One of our favorite gifts to give and receive is a beautifully scented candle. Thoughtful, useful and delightfully aromatic (not to mention romantic) candles are a perfect gift for weddings. Candle lighting occasions run the gamut when it comes to the wedding weekend, options include placing a candle in guest’s room to greet them upon arrival, gifting sweet votives as a party favor, tucking into welcome bags or best of all, burned in the bride’s room while the bridal gang gets ready for the walk down the aisle. Might we suggest a calming gardenia fragrance to settle the nerves? And best of all, to add a home state sensibility, we’ve rounded up our favorite gardenia-inspired scents made right here in California that have a spring “scent-ibility” (yep, we made up that word!)
This newly launched company based in Los Angeles has a plethora of delicious scents to choose from, though we’ll admit we are addicted to their newest scent for spring, the juicy but subtly romantic L’Orangerie—perfectly matched to a wedding with an orange-hued palette. Another elegant option from Fleur is the Blanc Collection, perfectly paired with his and her scents and packaged in a crisp white milk jar glass emblazoned with a gold blossom. We love the headily delightful Vintage Gardenia for her with layers of citrus and a hint of ylang ylang while the musky Neroli is a fit for the groom with scents of orange blossom, freesia and neroli with soft undertone of lemon and musk. $46, at Elsye Walker, 15306 Antioch Street, Pacific Palisades, 310.230.8882; online at Fleur Collection 
Founded by makeup artist Annie Tevelin, the Los Angeles-based SkinOwl is known for it’s all-natural skincare line of body oils and essential oil infusions (we’re addicted to the Argan Infusion Lavender). Now Tevelin added sumptuous candles to her line, the gardenia-scented Glow and red and black-currant spiced Radiance. Hand poured in West Hollywood by master candlemaker Timothy Jay, these beauties smell radiant even when unlit. Tevelin recommends lighting up Glow to relax the bridal party while getting ready and then cap off the night with radiance for the bride and groom. $24 from SkinOwl.com 
ERIN CONDREN
Another CWD favorite, Los Angeles-based Erin Condren is best known for her stationery and organizers (check out her wedding planner in our Spring Summer issue). Now she’s launched the piece de resistance, a heady concoction called Island Fleur that owner Condren based on our own honeymoon in Bora Bora. Encased in a gorgeous, gold metallic printed glass (that chicly doubles as a bar glass once the wax has melted away), the lovely scent is a mix of gardenia, tuberose, white florals with a hint of spicy ginger and greens. Combine it with her newly released body scrub and body butter in the same scent, and voila, a perfect gift set for the bridal party. Or better yet, add the deluxe set complete with a modern acrylic tray (available in turquoise or charcoal) and create a unique welcome bag all in one stop. Candle, $22; Body Butter, $26; Body Scrub, $24; Deluxe Set, $221; All available at ErinCondren.com 
KAI FRAGRANCE
This Malibu-based company’s signature gardenia scent is one of the most unique and lovely fragrances and with two sizes, the Skylight and the Travel, Kai offers great gift-giving options. The larger Skylight offers up to 40 hours of burn time while the mini travel light last for 18 hours. Each is carefully crafted with an all-natural blend of soy, palm and coconut wax and features Kai Fragrances illuminating scent—a luxurious mix of gardenia spiked with white exotics. The simple white glass votive is ideal for adding a personalized wedding label or monogram. Skylight, $48; Travel, $26; from Kai Fragrances http://www.kaifragrance.com/
