Wedding day perfumes

A bride-to-be taps the pros (and a few past brides) for their top tips on choosing the perfect fragrance for the Big Day.

The fragrance you wear on your wedding day may be a detail that goes unnoticed to some (not us, of course), but, like the groom, the dress and everything in between, is a very personal decision and shouldn’t be made lightly. We spoke to Andrea Anastasiou, owner of the exquisite bridal store White (with shops in Toronto and Montreal), and Milena Kojic, prestige fragrances buyer at Shoppers Drug Mart, to share their best tips on how to choose your wedding day perfume.

“Being true to yourself on your wedding day is essential,” says Kojic.

If you’re having a hard time deciding, Anastasiou recommends employing the same method you employ when choosing your gown: “The best way to help a bride choose her dress is to get her to try on a variety of different styles so she can get a sense of what she’s comfortable in,” she says.

Something old

For the classic bride, Kojic recommends Dior J’Adore: “It’s an iconic fragrance and its floral notes make it a classic bridal scent, plus the name celebrates the love two people share.”

Andrea Ford, a Toronto-based interior designer and stylist, chose a familiar favourite for her wedding last year. “The Body Shop White Musk is a fragrance I’ve worn for a million years,” she says.

No surprise then that for her curated Toronto affair, she felt that this was the right selection. “I’m addicted to baby powder as a part of my post-shower routine,” says Ford, “and I’ve always loved men’s fragrances, so White Musk is a great layer and girlier version—I wanted to feel like the best version of myself.”
Dior J’Adore, $112 (50 ml), www.boutyboutique.ca
The Body Shop White Musk EDT, $30 (60 ml), www.thebodyshop.ca

Choose a perfume the same way as you choose your wedding dress: Try a few on; see what you feel comfortable in.

Something new

Stevie Gorrie, a Toronto-based graphic designer, searched for a brand new fragrance to go with her blush-tinted mermaid wedding gown. She chose Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina Eleganza.

“I wanted to find a fragrance unique to my collection of scents so it would always remind me of the big day and [this] was sophisticated and feminine,” she said, perfectly in sync with the backdrop of her glamorous wedding which was set in a German castle.

Adding a new scent to your fragrance roster is always a good idea, but Kojic reminds brides-to-be that your bridal scent is like your wedding dress in that it needs to be tried on beforehand.

“Smelling a perfume in a store is one thing, testing it by wearing it on your skin for a few days is another.”

The takeaway? As with your groom, make sure you choose wisely.
Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina Eleganza EDP, $105 (50 ml), www.thebay.com

Something borrowed

Borrowing a scent from a friend, your mother or your grandmother can be a great starting point for choosing your wedding day fragrance, but you can also borrow the feeling that your fragrance inspires.

Colleen Henman Synyard had a boho west coast-inspired wedding in Toronto and went for one of her regular rotation scents, Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb. She wanted her now-husband to have a “familiar feeling” when smelling it, adding, “I always come back to this scent because there’s something about it that makes me feel special and luxurious—when I wear it, I feel truly unique.”
Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb EDP, $128 (50 ml), www.sephora.com

Something blue

Maybe not something blue, but definitely something fresh. Kojic explains, “It’s important to consider what time of year you’re getting married as many brides wear light, fresh scents in the summer,” adding that Chloé Love Story is a “fresh, easy-to-wear scent.”
Chloé Love Story EDT, $90 (50 ml), www.beautyboutique.ca

 PHOTO: Arash Moallemi

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