Today for our Wedding Wednesday Report we are continuing with our series on using the five senses in event design and talking about our second sense, the sense of smell. Many people believe that smell is the most powerful of the five senses as it can conjure up intense reactions based on memories of life experience. Smell is closely linked with the brain and therefore carries associations with previous places and times. It is this ability to evoke certain memories and feelings that impact how we feel about an event space or wedding venue.
As we mentioned last week emotions are what memories are made of and this is exactly what we are aiming to produce when designing a wedding. Think for a moment about the smell of freshly baked bread and the places it could transport you to. For me I associate this smell with a morning walk I did in Paris every day during a six-week stay one summer when I was younger. The smell of the fresh bread from the many boulangeries that I passed early each morning was unbelievable and I’m immediately transported back to my twenty one year old self. Can you see the power of this sense when used correctly at a wedding?
Herbs are a great way to infuse a sense of smell into an event. Perhaps try using plenty of mint through the mojito’s or adding extra basil to the starter plates. Herbs also make for a great edible centrepiece too.
Flowers are not only visually stunning, but can also give off the perfect aroma or scent for the theme of a wedding. Another great option, and a fairly recent idea, is the ability to create your own scent. There are many options available now from using a common scent such as honeysuckle or freshly mown grass to creating your own signature scent of perfume.
Remember scent and memory are inextricably linked and this is yet another way to provide guests at any wedding or event with a sensory experience. We cover this area in more detail within our Diploma in Wedding Planning, Styling and Design, one of our most popular courses. Next week we move onto our third sense, the sense of sound.
