A wedding fragrance with a difference

Picture this; an August wedding, set in a quintessentially English countryside venue, with outdoor games spread over the large expanse of lawn, champagne served to guests by the river and the ceremony itself held in a garden of white roses.

Wedding fragrance composition for this may well automatically turn to the scent of an English country garden with lavender, rose and jasmine featuring heavily and indeed for this particular scent, the latter two were indeed included - it was in the English countryside after all.

However, the main feature wasn’t floral at all – it was fresh, bright and green.

Despite the popularity of the pungent, overpowering scents that mass produced synthetic perfumes and room fragrances often offer, and which we may have all become a bit too used to, when it comes to natural aromas it’s not always about shouting loud to be heard, or in this case smelled.

Our noses are constantly inundated with thousands of different scents, and those that vie for attention can be jarring, uncomfortable and often feel out of place with the surroundings they appear in.

This is not only true with personal scents but also with fragrances created specifically for weddings and events because, just like us, they often don’t need to be the centre of attention. Sometimes the situation calls for a scent to simply sit quietly in the background, enhancing the mood, intensifying the atmosphere and illuminating the actual main event and its personalities.

Acting as a faithful companion rather than a show stopper doesn’t diminish its power, rather it enhances it, and often it is noticed all the more for that.

And so it was at this glorious summer wedding because, although a soft floral accord featured to honour the ceremony setting, the bride’s chosen floral arrangements and the style and colours of the reception area, the heart of the fragrance we created, was green.

And it was perfect for their occasion. A touch of basil provided an herbal lift, the intense sharpness of galbanum cut through the sweetness of the floral accord, and Calabrian bergamot and green mandarin offered a welcome burst of citrus freshness.

It wafted gently through the event, providing a cooling backdrop in the heat of summer as guests fanned themselves with their order of services and menu cards, many recognising immediately that they were scented, remarking how refreshing it was and then trying to identify the individual aromas.

It also perfectly reflected the personalities, characters and lives of the happy couple, who love nature and the outdoors and often search out the green spaces to spend time in the city where they live.

And that’s the beauty of a botanical fragrance when it’s created to suit an occasion or an individual, and not forced into or onto one that it may not belong to. The natural aromas work with the setting, should seamlessly blend into the day and most importantly must represent all that the main personalities are, as individuals and as a couple.

It certainly did that.

Their wedding fragrance will always be theirs alone, after all their minds have now linked it firmly to their special day, and it will only take the waft of their fresh, green scent around any space that they choose to be in, to transport them back to a particular hot day in August, at a beautiful venue in the English countryside, drinking champagne and celebrating their union with friends and loved ones.