Bespoke Wedding Scents are Growing Popular for UK Couples – Expert Advice on How to Create Yours

With more than 10 million* hashtag views on TikTok, wedding scents (#weddingscent) are becoming more and more popular for UK couples who are looking to add a unique element to their big day.

Link between memory and scent

Following Zoe’s comments about triggering memories, we asked Katie Hart FCIM, Neuromarketing Specialist and Director of Katie Hart Ltd, to share more information about the link between memory and scent:

“As a sense, smell is unique and powerful. Firstly, it is the only sense which is fully developed and working properly while a foetus is still within the womb. Secondly, all other sensory information which is received into the brain, comes from the relevant sense receptor (eyes, skin etc) and goes into the thalamus. In this small structure of the brain, the sensory signals are processed and then relayed out to the relevant regions of the brain. However, smell bypasses the thalamus, and goes straight to another part of the limbic system for encoding. This makes it far more powerful for two reasons:

1. It is processed faster because it misses out the thalamus stage
2. The limbic system (where the smell is encoded) is also where the amygdala and hippocampus are located. These are the key brain areas involved in the processing of emotions and memories

“Therefore, our experiences of smells, feelings and memories are highly connected. This also begins to explain why we often know that we recognise a smell but are sometimes unable to identify it fully. It is because the connections to the rational and linguistic parts of the cortex are much slower and weaker than these areas of emotion and memory.

“When a smell is first received within the brain, it appears to be categorised as either positive or negative. Overtime, due to the intense proximity and connections which exist between the areas that process smells, emotions, and memories, we build up a complex range of associations with the smells we encounter. Many of the positive associations we have with smells are not produced directly by the scent itself, but by the experiences we have had and connect with it. So, scents have tremendous opportunity to affect our emotions and trigger (consciously or otherwise) memories from many years ago”.

Wedding ideas and scent recommendations

There are many ways to craft a scent for your wedding. Some ideas include:

• Candles
• Soaps
• Wax melts
• Diffusers
• Rollerballs
• Potpourri
• Scented paper (invitations and stationery e.g. signage, menus, place cards)

You can simply diffuse your chosen scent in an electric diffuser, reed diffuser or humidifier. Or if you’re feeling creative, why not try your hand at candle or wax melt making. Pop a handcrafted soap in a wedding favour, so your guests can enjoy a personalised scent beyond your wedding day.

See our beginner’s guide to making candles using essential oils, and our beginner’s guide for making soaps using essential oils for more information on tools and ingredients you’ll need, process and method advice, and other tips and tricks to be aware of.

According to Zoe, “people tend to go for quite clean, floral scents. This is because weddings are usually bedecked with florals anyway, so you can enhance your surroundings with a complementary fragrance. Everyone enjoys the scent of flowers, and with so many weddings taking place in the spring and summer, it makes sense”.

According to Katie, “lavender and quite ‘flowery’ scents are commonly found to reduce anxiety and increase relaxation and serenity. Citrus scents are often associated with making us feel energised, boosted, and refreshed. Whilst ‘woody’ scents can help us to feel balanced, calm, and grounded”.

For summer weddings, we recommend the following scents:

• Grapefruit Essential Oil
• Lavender Essential Oil
• Geranium Essential Oil
• Fresh Linen (Floral) Fragrance Oil
• Damson Jam Fine Fragrance Oil
• Elderflower Fine Fragrance Oil
• Citrus Relief Essential Oil Blend
• Floral Relief Essential Oil Blend

For winter weddings, we recommend the following scents:

• Cinnamon Essential Oil
• Clove Bud Essential Oil
• Orange Essential Oil
• Baked Cinnamon Bun Fine Fragrance Oil
• Apple & Cinnamon Fine Fragrance Oil
• Frosted Wonderland Fine Fragrance Oil
• Mulled Cider Essential Oil Blend

Zoe added that “I’ve also heard of winter weddings being scented with pine and berry scents, but typically florals seem to be most popular - lots of fragrance brands will now create wedding specific scents with floral notes, but I’d say to look outside of those for a scent that’s more unique to your day”.