How to choose your wedding perfume

To choose your wedding perfume is to select a fragrance as a talisman of your new life together. Whereas you may spritz and buy a perfume on impulse in the duty free or on a retail spree day out in the city, choosing a wedding fragrance – for her and/or for him – is a decision that comes less lightly.

Choosing that bridal perfume adds a frisson of excitement and anticipation to your celebrations. But, that all-important decision is one that is imbued with meaning. Because the value of a wedding perfume far outlives one day and one flacon. As Christian Dior said:“Long after one has forgotten what a woman wore, the memory of her perfume lingers.”

What is a wedding perfume?

In contrast to how we view our wedding photos or film, our sensory experience of scent is mysterious and everlasting. We do know that scent unlocks memory in a way far more powerful than that of vision or voice.

A wedding fragrance is therefore a scented keepsake of your special day, enabling you to cherish precious memories and relive them every time you wear it. Your wedding day perfume is a perfect talisman for your future life together.

Choosing a perfume can be confusing at any time, and all the more so when you wish to find that perfect fragrance for your special day. Although your chosen fragrance will be an intimate affair to be cherished by both bride and groom, it will make its first outing at the most public of occasions and be noticed by all those close and dear. It needs to be memorable and yet not overpowering for guests, seductive, sophisticated, special, ideally unique and totally in tune with your loves, wishes and overall wedding-day theme.

Having set the scene about what a wedding perfume is and why it is so special, how do you go about choosing the right fragrance for you on your wedding day?

Tips on choosing the best wedding perfume

Here are some tips to help guide you to the best wedding fragrance for you:

1. Be unique

An off-the-shelf department store or duty-free fragrance is safe and easy to find. But not unique. Plan in advance, as much as you will be with other aspects of your wedding preparations, so you have time to seek out some niche, more artisanal perfumeries offering fragrances in small batches, as limited editions or even as bespoke or semi-bespoke perfume creation services. Artisan perfumes have come a long way since the days of Etsy cheapies; just look at our round-up of niche perfumeries in Paris to see how luxe and special many are.

2. Don’t be afraid to buy perfume online

If you don’t have time to go retail shopping or have few, interesting perfumeries near you, then search online for your wedding fragrance. Most online perfumeries sell sample vials for you to trial out a perfume. This is ideal as you can evaluate a new fragrance in comfort over several weeks, in different weather and moods, to see how it performs and evolves.

Many also send a sample vial with any full size purchase and are happy to accept unopened returns. This reduces the risk in trying out brands you’ve not come across before.

3. Your scent / perfume note wishes

Before buying or trialing, try to think through what you desire in a new and special fragrance. Jot down any particular perfume notes you’d like to see in your chosen wedding fragrances for bride and groom. These might include notes of narcotic white florals like jasmine, orange blossom and tuberose, or aquatic/marine notes or leather and oud notes. Once you start building up a profile of a chosen wedding perfume, you can start to narrow down your search. If choosing for both bride and groom, either go for a more genderless perfume, like our Olentium Le Parfum, or complementary notes in perfumes that won’t jar when you are both together and greeting guests.

Think of scents that make your heart sing, such as of flowers you love or aromas that recall treasured travels or moments.

4. Wedding perfumes to suit your theme

You have put so much passion into the wedding day arrangements, that is makes perfect sense for your chosen wedding perfume to be composed in harmony with your style of wedding and your personality. Think about the other choices you are making in terms of colours, and flowers in your bouquet and the floral displays to dress the church and reception. Think too about the type of venue, whether open-air or in a grand ballroom, and the style of your wedding, from rustic eco-chic to Italianate villa.

All these other details can provide clues to your wedding perfume, giving you a theme to work from. This is especially important if you opt for a bespoke perfume as the perfumer will need as much background information to work from as possible. Every detail, from colours to your style of wedding dress, hint at how to choose your wedding perfume.

5. A wedding perfume as wedding favours

Your bridesmaids and groomsmen are part of your life…past, present and future. They are by your side throughout your wedding preparations. They bring continuity with your past and good wishes for your future journey. What better way to thank them and to share your wedding day memories than to gift a vial of your special wedding perfume?

There are wedding favours that get left behind or get forgotten in purses and suit pockets. And then there are those that not only say thank you but become treasured mementos of a perfect wedding day shared. A keepsake vial of your wedding fragrance is a truly unique way to show your gratitude to your guests and share your love.

It would make a very special, memorable wedding favour for VIP, top-table wedding guests and be a more personal thank you than the regular wedding favours – bonbonniere as they call them in Italian – that are handed out to all wedding guests (which can number hundreds at Mediterranean weddings).

Bespoke and semi-bespoke perfumes lend themselves easily to this option as the perfumer can make up less concentrated eau de toilette for your guest vials and reserve the more expensive parfum strength for yourselves and your bridesmaids and groomsmen, as you wish. If choosing a retail wedding perfume, opt for a brand that offers handbag sizes in 5, 10 or 15ml vials so you can gift those.

In conclusion…

Above all, your bridal fragrance should embody your wedding day as well as accompany your life, both as a keepsake of the day, and as a talisman for your future together. Ultimately, what makes the best wedding fragrance for her or him, is one that you love now and will cherish forever. Ask yourself when you choose your wedding perfume if you can imagine gifting it to your children to perhaps wear on a special day. If the answer if yes, then you have probably chosen your wedding fragrance – if not by chance, then by design.

We help you choose your wedding perfume

Olentium niche fragrances are hand-blended in artisanal batches on the island of Malta, and are the perfect accompaniment to a Malta wedding and will be distributed across mainland Europe from autumn 2022. Opt for one of our already limited edition fragrances or commission a bespoke perfume. We make the process of devising your unique wedding perfume, smooth, personal, creative and fun.

For more information on Olentium’s Bridal and Wedding Fragrance services, see our online brochure.