Welcome to ‘wedding week’ here on The Elgin Avenue! I’ve decided to dedicate this week’s blog content to all-things weddings, since Oli and I are on the cusp of celebrating our first anniversary! To kick things off I’m sharing one of the smallest – yet most enduring – details of my wedding experience: choosing my wedding day perfume.

Choosing my wedding day perfume with the wonderful team at Jo Malone London was such a treat. And I am so excited to share the experience here with you.

If you are on the lookout for a wedding day perfume, I wholeheartedly recommend the Jo Malone London Wedding Consultation, which you can complete in the Covent Garden London store. If you are not able to get to the Covent Garden store, you can use the Jo Malone London scent finder online to uncover your perfect perfume match.

Jo Malone London Wedding Consultation

Choosing your wedding day scent is so fun!

After all, your wedding day perfume is the the aroma you’ll attribute to the day you said “I do” forever more. So lovely!

I’ve worn Jo Malone scents for years, and am always impressed by the depth of the fragrances, as well as the luxurious experience as a customer. Be it visiting a store or a concession, you always feel like you’re enveloped in the Jo Malone world. And what a gorgeous world it is.

From a blogging point of view Jo Malone put on THE most amazing events too. Their values transcend every touch point.

When it comes to finding your perfect wedding day scent, there are a handful of categories you can explore:

• candles for your venue
• linen spray for your venue and napkins (a more subtle option)
• perfume for you
• perfume for your love
• gifts for your wedding party

Since Oli and I were travelling to Menorca for our wedding, we wern’t able to transport candles (we already packed like we were moving there permanently ha!), and Oli already had his go-to scent, so I focused on finding a perfume for me.

I’ve never had a signature scent, so I was excited to see what the consultation at the Jo Malone London store in Covent Garden would suggest for me.

Jo Malone London, Covent Garden ~ Fragrance Consultation

I gave the Covent Garden store a call to check in on their social distancing measures, since my experience in store was pre-you-know-what:

Here’s what you need to know for 2020:

• It is still possible to have your fragrance consultation – yay! – it will be adapted to be zero-contact so all perfumes will be spritzed by your dedicated stylist.
• There will be no hand and arm massage, to honour distancing measures.
• You can bring one guest with you to the appointment. A total of 6 people are allowed into the Covent Garden store at one time.
• You are not able to try body lotions, but you can smell them. Your Jo Malone stylist can assist with this.
• If you would like to book  an appointment, it is advisable to send an email ahead of time to jomalonecoventgarden@jomalone.co.uk or call ahead on 0370 192 5771.

My Experience of the Consultation

During my consultation my Jo Malone stylist Emily took me through a number of scents.

We began to identify what I do and don’t like in a fragrance.

Do: wood, amber, citrus.

Don’t: anything particularly sweet.

The whole experience was so personal, and I loved the feeling of finding my ‘perfect’ scent for the day. I ended up creating a bespoke fragrance blend, by layering two scents.

This ability to ‘layer’ has become a Jo Malone signature, since so many of their fragrances work harmoniously with one another.

My Jo Malone London Wedding Day Scent

After a few trys, Emily and I settled on a fragrance combination of Jo Malone Grapefruit Body Crème, layered with Jo Malone’s Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne.

It’s no wonder, on closer inspection, that I opted for the Grapefruit Body Crème as the base to my fragrance combination. The description for the scent reads:

Abundant grapefruit groves in coastal Spain. Rosemary, peppermint and pimento add perfect piquancy to grapefruit’s bright and sunny nature. Uplifting and refreshing. Just like our Mediterranean setting!

The Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne then added warmth, which when mixed with the uplifting nature of the grapfruit felt perfect for our wedding in sun-drenched Menorca.

Now every time I smell either scent – or even better – the two together! – I immediately imagine myself back in Menorca, ready to say “I do”. I can’t wait to wear my scent pairing again for our first anniversary!

My Wedding Day Fragrance Combination

Overall

I’ve found that by choosing a bespoke scent for my wedding day, I am reminded of not only mine and Oli’s wedding, but our marriage too, every time I wear it. I love to use the scent for special occasions together – I save it for dates, celebrations and – soon enough! – our anniversary.

The whole experience with Jo Malone London was truly wonderful. It makes a brilliant outing ahead of your wedding, so if you have a friend you’d like to take with you, or family member, it’s an excuse for another pre-wedding celebration! Explore more details here.

Plus the Jo Malone store in Covent Garden is close to so many other fantastic places, including one of my favourites – Petersham Nurseries’ Covent Garden outpost.

What’s Your Take?

Did you buy a new scent for your wedding day? If so, what did you choose? And do you still wear it to this day?

Or, are you in the midst of wedding-planning?

I’d love to know!

Love, Monica x

Photography by Charlotte Bryer-Ash

~ Jo Malone kindly invited me to choose a wedding scent at their Covent Garden store. As always, all opinions are my own. ~