How to Cherish and Create New Memories With Scented Candles at Your Wedding

Incorporating scented candles into your wedding helps create a warm, welcoming atmosphere for you, your partner and your guests and, of course, freshen up a venue — especially a royally-approved historical one. But there’s also a reason beyond ambiance-setting décor to incorporate fragrance into your special day — and it’s a sentimental one.

“Scent is so tied to memory, and it is the one thing that will send you right back to a place where you first encountered it,” says Nina Frazier Hansen, Founder of the aptly-named Lucky No. Candles, which fortuitously matches captivating scents and restorative crystals with corresponding numerological assets. (Hey, maybe numerology helped you meet your soul-mate, set your wedding date or plan your schedule to find your dream wedding dress … )

Establishing scent that evokes what’s special about you and your partner on your big day will also create new memories for you to look back on your wedding. But, of course, there are best practices when it comes to infusing a signature fragrance — or fragrances — into your special day. So, luckily (sorry) Frazier Hansen has a few pro-tips to helping make your wedding day the most memorable for you — and your guests.

Think back to a happy shared moment or maybe even a vacation — like your first as a couple — that’s special to the both of you. “For example, if you’ve taken an amazing trip to Hawaii together and you loved the tropical scent of orchids or frangipani, then you go into those scent notes for a candle,” she recommends.

“When you walk into the room, you’ll be hit with that scent and it’s going to immediately bring you back to a moment when you’re in love and having a great time,” she adds. “It’s a nice way to send you back and also share it with your guests.”

Frazier Hansen suggests calming aromatherapy-based scents, like her series of fragrances in the gender neutral Lucky No. line. “Weddings are all about love and togetherness,” she says, adding that nuptials usually involve multiple events, a buzz of activity, plus a multitude of surrounding aromas including “heavily perfumed people.” So look for easy, subtle and just sweet enough notes, like florals, amber and vanilla.

“Those are most inviting, warm and cozy and palate-pleasing to a large number of people. All the good stuff you want to feel when you’re attending a wedding,” she adds, while also suggesting the best-selling Lucky No. 4, comprised of a floral and slightly musky mix of vanilla, amber, jasmine and heliotrope.

On the flip side, Frazier Hansen says that “clean strong scents,” such as heavy citruses and sea salts may be too palate-cleansing and polarizing to guests. “It takes every other scent out of your nose, so it can conflict with the perfumes in the room, including flowers, which often have a natural scent. You want to enhance those things that are already in the room instead of trying to overpower them or push them away.” Although, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t include your favorite citrus-scented candle in your wedding day, but more on that in a sec.

With so much excitement happening in so many spaces throughout a wedding, where’s the best spot to start your bridal signature scent journey? Frazier Hansen recommends the ceremony space, just like a Royal Wedding. “It’s the first room your guests experience,” she says, adding that aroma from the food during cocktail hour and dinner won’t be in competition. “You’re really setting the mood and the tone in that room.” Scatter the candles strategically to equally distribute the fragrance and always remember: safety first.

Again, if a citrus-y scent transports you right back to your romantic holiday in Amalfi, yachting on the Mediterranean while quaffing limoncello, then bring back those memories! But in the right setting. Perhaps build excitement and anticipation with the candle while prepping with your bridal party in the glam room — and maybe sip a little limoncello, too.

Frazier Hansen also recommends brightening up the restrooms with the stronger scented candles, while continuing the feel of your celebration. “When you’re at a wedding — or anywhere, really — the restroom is where most people gather, have a moment of solitude or reflect to themselves,” she says. “They think about the day, about the couple, the environment, the ceremony.” Or have a series of themed scents, special to you, throughout the various rooms and events of your wedding.

As for incorporating scents during the reception, Frazier Hansen suggests lighting the candles after food is cleared. Perhaps even coordinate mini-size votives, too, for your guests to light at their place setting or take home as a gift — literally and figuratively.

“When that person smells the scent again, they’re going to think about your wedding and that’s also beautiful,” says Frazier Hansen. “They’re going to be reminded of your day.”

Here are 10 candle options to decorate your wedding — and revisit and share your cherished memories on your special day.