More often than not the bride or groom will have a favourite fragrance that they are comfortable wearing. For some, the fragrance they will choose for the day will remind them of a romantic holiday or a particular event they attended while wearing that particular perfume. A friend of mine wears an oriental fragrance like Tom Ford's Black Orchid for high-pressure business meetings at which she wants to make an impact - it is a very strong, heady fragrance. Black Orchid is quite distinctive, packed with black truffle, ylang ylang, bergamot, black currant and jasmine notes and considered quite fashionable by some. Wearing that particular perfume at her own wedding may be a mistake as it could trigger the feelings of anxiety that she experiences in the boardroom.
Fragrance is an important accessory which serves to amplify and sometimes influence your mood and therefore it needs as much thought as the colour of the bride's dress or the groom's buttonhole. If the bride is a true romantic, perhaps more traditional notes of rose, gardenia and jasmine may be appropriate. The groom should most certainly opt for a lightly scented or unfragranced deodorant on the day otherwise with any nervous perspiration there will be a cheap fragrance following him (and her) around! Actually, if the bride and groom are spending most of the day together arm in arm and working the room it may be an idea to agree on a single unisex fragrance and both wear it...as long as that doesn't cause any (pre)marital arguments, of course.Fragrance should always be seasonally appropriate. If you are married in the depths of winter, a citrus, floral fragrance may seem a bit too light and summery for the occasion and can easily be drowned-out by strong-smelling flowers - after all, you will not want to be upstaged by your bouquet.
It's definitely worth being mindful of the flowers that have been chosen for the venue. Fragrance combining is a bit of an art form in itself and a clash of scented candles, fragrant flowers and perfume can be nauseating. No two of your guests will have similar taste in fragrance so it's a good idea to opt for the most inoffensive and cohesive fragrances you possibly can, especially at the tables where food is served. When you are at your tasting for the wedding breakfast, try taking some flowers and candles along and see what combination works best while you are trialling the dishes for the day. Neroli or mimosa scented candles are generally a safe choice as they are fairly mild scents that softly fragrance a room - try the Mimosa Scented Candle by GEODESIS, £20, Cologne & Cotton, which has an uplifting effect.