How to match your fragrance to your Tythe wedding day by Alice du Parcq.
Alice du Parcq is a specialist fragrance journalist published in Vogue, Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph and Glamour as well as hosting her own dedicated fragrance channel on Instagram. Her fragrance ‘cupboard of dreams’ has recently expanded and is now home to over 2,000 different scents.
Jade Beer asks her to pick her favourites for a Tythe wedding day.
Barley & Poppy Cologne, Jo Malone London
‘This brand has a huge number of very romantic wedding day fragrances, Red Roses, Peony Blush & Suede, English Pear & Freesia but for Tythe my perfect match is Barley & Poppy Cologne. Imagine warm, soft, creamy sun-baked fields of straw and barley but with a tangy floral spark – the combination of that is so delicious and happy and joyful, like a sun-drenched poppy field. It’s still very romantic and uplifting. When I smell it, I picture those gorgeous fields and the warmth of the stone. They’ll work brilliantly together. They offer the full range of products in this fragrance so you could scent your entire wedding with it.’
Bronze Wood & Leather Cologne Intense, Jo Malone London
‘The feedback I get from brides and grooms is that they like to wear the same brand and so a really great match for Tythe and the atmosphere evoked in the Farmhouse groom’s room is the Bronze Wood & Leather Cologne Intense. I know a lot of women who wear this too but it’s great for men – very boozy and sticky but still very polished and sophisticated. It’s handsome and it smells of polished pews with a drop of whiskey in there too.’
Wind Flowers, Creed
‘This is a fragrance that covers all seasons and that’s quite a tricky thing to do. It’s a higher price point but the bottle is very generous and it’s so well made and lasts for hours. It looks pale pink and airy and is an amazing mixture of sparkling, pretty fresh florals with jasmine and orange blossom but there’s also a praline sweet creaminess to it as well so it feels quite decadent and rich. Imagine a cosy warm shawl in winter just drenched in this or a very lose, floaty, broderie anglaise dress spritzed with it as well. It covers everything. So, if you’re really not sure of your choice, go and have a smell of this. It’s natural and airy enough to fit with the barn. A great all-rounder that’s inspired by the floaty fabric of ballerina dresses so it’s romantic but there is substance to it too.’
Signatures of the Sun Sandalwood, Acqua di Parma
‘This is a great one for men and women and the whole collection is gender fluid. It’s part of their couture line of fragrances. Imagine sunshine in a bottle, super-hot weather, splashy, herbal, citrus, glowy Italian chic, like a really expensive bathroom in Portofino – then flooded into a really precious ingredient, in this case sandalwood. If you like your dark wood fragrances but you want something that’s gentle and a bit more refreshing but still lasts ages, this is an amazing one. It smells so expensive, sexy and delicious.’
Apple Brandy on the Rocks, Kilian
‘This really makes me think of all the orchards around Tythe but also all the mischief and fun, the laid-back, beautiful casual vibe of the place. It smells like a luxurious countryside retreat, apple dipped in a boozy brandy syrup. Yummy! And the bottle looks like a crystal tumbler. A great Autumn/Winter choice for a wedding at Tythe.’
Dark Rum Candle, Malin + Goetz
‘I know so many people who are obsessed with this one, addicted to it. But as a candle, that’s where it really comes to life. The scent is dark and smudgy and a little bit like leather, rum and toffee, soft and gentle. It kind of melts into the room so it has a very welcoming vibe to it. For a wedding it would be amazing because it fills the room with scent but feels like it’s part of the furniture.’
Wild Meadow, Bamford
‘Think elegant, crisp, white petals, it’s like rolling around in a meadow. It’s soft and floral without being too heavy. It’s delicate and gentle but it’s an eau de parfum so you get that longevity. It smells like a combination of hyacinth and green crunchy stalks. It’s so beautiful, totally delicious and made by Lyn Harris, one of the only female British perfumers. She is so talented and has her own brand but makes fine fragrances for Bamford too. She really captures that whole rambling English countryside in a bottle so beautifully.
Wisteria Candle, Bamford
‘The smell of wisteria is impossible to capture as an ingredient. You can’t macerate or distil the flowers. It’s one of those smells that perfumers chase, it’s like a unicorn because it’s such a special smell. So, what better than this candle to work around that incredible wisteria walkway at Tythe, when the flowers come into season around the end of March. It’s the smell of spring time. I would put them in big glass urns outside on the tables where everyone has canapes and a glass of champagne. The colour of it is to in keeping with the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside. Heaven!’
(Borrowed from) The Wild, Wylde Moon
‘This came out last year and for me it was love at first sniff. The brand is founded by Holly Willoughby and it’s their signature scent, which comes in a diffuser now too. It is one of the most unique, beautiful ‘green’ scents – like an enchanted forest of deep, dense trees, lush leaves and wild grasses. But there’s this gorgeous, dreamy lightness to it as well. It’s for anytime of the year, even though it’s a very green fragrance, it would still work well in the winter because it has a warmth to it, it’s like wearing a cashmere wrap. It’s lush and generous, lasts for ages, it gets the best comments and it’s only £42. The bottle with the deep green tassel is also very elegant.’
Baies Candle, Diptyque
‘This is the smell of fashion shows in Milan. Baies means berries but don’t let that make you think it’s a sweet sticky jammy smell. Imagine grabbing lots of slightly underripe blackberries, crushing them in your hands and then smelling your fingers. It’s crisp, fresh, tangled foliage, brambles with glossy under-ripe berries, just a little bit cold. It creates an atmosphere in a room that’s quite energising. It’s a really good one to light in the afternoon when you don’t want all your guests to flag. It’s smells so expensive too, it’s like the smell of a Victoria Beckham catwalk show, so cool, so chic, it’s the fashionistas candle. It has an awakening, outdoor splash of energy to it, very invigorating, it makes your lungs stretch out.’
For more fragrance ideas head over to Alice du Parcq’s instagram page for more gorgeous inspiration!
Credits
Flowers by: The Flower Shed Oxford
Floral Photography by: Alexandra Jane