Isn't She Lovely?

So, truth time: I never knew “Wedding Scents” were a thing until I started reading Weddingbee. However, Grandma Waterfall always gave me the following piece of advice, which was passed down to her from her Mother in Law (great-grandma Waterfall), who worked for many years at the fragrance counter of a very posh Old Havana Boutique:

"A woman should always have a signature scent, so that anytime a man smells her perfume, he's instantly reminded of her, and how lovely she smells."

And I mean, it definitely makes sense, considering that the part of the brain that controls the olfactory sense is located in the limbic system, which is closely linked with memory and emotions. So, by repeatedly wearing the same perfume, you create a conditioned response over  time, how delightfully Pavlovian!

For years I searched for my Signature Scent, a scent that would be perfectly bewitching and so very me. I must admit that have the bad habit of always spraying random perfume samples directly on my skin before sniffing the tester strip. This is a terrible thing to do because half the time, I end up hating the perfume after it's too late, and then am forced to smell it for HOURS until it wears off. However, if it wasn`t for this, I never would have found my signature scent!

A few years ago, I was in Macy`s with Mami W when I spotted a display of Sarah Jessica Parker`s new (at the time) fragrance, Lovely. 

Lovely/ Fragrance by Sarah Jessica Parker/ Image via www.dailydealtips.com

Since I love all things SATC and SPJ, I spritzed some on, and I gotta tell ya, at first, I was all: EW! ewwww, old lady perfume, I got it in my mouth!!! 

Image via gifsforum.com

But after a few minutes, the overwhelming top notes dissipated, and all of a sudden, I was all: okayyyyyyy, I see what you did there, nicely done SPJ.

Image via gifsforum.com

Just like that, I had found my Signature Scent, and I've been wearing it for years, though I switch it up occasionally with other perfumes various people have gifted me. I briefly entertained the thought of getting a speshul Wedding Day Scent for my speshul day, and even picked up a few samples from Sephora. When the April-Ludgate-looking salesgirl looked at me like I was crazy (because she hadn't heard of a Wedding Day Scent either), I realized I probably was a little crazy. And while the Cuban in me loves all things free, I ultimately decided that none of these scents warranted spending the money for a full size bottle of random perfume when I had already found one I truly loved. Seriously, perfume ain’t cheap yo’, and it seems like one of those things that advertising execs made up to make crazy brides everywhere spend even more money on their weddings. While we’re on the subject of advertising... could this perfume BE any more bridal? I'm telling you, SJP is some sort of marketing genious!

via youtube.com

“Loveliness is everywhere...A touch, a face, a memory, pink pearls, a song, a sexy shoe, a kiss, candlelight, a white orchid, a girl, a woman, a dream, a scent...You only have to look.”- SarahJessica Parker.

So, that's the story of how I wore my every day perfume on my wedding day, and I'm really glad I did. It brought a touch of very welcome normality to my day. Plus, now I love being gently brought back to the way I felt on my wedding day whenever I spritz this on, and if I could sum up what that was in one word, it would be: Lovely