Struggling to choose your wedding day perfume? We have created a guide to help you find the most memorable scent you’ll cherish forever.
As most will agree, it’s not just about the way look – you need to feel great in order to be confident on your wedding day. And part of feeling good is to smell heavenly! Although your pictures won’t capture these kinds of extra details, your guests and your new hubby or wife will be embracing you throughout the day so you want to ensure your odour leaves a positive, lasting impression on them.
Have you ever caught a hint of an aroma and suddenly been taken back to a place in your childhood? This is because smell and memory are very closely linked with certain odours producing vivid memories – it’s a scientific fact! This is why choosing your wedding day fragrance is so important as it can leave a permanent imprint in your brain. Your forever smell…
Your smell, your choice
Of course, we must reiterate that your chosen fragrance is completely up to you. Just like most of the decisions you have made up to this point in your wedding planning, this element is personal and should be a reflection of you.
This is why, in this article, we want to open you up to the choices available to you and to help you to figure out what you like or dislike so that you can feel truly content with your decision.
In other words, we’re here to help you make scents of it all!
Where to start
If you already have a favourite fragrance, then this can be your starting point. If it’s the brand you are attracted to then you know where to begin your search, or you can start to think about what it is about the smell you like (is it fresh, fruity, floral, woody or spicy, even?).
If, however, you don’t regularly wear any type of body spray then you may wish to skip ahead to the next section where we explain what the different types of fragrance are.
If you’re an Armani person through and through, you might be quite happy to stick to your everyday scent on your wedding day. But do you want to smell as you would normally or would you like to wear something totally new and invigorating that will always remind you of this special day? That is the dilemma!
Different types of fragrance
Aside from the different categories of smells they may represent, there are different types of fragrance that have their own unique properties.
Perfume
Although its name is given is to almost all fragrances, Perfume has the highest blend of fragranced oils and is therefore the strongest in odour. Being heavier and more oily, it can last all day.
Eau de Parfum
Eau de Parfum is next with a slightly smaller concentration of perfume extract, making it a cheaper option than the above. It is said to last up to 8 hours if applied correctly (you can see more on how to get the most out of your fragrance at the end of this article!).
Eau de Toilette
Eau de Toilette describes a light fragrance that is designed to stay on for between 2 to 4 hours. This affordable fragrance type evaporates fast due to its high alcohol and low oil content.
Eau de Cologne
Though thought to be one for men, Eau de Cologne comes in bottles for men women and can stay on for a couple of hours.
Eau Fraiche
Eau Fraiche is, as its name suggests the weakest of scents as it is made up almost entirely of fresh water with a small percentage of essential oils. With hardly any staying power, it’s often used to freshen up with, much like a soapy water.
Matching a scent to your theme
If you have fully committed to a theme, then don’t stop at your décor. It’s possible (and oh so satisfying) to maintain your theme throughout every last detail, including your scent for the day.
As we’ve mentioned before, perfumes are placed into categories according to their smell. So if, for example, you’re planning an Italian inspired summer’s wedding with Limoncello and seasonal fruits then it would be fitting to go for a perfume with fruity undertones. On the flip side, if your day is going to be based upon an earthy boho theme, then a natural woody scent would work perfectly!
Popular wedding fragrances 2022
As with most products in the Beauty industry, perfumes come in and out of fashion. Of course, there are the leading brands with their iconic scents that seem to stay up there among the ‘classics’, but if you’re looking to follow new trends and wear a scent that is new and trendy, then take a look at our best picks of fragrances for 2022 brides below.
- Akro Awake Eau de Parfum
- Hermès Twilly d’Hermès Eau de Parfum
- Gucci Bloom Eau de Toilette
- Maya Njie Tropica Eau de Parfum
- Diptyque Orpheon Eau de Parfum
- Nancy Meiland Rosier Eau de Parfum
- And of course the firm favourites by Dior, Chanel and Jo Malone Fragrances
Tips on how to make your fragrance last all day
If you apply too much of it, your perfume can be a tad overwhelming. But it’s equally frustrating when you simply can’t get your favourite scent to stay on! So how can you make your fragrance last all day?
On ensuring that your perfume is as long lasting as possible, Hair and Beauty experts claim that you should:
- Store fragrances in a cool and dark space
- Apply your scent after bathing/showering
- Moisturise your skin first, and apply Vaseline or petroleum jelly for extra hold
- Hold the bottle at arm’s length
- Spray onto dry skin
- Use your pulse points as a guide (i.e. wrists, neck, back of knees, elbow creases, but don’t forget to spray a little onto your hairbrush too before combing)
- Avoid rubbing it with your hands or wrists after spraying
Last but not least, if you want your clothing to carry your signature smell too then you could line your drawers, wardrobe or wedding dress storage bag with the perfume in the weeks running up to your big day for a subtle scent.