A high-end, brand focused luxury lifestyle feature published by New Orleans Bride magazine, this article broke down the the importance of fragrance in terms of evoking memory, the historical background and basic — though obscure — facts about perfume-making, the main categories of scent, and recommendations in each group. Research and top choices were conducted and selected by interviewing sales professionals, consulting reference material, and through intensive … smelling, for lack of a better word!

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Studies have shown smell to be one of the most extraordinary senses of our five, linked in deep and powerful ways to cognition and memory. All it may take is a whiff of an aroma to take you to a time, a place, to something as long as an era or as short as a moment. Sweet olive in the springtime; briny air in the Gulf; the deep breath you took before you said, “I do.”
That’s right—a scent, if chosen well, can kick-start your brain, bringing a lifelong association to that magical moment that you pledge your life to another and began the rest of your life. Therefore, the importance of choosing the right perfume isn’t to be underestimated. It will forever remind you of the day everything changed for the better.
Most brides want to feel like a princess on their wedding day, and history shows that the final accessory for royalty is a distinctive and beautiful scent. The use of personal fragrance, especially for grand occasions, can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia, before even Biblical times. The priests and ruling class of Egypt annoited themselves with distilled oils of wood and flowers and the technology eventually spread over to Europe; the Hungarians introduced the first true modern perfume in 1370, blending scented oils with alcohol for their queen. The Medicis of Renaissance Italy further refined the process before France took over as the modern perfume capital.
But what exactly is perfume? Generally, a fine fragrance is essential oils and aroma compounds diluted with a solvent—alcohol or other oils like coconut or jojoba. The scents are determined by top notes, your initial impression of the perfume that fades away quickly; the heart or middle note, the core fragrances that emerge 15-20 minutes after the initial spritz; and the base note, which is generally muskier and lasts longer. Depth and complexity emerge once the fast-dissipating top notes evaporate, after which the heart and base work together to create the perfume’s main theme, altering to the wearer’s body chemistry and heat. This is why it’s always recommended to test a perfume on your skin and wear it around to get a true idea of how it smells on you specifically.
And how many scents there are! Aroma is commonly derived from plant sources, which provide for infinite possibilities. Flowers, fruits, leaves, twigs, resins, seeds, bark and woods are usually used, and sultrier scents can be derived from animals and include ambergris (commonly referred to in scent profiles as just plain “amber”) and musks. It’s the concentration of these essential oils to dilutants that determine the category of a fine fragrance. The strongest is a straight-up perfume extract, but what is generally offered to the public ranges in potency. From strongest to weakest, they’re labeled with notations such as Eau de Parfum, Parfum de Toilette, Eau de Toilette, Eau de Cologne, body spray and functional fragrances, which are scented supplementary products.
A precise science, there are also many other classifications for perfumes. In the most general sense, there are three primary groups, with subcategories within each: floral, fresh and woody. Which of these will best suit you personally depends on many factors since many modern scents blur the lines, but generally, one of these groups is your usual go-to, and like your bridal makeup, you want your wedding fragrance to be very you, with your essence and personality shining through … but better, more special, and more refined.

Flirty Floral

The most popular and diverse, delicate feminine fragrances with flowery top notes can run the gamut. They’re always flirty and romantic and can also be light, soft, exotic, or classically sweet. To choose the right one for you, it’s important to take a sniff at different combinations. The blossoms you like may surprise you, so it’s good to keep an open mind when exploring these options. For instance, you may cringe at the sweet smell of jasmine in fresh concentrated doses, but you may adore it with white rose. Or vice versa—you may find jasmine too light on its own, but perfect filled out with gardenia and violets. Different components interact with one another variably based on combination, leading to many subgroups.

We have floral bouquets with their coquettish light mixes that remind you of a burst of laughter in a wildflower field in the spring, or you may dislike that and prefer the Oriental notes of a spicy, sexy and bold romp in the falling leaves of autumn. You may prefer something more modern like a juicy fruity floral (sometimes considered “fresh” if citrus is involved) with notes like tart berries, currants, nectarines and other essences that take you into a summer garden with fresh lemonade and big white hats …

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