At present, perfume is the closest thing we have to time travel. You see, scent and emotion are intimately tied (there’s science on this!), which means the right spritz can mentally transport you to a specific moment or setting. Your wedding day, meant to be the happiest moment, definitely deserves to be memorialized via scent, which is why plenty of brides intentionally select a fragrance for the big day. Being the fragrance-obsessed beauty editor I am, I even had a fragrance station at my November 2025 wedding where guests could top off their perfume with my husband’s and my wedding-day scents. Whenever they sprayed it next, they’d be spirited away to our dance floor.

That said, choosing a wedding-day perfume is no easy feat. Of course, you could always just stick to the timeless scent you wear every day. “A signature scent brings authenticity—it is you at your most sincere,” confirms perfumer Delphine Jelk, creative director of fragrance at Guerlain. “But choosing a new fragrance can transform it into a memory capsule.” DSM-Firmenich perfumer Erwan Raguenes agrees: “Wearing something distinct can create a lasting emotional imprint—every time you revisit that fragrance, it can transport you right back to that moment. That said, some prefer the familiarity of their signature scent for confidence and comfort,” he says. “Both approaches are valid. It just depends on the story you want to tell.”