There is something to be said for the role scent plays in our attraction to our partner. Yes, we give off and register natural imperceptible smells that draw us to one another, but there is also the role perfumery plays in that attraction. We recently sat down with local Vancouver perfumer Ayala Moriel to chat about her hand-blended perfumes, all made from natural, organic and animal-friendly sources. Moriel’s perfumes have been featured in FASHION Magazine, The Vancouver Courier, and Body + Soul Magazine.

Bespoke Wedding Scents
One of Moriel’s services is the Scented Wedding Package, the creation of unique, custom scents for a bridal couple on their wedding day. Creating a signature wedding day scent begins with a two-hour consultation in which Moriel takes a couple through a journey of about 300 essences. “It’s like going for a walk and picking all the flowers you’d want in your bouquet,” she says. Couples will start with top notes, like rose, and if they love them, then Moriel will continue with various rose essences. But if the roses aren’t attractive, she will move on to other top notes, like jasmine, and start from there. If florals don’t strike your fancy, then you would jump to other scent families such as herbs. Then come the heart and base notes.

Couples can choose if they want to wear the same scent or choose individual ones. The consultation is intended as a relaxing time, with breaks for tea and hand-made truffles (also made by Moriel) to restore and refresh the olfactory senses. Your final scents can be crafted into various parfums, bath and body products, or blended into a solid and encased in a pendant or poison ring.

Moriel recommends wearing white florals for the wedding day, the essences of such white flowers like orange blossoms, jasmine, tuberose, and gardenia. According to Moriel, “They’re the most popular of all florals. They have such personality. They’re very heady and sensual, very sophisticated and have a bit of an animalic tone but still floral.”

Ready-to-Wear Scents
In her ready-to-wear collection, Moriel has a few that are especially nice for brides. “White Potion” is a fruity and tropical scent, one that would work well for a tropical destination wedding, while “Zohar” a Hebrew word loosely translated as “lustre,” is a happy light smell and contains neroli, a calming essence. “Traditionally, brides would put neroli in their bridal bouquet as aromatherapy to calm wedding day anxiety and nerves,” explains Moriel.

A custom wedding day scent is a special way to make your wedding day even more memorable. To find out more about Ayala Moriel Parfums, visit www.ayalamoriel.com.