Welcome to the second edition of Mood Scent 4, where A Bottled Rose, I Scent You A Day and L’Esperessence and Megan In Sainte Maxime will scent moods and occasions every two months. Rainy Day Perfumes were covered in the first edition and now we’re moving onto Wedding Guest Perfumes.

Wedding season is upon us. Apparently. I say this as it’s been a while that I’ve been to one. Speaking from personal experience I have never been married and see no reason to imagine that this will change anytime in the future. As a child of multiple divorces of both parents  I never really saw marriage as something for me, but I know I’m in the minority on that front. My thoughts relating to marriage from a personal viewpoint in no way dampen my enthusiasm for attending a wedding though. Weddings are joyous occasions and I remember the excitement when an invitation arrived. I also looked forward to the wedding speeches, especially if they swerved into ‘interesting’ territory, including some terribly embarrasing father of the bride atrocities. I’ve witnessed a bride breaking into song to Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend, ceremonies in beautiful gardens, on beaches and very loving moments.

Until now though I have to confess that I’ve never thought about which fragrance to wear to a wedding. Correction, there was one exception. I was a bridesmaid once upon a time and the perfume question did come up. This was a few years prior to reading Perfumes : The A-Z Guide and admit to barely knowing anything about perfume and my tastes were very different. The bride and I  decided to both wear Chanel‘s  No 5 EDT for the wedding, to remedy the problem of clashing perfumes. Obviously now I wonder if that was a bad move, not only our selection of No 5 but also the fact that the bride did not have her own special scent for the occasion.

So what is a wedding appropriate perfume? Well personally I think that anything goes as long as it doesn’t have the sillage of Giorgio or vintage Opium and the like. No doubt the bride will be wearing a white floral, so I’d skip those too.

So without further ado here are my five picks.

The Carefree Choice : Mûre et Musc : L’Artisan Parfumeur: Perfumer : Jean-François Laporte : 1978 : Notes : Top : Amalfi lemon, orange, mandarin orange, basil : Heart : Blackberry, red berries : Base : Musk, oak moss  

A French niche classic dreamed up way back in 1978 by the legendary Jean-François Laporte that smells like a glorious spring day. Touches of fruit courtesy of wild blackberry and musk, Mûre et Musc is certainly fruity but translated in a relatively subtle manner. It’s a technicolour free zone so to speak but it does have a lot of white musk so if this makes you run for the hills, pick another perfume. My verdict : Simple, charming, fuss free and carefree with a delicate touch that  hits all the right notes.

The Elegant Choice : Eau de Narcisse Bleu : Hèrmes :  Perfumer : Jean-Claude Ellena : 2013 : Notes : Narcissus, woody notes : 

Floral and fresh with a slight metallic twang this is a cologne that couples can share. Actually any Eau de Cologne in the Hermès collection would fit the bill for a wedding. They are discreet, yet have a story to tell. Eau de Narcisse Bleu has a green feel with hints of iris and a sheen of narcissus. The woody notes provide balance but in a compelling way.  This is a surprising fragrance, it isn’t boring and another plus is that it has greater staying power than the other Eau de Colgones in the Hèrmes range.  An under rated gem from Ellena whispering integrity, quality and elegance, the hallmarks of the Hèrmes brand.

The New and Intriguing : L’Orée du Bois : Jacques Fath:  Perfumer : Luca Maffei : 2017 : Notes : Top : Bergamot, lime, neroli : Heart : Mimosa absolute, orange blossom, broom, ylang-ylang : Base : Saffron, cumin, cinnamon, cashmeran, sandalwood, honey, amber, musk. 

A new addition to the Jacques Fath collection and one of the four new perfumes under the  ‘La Joie de Vivre’ theme.  Coincidentally considering today’s theme, L’Orée du Bois is the name of a dress that  Jacques Fath designed for Rita Hayworth‘s wedding trousseau. The perfume is orange in colour and looks rather spectacular (especially when viewed as part of the multi coloured line up). Mimosa is a key player in this perfume and it’s spiced up nicely with saffron and cinnamon. There’s also a gorgeous honey that really starts to shine after a few hours on skin. It’s lends a lovely light ambered touch. This is my favourite stage and something to look forward to in the perfume’s development.  L’Orée du Bois is signed by Luca Maffei, a  talented young perfumer who created a large number of fragrances on show at Esxence 2017.  If you only wear white florals this would make a nice change that will nudge you out of your comfort zone. Plus this would work well as a female or male wedding choice.

The Pretty Option  : 1969 Parfum de Revolte : Histoires de Parfums : Perfumer : Gerald Ghislain : 2001 : Notes : Top : Peach : Heart : Rose, white flowers, cardamom, clove : Base : Musk, patchouli, Mexican chocolate, coffee

This is the prettiest scent of the selection, a gourmand fruity floral. Think chocolate infused with peach and rose. By turns spicy, then creamy, 1969 has enough patchouli to keep the scent on skin for quite some time. The year is 1969 but this is not what I’d call a hippie perfume. The patchouli is very smooth here, it doesn’t feel oily or overly pungent. You won’t be scaring your fellow guests away with this one.

Big and Bold : Rose Flash : Tauerville : Perfumer : Andy Tauer : 2014 : Notes : Rose, woody notes, resins

Right shall we ignore my guiding principles up top? If we want to wear something a little louder, this may fit the bill perfectly. Andy Tauer and roses are a match made in heaven. He has made a number of outstanding rosy fragrances including the divine Le Maroc Pour Elle where jasmine, patchouli and rose blend together in a dangerous, unholy union with flashes of narcotic brilliance, although not something I’d wear to a wedding. Rose Flash on the other hand is big, bold and beautiful but won’t scare people away. Essentially a jammy rose on an ambered base with flickers of spice and even a little smoke to sex things up a little. This is an 80’s hot pink crushing power number that would work equally as well on a man or a woman. Men please don’t be afraid of the rose, in fact often they smell better on your skin.

I hope you enjoyed the second Mood Scent 4 and please discover further fragrant suggestions on A Bottled Rose, I Scent You A Day and L’Esperessence.

If you’re attending a wedding in the coming months, what will you be wearing? Fragrance wise that is. Spill the beans please.

Notes : Image from Tim Walker.