Your choice of a wedding day fragrance shouldn’t be dismissed as insignificant. According to designer Vera Wang, “Fragrance provokes the senses and conjures up memories in inexplicable ways. The significance of a fragrance that captures all of the emotion, dignity and joy of a wedding is immeasurable. Incredibly intimate yet nearly imperceptible, a bride's fragrance remains with her long after the ceremony is over."

That being said, what memories will your fragrance conjure up? Take time to find a special signature scent that will trigger happy memories of your wedding day for years to come. Our sense of smell is one of the strongest senses. When you smell this scent long after the ceremony, it will bring back memories clearer than your wedding photos.

The list below gives the concentration of the standard fragrance types and how they should be applied.

• Perfume -- Very concentrated; use sparingly. Best to avoid in very warm weather.
  
• Eau de Parfum -- Very concentrated, but weaker than perfume; apply to pulse points only.
  
• Cologne – Half the concentration of perfume; apply to pulse points or lightly spray.
  
• Eau de Toilette -- Generally weaker than cologne; spray normally.

Fragrance Categories

• Floral - This is the largest category, and it includes fragrances whose primary ingredients are derived from flowers such as jasmine, rose, violet, carnation, orange-blossom, gardenia, ylang-ylang, etc.
  
  Examples: Carolina Herrera, Paris, White Diamonds, Anna Sui, Vera Wang
  
  
• Fruity - These are compositions where the inclusion of non-citrus fruits are blended to create a fragrance.
  
  Examples: Burberry of London for Women, Dolce and Gabbana Woman, Nahema by Guerlain, Tropical Punch by Escada
  
  
• Oriental - Generally full-bodied compositions that create an exotic, warm impression due to the inclusion of ingredients like spices, musk, balsams and resins.
  
  Examples: Royal Secret, Shalimar, Contradiction, Burberry Touch for Women, Obsession by Calvin Klein, Organza Indecence
  
  
• Chypre - pronounced "sheepra", French for "Cyprus" and first used by François Coty to describe his impression of aromas he encountered on the island of Cyprus.
  
  Examples: Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker, Paloma Picasso, Miss Dior
  
  
• Citrus - These are compositions where the inclusion of citrus fruits like lime, lemon, tangerine, mandarin and bergamot (often called hesperides) are blended to create a fragrance that has effervescent or exhilarating qualities
  
  Examples - CK One
  
  
• Fougère - pronounced "foozh-air", French for "fern", these are fragrances with fresh, herbaceous notes on a mossy fernlike base.
  
  Example:   Cool Water
  
  
• Green - These are compositions where the predominant notes are derived from green plant parts and notes such as pine, juniper, grass, leaves, and herbs.
  
  Example:  Safari,  Bvlgari Extrême

NOTE:   Blends of floral and citrus-based fragrances are recommended for casual and daywear. Spicy, woody or warm amber-based fragrances are traditionally favorites for evening and special occasions.

Shopping Tips

1. Experiment at least one month before your wedding to be sure you like your new fragrance and that you’re not allergic to it.
   
   
2. Shop alone for your fragrance to avoid having the opinion of others cloud your judgment.
   
   
3. Never shop for a fragrance while wearing one. The scents will conflict.
   
   
4. Take your time to find the right fragrance as your scent says a lot about your personality.
   
   
5. Always test a fragrance on your skin. Smelling a fragrance in the bottle only reveals the top notes. The base notes develop when fragrance touches your skin and takes a little while to develop fully. Spray the tester, then walk away for an hour or so.
   
   
6. Limit the number of fragrances you smell at a time. If your sense of smell becomes confused, try sniffing coffee beans to refresh it. (Fragrance counters in upscale department stores now have coffee beans available for doing this).
   
   
7. If coffee beans aren't available and your sense of smell becomes overwhelmed, ask for samples to test at home.
   
   
8. Encourage bridesmaids to wear a similar fragrance to avoid clashing scents. Do this by giving fragrance as attendant gifts.
   
   
9. If you intentionally selected aromatic wedding flowers, make sure your fragrance and flowers don’t compete.
   
   
10. Tie your wedding day fragrance to your wedding theme. Will yours be a traditional, fairy tale affair? Light floral scents will work best.
    
    

Wedding Day Suggestions:

1. Let the barometer guide you: you’ll need less fragrance in warm weather. Stick to body mists and scented lotions.
   
   
2. Spray on fragrance before getting dressed to avoid possibly staining your dress.