Engaging your senses, particularly your sense of smell, makes it more likely that you will remember an event. Therefore, you want to layer your wedding ceremony with all kinds of sensual clues. Meeting them later in life will lead you directly to your wedding and how you felt when you married your beloved.

An easy place to include interesting spices is in your wedding bouquet. Whole spices can also add interesting visual effects. You must be careful not to overwhelm yourself or your guests with aromas, subtle is always a good idea.

Vanilla beans are gorgeous. Ginger flowers smell wonderful. So do humble clove-scented skin tones. What else catches your attention and your nose? Fall is a great time for brightly colored flowers and leaves, so don’t overlook the visual possibilities of your bouquet.

What spices and herbs do you especially like? Are you more interested in apple pies, curry or a good red sauce? Do you want to use basil or thyme to include in your bouquet? Bay leaves also add a wonderful scent.

You can bring a tussy-mussy (a small bouquet) instead of the giant offerings that are so possible today. Herbs would make a wonderful base for a small bouquet. They are also wonderful for corsages and boutonnieres.

Go back in history and wear a pomander. It is a ball full of aromatic spices and flowers. (If you do this, you may want to hand out this mix as a favor to your guests in little net bags.)

Wear a layer of flowers and spices to create the perfect sensual invitation to your wedding. You also want to engage your community’s sense of smell. You would like them to remember why you are getting married and how wonderful the wedding was so that they can continue to support your wedding throughout the years. Why not take a spice course before your wedding? This is a wonderful way to explore your differences and how they complement each other (and how to avoid them when they don’t!). Then learn to cook with them and keep your wedding alive and your marriage thriving.