Scent is a powerful thing. It can instantly trigger memories and moments. It also has the power to create a vibe. Ever been having a down day and turned it around with a few spritzes of your favourite fragrance? Us too, and this is a perfect example of how the fragrance you wear is a whole mood.
The world of fragrance has experienced a big boom in the past few years as we have leaned heavily into nurturing selfcare and treating ourselves to the things that make us feel amazing. Niche fragrances have experienced massive growth to TikTok. If you are a lover of singular scents, you know there is a whole community out there who are just as obsessive as you are, and love to share thoughts and feels about the buzziest niche fragrance brands and trending scents.
The wonderful thing about fragrance is how intimate and personal it is. With that in mind, a wedding day is most certainly a day you want to have a signature scent for because it encapsulates you, on that day, in that moment in time of your life. Choosing a niche fragrance for your wedding takes the idea of personalizing your celebration to a truly bespoke level because you are selecting an exclusive and elusive scent.
“Fragrance is an invisible way to tell a story, start a conversation, express part of your identity, or connect with people,” says David Bernstein, director of fragrance at Etiket, the Montreal-based based beauty boutique and online shopping destination that recently opened a new flagship location in Toronto’s new experiential shopping destination The Well. “It also adds an extra dimension of pleasure and emotion to daily life.”
Bernstein says wearing a purpose-chosen niche fragrance for your wedding is a particularly memorable way to mark the specialness of the event. It’s another subtle yet important way to set the day apart from any other in your life. “A wedding fragrance filters the day’s events through the lens of ‘something special,’ by adding an invisible soundtrack,” he shares. “As scent binds itself to memories, that bottle of perfume will always be a magical way of traveling right back to your special day any time you take a sniff.”
Shopping for your wedding fragrance can be a little overwhelming as there are so many scents to choose from today (Etiket currently stocks more than 40 niche fragrance brands) and it takes time to find the one. Bernstein recommends starting to shop at least three months in advance of your wedding date to give allow yourself time to have a truly immersive wedding fragrance journey. Not only do you need to understand how a scent reacts with your chemistry, but how it wears, the longevity of it, and most importantly, how it makes you feel.
“This is so important because scent is so connected to emotions and memories,” Bernstein shares. “It could be the nicest smelling fragrance in the world, but you want it to give you the emotions and associations you want to feel on that day. Another consideration to keep in mind is that it’s a scent your partner also likes, and one that interacts well with what they are wearing. There’s no complicated secret or formula to this; just try wearing the two scents together while spending time with them and see if they play nice with each other. Your fragrances may make each other better, or worse, or have no effect, but the last thing you want is clash of scents on the big day.”
Here are seven niche fragrances—for both brides and grooms—that Bernstein loves for the 2024 wedding season. —Alison McGill
Maison Francis Kurkdjian L’eau á la Rose EDT ($276 for 70ml)
A bridal favourite, this gorgeous rose-centric scent is ultra-fresh and romantic blending a variety of rose notes to create a stunning bouquet.
Heeley L’Amandiére EDP ($260 for 100ml)
This vibrant mélange of spring flowers includes hyacinth, bluebells, rose and lindon blossom punctuated with notes of mint and white musc to create a chic modern floral scent.
Maison Mataha Escapade Gourmande Extrait de Parfum ($285 for 100ml)
The cult of vanilla fragrances is a massive thing, and this is one of the best, beloved for its heady mix of black sugar, vanilla, tonka bean and musk. This is a scent that smells delicious on everyone.
Vilhem Parfumerie Morning Chess EDP ($300 for 100ml)
This scent is a choice pick for grooms who love an earthy richness to their fragrance. Bergamot, Tuscan leather, patchouli and black amber are the star notes of this intoxicating blend.
Escentric Molecules Molecule 01 EDT ($205 for 100ml)
This unique fragrance is perfect if you don’t love an overpowering, obvious scent—it contains the aroma chemical Iso E Super which makes it more of a scent enhancer than a traditional perfume. It has a mix of amber cedar notes and is designed to be worn by everyone—Elton John and Kate Moss are fans.
Penhaligon’s Halfeti Cedar EDP ($375 for 100ml)
This fragrance from the heritage London-based brand is spicey and alluring featuring an enchanting, earthy blend of rum, cardamom, saffron, dried fruits, cinnamon, cedarwood, patchouli and vanilla. Think of this scent as a choice pick of the dashing grooms of Bridgerton.
Giardini di Toscana Shabby Chic EDP ($195 for 100ml)
This fragrance is boho-beautiful perfection making is a perfect choice for a relaxed, outdoor garden wedding. It mixes full floral notes including peony, white flowers and Bulgarian rose with woodsy notes of musk, javanol and cedarwood to create a gorgeous, free-spirited scent,
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