You see many articles and blog posts about flowers and how important they are to your wedding day. But my guess is that a large percentage of those articles don’t mention anything other than its color. Do not misunderstand. I love flowers. I love simple flowers in vases, homegrown corsages, and lavish, expensive, over-the-top displays. But flowers don’t have to be all about color, many of them, unless they’ve been hybridized beyond belief, smell good too. Now you don’t want to use highly scented flowers in a small enclosed space, some people are allergic. However, there are many outdoor weddings where fragrant flowers make a wonderful addition to your wedding, even if only the bridal party can smell them.
You certainly deserve to have wonderful smells in your nose when you get married! And those scents will act as triggers for the rest of your life. I had gardenias in my wedding bouquet because my mom wore them. She had gardenias in my bouquet because I love the scent of hers. I’ll float one in a bowl now and then and remember, even if my love doesn’t know why there’s a gardenia in there, that I love the one I married!
When I started thinking about scent, I realized that we don’t pay enough specific attention to indulging our senses in wedding ceremonies, or probably in life! You can keep the pleasures close by, for only the couple to enjoy, or you can invite the entire community to join you in your celebration. So here are some ways to layer your wedding ceremony with delights for the senses:
- audience: Choose wonderful music that suits the mood. Live music lifts our spirits more than canned music. Use little bells as part of the celebration. Use fabulous poetry or percussion. Get married next to a fountain (but not a loud fountain or your celebrant will hate you and so will your videographer!)
- Vision: flowers, candles, dresses, fans, fabrics. This one is easy and the options are endless.
- Smell: Flowers, food. (you! Wear your favorite scent to feel right at home, or get a celebratory perfume/aftershave to wear every time you celebrate…or feel soft…or apologize…or be in love!
- Taste: everything from cold, clear water to fruit, grainy leavened bread, and sweets. Let the flavors melt on your tongue and flood your mouth with flavor.
- Play: Wear clothing that is comfortable and a bit luxurious to the touch. You don’t just want to look beautiful, you want to feel the beauty of the fabric. This could mean that your groom is not getting married in a tuxedo, but in a fabulous silk shirt… Think about it!
Now, dream big and enjoy! And let those indulgences on your wedding day remind you throughout your life together that marriage is not just a privilege and a responsibility; it’s also an indulgent treat and an exploration of the senses!
It’s important to find ties from your wedding ceremony that carry over into your daily life as a couple working to make a happy and healthy marriage work. The more wonderful touchstones you have, the more good your emotions will be in your daily life. If that can reinforce the good times and interrupt the awkward moments, so much the better! And rituals that use the senses can become part of the life you live every day.
