What Fragrance Are You Wearing to the Royal Wedding?


There's been all sorts of speculation about what fragrances Wills and Kate are going to be wearing at their wedding today. Will it be the his'n'hers Clive Christian No. 1 set, the his'n'hers Prince and Princess set, or the his'n'hers Stetson and Lady Stetson set? My vote is for Prince and Princess set, if only for the packaging (above). Holy Harajuku, Batman!

Whatever they end up spritzing beneath their royal girdles, I hope it showers off easily, because you just know that pile of wedding presents behind the sheet cake table in the corner is going to include about 793 more bottles of perfume. Some will be from fragrances houses hoping to seduce a princely nostril, others from well-meaning guests trying to find a polite way to urge Will to ditch the Ralph Lauren Polo already.

Anyway, I hope Kate doesn't read this post until after she hits the chocolate fountain and rips open all the gifts in a sugar rage, because...I know what what one of her perfume presents iiiiiiiiissssssss....

Yep. Big ears here overheard the talk down at Scent Bar that a member of Saudi royalty called in an order for a wedding present: the hallucinogenically luscious gourmand, Indult Manakara.

And not just a trifling bottle. That would be weak sister stuff. Try -- 25 bottles. 25 bottles of Francis Kurkdjian's confection of rose and lychee and honey-berry-vanilla kittens. Kittens aren't included in Manakara's official notes, but I'm convinced I can smell this one:


Are all 25 bottles of Manakara going to the bride? (I'm assuming they're for the bride, but maybe Will's more progressive than I'd considered.) Or will they be distributed among select guests: one for Sir Elton, one for Posh Beckham, one for Mr. Bean?



We'll find out soon enough for ourselves, because (cue Oprah bellow) WE'RE ALL GOING TO THE ROYAL WEDDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!!

Omigod, really?

(Continuing Oprah bellow) YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH! (Ceasing Oprah bellow) I mean, no. But wouldn't it be fun if we were?

And I already have my wedding guest perfume picked out: Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower. It's so radiant, so happy -- it's a joyful celebration all by itself. Carnal Flower swirls a dance in the air around everyone who smells it.

So that's me sorted. What fragrance are you all wearing to the royal wedding, and why?


Pink kitten via

24 comments:

  1. Not to be a party pooper (or a wedding day debbie downer), but my favorite tweet I saw today on Twitter was: "Royal Wedding celebrates inherited power; the opposite of America's founding principles. I'll be watching the shuttle launch."

    Which is kind of great, when you think about it, because who wouldn't rather watch human ingenuity in action than some faked storybook romance tripping down the aisle?

    Okay, fine, about a billion people would rather the storybook romance than some boring rocket, but still.

    Love the Manakara story. It's probably a gift for the entire bridal party to distribute as they see fit. And that should make Francis Kurkdjian feel very proud.

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  2. oh pish posh, I think the royals are entertaining. There are no delusions left about them have reeeeaaal power anymore, so a fun traditional wedding party never hurt anyone.

    I wonder what Kate wears normally... I see her wearing something very crisp and clean. With apple of some kind.

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  3. Oh damn, I missed the Royal Wedding!

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  4. Sorry Katie Princessrik - but I'm passing on this one. The Royals don't do a thing for me - like I believe Faulkner said, "a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

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  5. Kate will be wearing China White, to impress her in-laws.

    My mind votes for ingenuity, but I still wish the young couple well. I imagine she would wear something a little softer than a crisp every day scent, something a little more floral and powdery? I hope that it's something that smells like pure happiness.

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  6. I saw much of it on telly this morning. Very nice, everyone behaved well. My favorite parts: the music and the trees. I wish them all well, they are just people, caught up in a huge historical parade. My scent of the day: Edwardian Bouquet by Floris. Old-fashioned, perhaps, but very Spring-like, and feels just right for a cool Spring morning.

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  7. Queen Cupcake--

    Oo, that sounds nice. I'll have to check it out. I think spring is my favorite perfume season--lovely, a tiny touch of something sad but happy at the same time.

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  8. As a Brit, I was eagerly speculating this about the other day, and my euro was on the His and Hers scents allegedy commissioned by the palace from the German perfumer, Kim Weisswange, though Clarence House has hotly denied this.

    Me, I wore Floris Wedding Bouquet - I thought if Kate persists with her alleged fave of Dune, someone should give this pretty floral number an outing. I'd say it is eminently weddingy in a guileless, girly way.

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  9. I imagine Kate wearing Antonia by Puredistance. The perfect combination of pure, radiant, classical, and strong but still feminine and floral.

