be afraid to make a statement. For the bride who wants the ultimate scentscape, look no further than the oriental scent theme. To create an opulent backdrop for your nuptials, look to exotic, seductive scents like musk, cinnamon or vanilla.
To create an alluring atmosphere for your sultry, black-tie wedding, add in sweetly scented candles, spiced centerpieces and a spritz of Obsession Perfume for her and The One Cologne for him.
Woodsy
Use the best of the outdoors. If you love nature but aren’t crazy about florals, consider a woodsy scent theme. Rich scents, like cardamom, sandalwood or patchouli will create a warm, sensual background for your wedding.
To set the stage for a bohemian, outdoor ceremony, use wood-scented candles, fragrant potpourri, and a sultry scent like Mitsouko Perfume for her and Vetiver Carven Cologne for him.
No matter how you choose the scent theme for your wedding, remember to choose something that will serve as the perfect background for your special day. Without being too overpowering, choose scents that are meaningful to you and your partner. Your ceremony and reception will speed by, so remember to take a second to smell the flowers—or perfume, cologne, potpourri or however else you choose to set your scentscape!
