By Mary-Jane O’Regan
A woman’s perfume has always been her trademark, with the likes of Marilyn Monroe claiming that the only thing she wore to bed was Chanel No. 5 – controversial at the time but sales rocketed.
What about your wedding day scent? Do you play it safe and choose your signature fragrance or do you veer away and choose something to make new memories with?
The scent you choose will be a vivid memory of the day itself, so it is imperative that you not only like your wedding day fragrance but that you love it. Sales of designer fragrances fell last year by around 20% but the luxury market increased, seeing premium and luxe niche brands becoming ever more popular. Eight & Bob is one such brand. Transported in a book during the war from Paris to overseas, the fragrances are now still made to the same high specification. Worn by Cary Grant, the fragrances are distinctive and luxurious and packaged as simply as they were in war times. My favourite is the original scent. It is fresh and elegant. They are available at Minihan’s Chemist. If your budget allows, go all out and wear the body lotion and shower gel, even save in advance and you will be able to bring them on honeymoon too. There is nothing more decadent than having a complete set of fragranced products that complement each other.
For me, personally, I chose a fragrance that I loved. I wanted romantic and floral and Chanel Allure is exactly that. Seven years on, I will wear it on special occasions or when I am feeling nostalgic. It is a classic and as it is Chanel and one of their bestsellers, unlikely to ever stop being produced. I wore the shower gel and body cream the day of the wedding too.
So, for all brides-to-be the choice available now is quite staggering and you can customise your scent and even have the venue smelling the same if you opt for Jo Malone London. As a brand they are the advocates of bespoke scents where you use fragrance combining to customise a scent you love. Candles are also available in many of the scents, so your home and venue can smell wonderful. My personal favourite wedding day scent from Jo is the Peony and Blush Suede one, which is feminine and romantic. For the males a fresh scent is Lime Basil and Mandarin, which when worn on a male skin is distinctive and surprisingly masculine, despite the fruity citrus base. Both of these scents have the full line, including shower gel and body lotion, so you can complete the all-day layering effect. The Vitamin E body scrub is also a decadent treat for spouses to be. This, like all Jo Malone, is unisex.
If your husband-to-be is a fan of the masculine scent then Gucci by Gucci is one worth trying. The woody bergamot top notes are fresh and sexy with a warm base of amber means that this is for a distinguished dapper gentleman that likes a decidedly manly scent.
If you are looking for a fun, floral, yet woody perfume, the latest fragrance, Pop by Stella McCartney, is for you. The fragrance top notes are violet and mandarin but the base of sandalwood and the all-important sexy musk. As the name suggests, this fragrance is fun but as it is also an eau de parfum, it lasts beautifully on your skin. In recent years Stella has launched some pretty gorgeous scents but this has been the best in a while with a broader appeal than her previous ones.
If you are a traditional girl, opt for something light and romantic like Lancôme Miracle. It is fresh and subtle but will last through the long day.
One of Lancôme’s newest fragrances, La Vie Est Belle, is stronger and sweeter and contains gourmand notes, so it isn’t exclusively floral.
If floral isn’t your thing, then try Prada Candy. It is sweet and smells of caramel, musk and vanilla; not a bloom in sight.
Another fragrance that isn’t dominated by flowers is Creed Virgin Island Water. It is unisex and contains mandarin, lime and coconut. The flowers contained in this are not distinctly floral but warmer, like ylang-ylang. It finishes off with finesse with some spicy ginger; a great his n’ hers option for the wedding day. I love this one and you can get it only in Brown Thomas. Like Eight & Bob it has a history behind it and for a long time produced fragrances for royalty.
The most important thing is that you like your wedding day fragrance. You don’t have to opt for traditional and there’s such a wide range of product available that you don’t need to be boring or the same as anyone else. Scent is something that is so intimate and so personal that all that really matters is that you are comfortable wearing it.
A final tip is if you are a bride wearing self-tan, spritz the back of your neck near the hairline to avoid unsightly blotchiness. Ensure also that your wedding day isn’t your first time wearing it, although allergies are rare they are not unheard of.