    I can't believe I am actually thinking this much about someone I will never know....

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  10. Well you're all wrong. As I revealed exclusively on Twitter a short while ago, Catherine was wearing Muscs Koublai Khan and Wills was in vintage Diorissimo.

    HM the Queen was drenched in Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy, while Prince Philip wore a couple of spritzes of Carnal Flower behind his knees and on his decolletage.

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  11. stefush, if your comments had a fan club, i'd be a dues-paying member, but we yanks can't steal credit for shakespeare (arguably britain's finest export)! 'sound & fury' came first from macbeth; i'm just going to paste the gorgeous excerpt (forgive me such a lengthy comment) as i suspect the english nerd & fumehead venn diagram has a pretty significant intersection:
    'To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
    Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
    To the last syllable of recorded time;
    And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
    The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
    Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
    That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
    And then is heard no more. It is a tale
    Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
    Signifying nothing.'

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  12. Just caught up with the news on the London beauty blogs that Kate apparently wore White Gardenia Petals by Illuminum. She slipped that one past us all...I'd never even heard of the brand, never mind the scent!

    : - )

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  13. Since I've watched a nighttime shuttle launch in person, I feel ok watching the royal wedding on tv.

    My sister told me she is pregnant, is it bad that I want her to get married so I can make her a fascinator? Maybe a small one for the baby shower?

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  14. Okay everyone, just back from the wedding - whew! How did you all get back before me and pop your comments in here so quickly? I think my flux capacitor needs a tune-up.

    Vanessa, verrrrry interesting that Kate wore a gardenia fragrance down the aisle - after I already mentioned I was planning to wear Carnal Flower. Single White Female, or what?

    Nosy Girl, I really enjoyed the unexpected encounter with Shakespeare! The verse's rhythm begged to be voiced aloud, and in no time flat I was acting out Macbeth in the middle of my living room. (I blame the wedding bubbly.)

    We can't give Faulkner credit for Shakespeare's work, but we can give him a nod for a snappy hip-hop-style sample of Macbeth's memorable riff. And we can give Stefush credit for his own distinctive way with sound and fury.

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  15. Hilary -- very entertained by your royal whiff exclusive! Conjured up a perfume version of a Mad Hatter's tea party.

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  16. Nathan, that's a good theory about the Manakara bulk buy being destined for the entire wedding party. In the spirit of, "if you haven't brought one for the whole class, then don't bother."

    Megan -- I agree. Except that I first misread your comment as "fun delusional wedding party", which could apply as well!

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  17. Hey all, for a pithy, witty recap of the big British day, check out Vanessa's blog Bonkers About Perfume for her Cliff's Notes version of events:
    http://bonkersaboutperfume.blogspot.com/2011/04/kate-middletons-wedding-scent-stoppers.html

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  18. Cheers, Katie!

    I think you may have single handedly propelled me to the top of Google this morning for anyone searching for Kate M's wedding scent...

    (Oh and we call them Coles's notes, interestingly, or did when I was at school).

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  19. If Kate really wears Dune, I've upped my interest in her. Otherwise, I'm kinda feeling Nathan's comment - even more so since they invited Royals the world over (not just the blood relations, of which there are many, those Royals know how to inter-marry to spread the power as we all remember from our history lesson) but did not care to invite the country that is said to be their most important alliance. Don't get me wrong, though - I watched it.

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  20. Vanessa -- That's great news! I'd love to take credit, but I think that's all you, doll - and the public's intrigue with what famous folks' nooks and crannies smell like.

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  21. lang -- I thought the same as you: "Dune? Hmm, NOW there's something about that Kate...."

    Re the absence of a US invite to the hitchin' bash, it's probably all for the best, considering the awkward presence of other invitees: top dogs from Bahrain, Oman, Syria (though Syria was then un-invited). US Prez can't be seen knocking back pigs in a blanket with reps from repressive regimes.

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  22. re:Re the absence of a US invite to the hitchin' bash, it's probably all for the best, considering the awkward presence of other invitees: top dogs from Bahrain, Oman, Syria (though Syria was then un-invited). US Prez can't be seen knocking back pigs in a blanket with reps from repressive regimes.

    I know, I know. But how is it that the British don't seem to have similar issues? Oh, they have an answer for that: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/outrage-at-dictators-invited-to-royal-wedding-2274230.html You don't have to hit the link, though. Comes down to tradition...

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  23. lang -- "Crowned heads of state" automatically got the wave-thru for the wedding, it would seem.

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  24. cute kittyi want one

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