A fresh day-of fragrance not only checks the box for “something new,” it can also serve as a strong reminder of your wedding day down the line. “We all know the phenomenon; when scent brings a memory back, it isn’t just an image in your head—you can feel the reality in your entire body,” shares Jacqueline Steele, perfumer and founder of Goest Perfumes, the LA-based brand that’s gained a cult following for its ultra-chic blends and packaging. After studying the perfume industry in France, Steele returned to the States inspired by the “primal signal” scent sparks deep within us.
WHAT ARE “HEART NOTES?”
For about the price of a Chanel pouch (starting around $2,000), Steele can create a totally unique scent memory. “If your scent is truly custom, that means that there are no other smells in the world that are exactly the same,” she explains, referencing how a familiar smell like coffee likely doesn’t remind you of a specific place and time, since it’s so widespread. “A custom fragrance is different, especially one for your wedding—you can smell it in 30 years and it will still feel like that day.”
Suggesting a blend that features your “heart notes,” or your ultimate favorites, as well as molecules from fresh cut flowers (a specialty of Goest Perfumes), the process for customization involves an in-person visit to the Los Angeles studio and about two months to complete the recipe. Rather than a questionnaire, the experience is a sniff-test with a series of real odors and fragrances that take the guesswork out of your personal scent interpretation. “It’s actually a ton of fun to do and people often tell me how much they learned and enjoyed it,” says Steele of the process, which can also be mailed out for customers who aren’t based in LA. “People have so many stories while they’re reacting to fragrance, it can be a setting for spontaneous release of memories. ‘This reminds me of my childhood, when my grandfather bought a new car…’”
SCENT TIME CAPSULE
As a lasting investment, Steel can even create a “scent time capsule.” After designing a custom fragrance, the team can package a duplicate in an “ultra-neutral archival bottle” that helps the fragrance last for years and years, and suggests storing it in a wine cellar, for instance. “In thirty years, maybe it will be time to open it. For your daughter’s wedding? For your 30th wedding anniversary and renewal of vows? Now that is as close as we can get to time travel on planet Earth, I think.”
READY-TO-WEAR MEMORIES
For brides interested in a memory-evoking scent with a more manageable price tag, simply selecting a new fragrance for your wedding day is enough to link it to such a momentous occasion. Another option? Layering. “One of the best ways to create a bespoke scent is layering fragrances,” says Erika Shumate, co-founder of Pinrose’s pop fragrances, who designed a Style Kit for exactly that purpose. “It allows you to experience several feelings at once. The limbic system of the brain houses both memories and smell—the two are tightly linked.”
And with a new wave of multifaceted fragrances cropping up on the ready-to-wear end of the spectrum, like Dior’s cashmere-soft and smokey Thé Cachemire, Creed’s cedarwood and Bulgarian rose-spiked Floralie, and the “electric nectar” scent of Birds in Paradise by Regime des Fleurs, finding an pre-perfected option is just as chic and twice as easy. Wishing for a lighter-than-air option? Dyptique’s fresh-and-spicy Eau Des Sens Hair Mist can be spritzed just onto strands for a breezy waft of its nourishing camelia oil formula.
Below, the most captivating bottled blends worth turning into your own time capsule this season.
The Classics:
Dior Thé Cachemire, $220
Standout Notes: white tea, smoke & musk
Les Eaux De Chanel, Paris – Biarritz, $130
Standout Notes: Sicilian mandarin & lily of the valley
The Romantics:
Goest Dauphine, $140Standout Notes: fresh cut rose, almond & ambergris
Creed Floralie, $415
Standout Notes: lilac, cedarwood & Bulgarian rose
The Eccentrics:
Regime des Fleurs Birds in Paradise, $250
Standout Notes: guava, ginger & Sichuan pepper
Capsule Parfums Covey, $98
Standout Notes: Indian jasmine, spearmint & Mexican lime
The Artists:
Art Meets Art BESAME MUCHO, $95
Standout Notes: white sandalwood, incense & blackcurrant black leather
Andrea Maack Smart, $135
Standout Notes: wood, vanilla & leather
The Travelers:
Standout Notes: pink peony, patchouli & vetiver
Skylar Capri, $78
Standout Notes: bergamot & neroli
The Vanguards:
Diptyque Eau Des Sens Hair Mist, $48
Standout Notes: orange blossom, angelica root & juniper berry