“Once a memory association is created from a scent — and is then connected with a person, place and event — it’s hard to associate it with something else,” said Pamela Dalton, an olfactory scientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia.
“People are recognising how useful it can be in recreating and triggering these emotionally potent events,” Dalton added, “and they want to do it with something that bonds them in a meaningful way to that experience.”
Just as no two weddings are exactly alike, neither are bespoke perfumes and colognes, with prices varying widely. Brides and grooms can each have their own fragrances created or opt for one designated scent. The cost can range from $90 to $35 000, depending on the ingredients used and services provided. One can have a therapy-like experience to discover your scent, or merely answer a handful of questions. Some sessions are one-time consultations, others are multiple meetings.
Several businesses offer individualised formulations that will be kept on file and the couple is given the honour of naming their fragrance.
Anne Serrano-McClain, the founder of MCMC Fragrances, offers a one-on-one, three-hour, private perfume workshop at her studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. During that time you’ll assess 75 single ingredients.
“We spend an hour smelling,” she said. “Then we talk about editing down the choices to six to 15 ingredients. We go outside and evaluate. Then we talk about the direction of the fragrance. Perhaps it’s an Oriental, heavy with amber or a beautiful powdery musk.”
Once a decision is made, three different versions are created. Some ingredients may be swapped out or omitted, or the ratio of components changed. The couple goes home with these samples, decides on a winner, which is then sent to them in a larger, more ornate bottle.
Serrano-McClain said that a third to half of her requests are for weddings.
“I’m not trying to recreate their love story, but I do want to create a perfume that symbolises some piece of their love so that when they smell it again, it conjures up all of that love, and that special day,” she said.
-The Washington Post