And now the top tip for creating a peaceful sanctuary in your own home: being able to say, "Wow, it smells great in here!"

What's the scent that always relaxes you? Is it a great vanilla candle? A lavender body lotion? One whiff, and you physically relax...your shoulders come down, your jaw loosens, and you just sigh...

Here's my favorite scent-creator in my own home [and since we're planning our wedding AND renovating a 1950s house at the same time, I know this works!]: I buy a bunch of those Pillsbury bread doughs from the dairy section, and I bake a loaf of bread. Not to eat. I have a wedding gown to get into, after all. Just to fill my home with that great scent of fresh-baked bread. Which is the scent of 'home' for me, a deeply-ingrained memory of comfort and unconditional love. So that's the scent that works for me. After it's done its job, the loaf gets thrown out to the birds. No temptation, no regrets.

The same works if you love the scent of chocolate chip cookies....and if you have the self-control to eat just one or two and then bring the rest in to work, or give your parents or future in-laws a thoughtful gift.

Baking's not doing it for you? Then how about a real meal? A savory stew or a rosemary-dusted chicken? That'll fill your home with some fabulous scents that will turn your space into a feast for the senses.

Share the relief of Tip #1 with your groom, and ask him which scents he loves. [He will, of course, say Your Perfume because he is a romantic guy!] He may add some suggestions to your grocery shopping list.

What are your ideas for comforting scents in your home? Do you love sage? Your man's cologne? Fresh lilies? Share your favorites in the Comments section here, and surprise us with the unusual scents you love. A friend of mine *loves* the smell of dirt. Can't get enough of it, and is a big gardener. So her home is filled with potted plants, and she tends to them in a Zen practice. Another friend of mine loves the smell of leather. So she will actually take a deep inhale of her jacket or her purse. And then there's vanilla frosting, one of my favorites....I'll open the can, breathe in, and take a teaspoon of indulgence. Everything in moderation. Even the bread or the cookies.