A Guide to Choosing Your Perfect Wedding Scent

Understanding the different scent profiles

Finding the right perfume for brides is a very intimate choice and ultimately comes down to the bride herself. So, before making this decision, you might find it beneficial to understand the different olfactive (scent) families and profiles that are available to you for the big day.

Fresh fragrances: crisp, bright and invigorating, fresh fragrances are usually accompanied by citrus, zesty notes as well as oceanic aromas. Clean, fresh scents are a wonderful choice for your wedding since they’re light and inviting.

• Our fresh bridal fragrance pick: Idôle Eau De Parfum. Fresh, fearless and unapologetic, one of Lancôme’s perfumers, Adriana Medina, describes Idôle Eau De Parfum as “a soul-connecting fragrance which leads [her] to believe she can conquer anything she desires”. The perfect wedding scent to begin the next chapter of your life.

Fruity fragrances: a fruity fragrance delicately toes the line between sweet fruit and blooming floral arrangements. Luscious notes of raspberry, blackcurrant, blackberry, plum, lychee, mandarine and more are typical of fruity scents.

• Our fruity bridal fragrance pick: Poême Eau De Parfum. This vibrant fragrance epitomises enchanting sensuality with top notes of blue Himalayan poppy, lychee blossom, before revealing floral heart notes of orange blossom, mimosa and jasmine, while base notes of vanilla and desert datura flower communicate a deeper complexity.

Floral fragrances: delightfully feminine and romantic, floral scents are infused with bouquet-like aromas with common notes of roses, lilies, peonies and jasmine. Floral scents tap into the romance of your wedding day and they can be anywhere from subtle to seductive, though equally memorable.

• Our floral bridal fragrance pick:La Vie Est Belle L'eau De Parfum. Helmed as “the fragrance of happiness”, this joyfully feminine scent articulates the grandiosity of your special day with a deeply addictive trail of iris pallida, patchouli and vanilla accord.

Rose fragrances: a classic choice and a subsect of the floral olfactive family, rose scents, like their flower counterpart, are steeped in romantic tradition, passion and desire. Rose perfumes, like the bride wearing it, are more complex than meets the eye, unveiling deeper, more complex notes with time.

• Our rose bridal fragrance pick:Idôle Now Eau De Parfum. Inspired by nature and perfected by alchemists, Idôle Now Eau De Parfum places rose at the epicentre of its scent profile, accompanied by orchid accord and a vanilla infusion for a deeply alluring representation of nature.

Tip #1: Consider the setting and time of day

If you’re stuck on wedding day perfume ideas, we suggest that you zoom out and take a look at the day from a holistic standpoint. Consider the setting and season – are you getting married at a winery during autumn? Or is it a dreamy, summer affair in Sicily? (We can dream!) Let your perfume complement these elements of your day. For example, fresh, airy or citrus-based scents make a perfect summer wedding fragrance, while floral scents are the embodiment of a spring wedding. Conversely, if you’re hosting a winter wedding at dusk, you might find yourself drawn to a headier blend of spices or woody notes.

Tip #2: Match to your bouquet

If you have your heart set on a floral bridal fragrance but feel daunted by the prospect of having to narrow down your selection, we suggest matching your perfume to your bouquet. Bridal perfumes are special and, in addition to the rest of your wedding look, this creates another thematic thread between you and your day. Seek out fragrances that have floral notes that are going to complement your flower arrangement, for instance, this might be a delicate scent infused with top notes of iris or richer heart notes of jasmine.

Tip #3: Remember your own personal preference

From your bouquet to your reception, you can tap into a well of inspiration to guide your choice of bridal scent. But your personal preference is the ultimate gauge for whether a perfume is right for such a momentous occasion. This scent is going to unfurl throughout one of the most important days of your life – you have to love it! If you want to wear a fruity fragrance on your wedding day, then embrace this scent profile. For an unfamiliar fragrance, we recommend wearing it several times before the wedding and in various weather conditions if possible. This will give you an excellent sense of how the perfume will interact with your skin on the day.

Tip #4: Keep to your favourite scent

Perhaps you have trialled a wealth of different perfumes but you keep coming back to your original signature fragrance. If so, this might be a sign that the best perfume for your wedding day is in fact your everyday scent. Maybe your everyday scent was gifted to you by your partner or another cherished loved one, so it already holds a deep meaning that will translate beautifully to your wedding day. If you wear the same scent daily, you guests will likely already have an association with your fragrance, allowing you to leave a perfume trail that matches your unique brand of je ne sais quoi.

With your perfect bridal perfume selected, explore our tips on how to apply perfume the French way for longevity on the big day.