Brides want to be stunning on their wedding day and there’s certain expectations of what the perfect bride should look like. For most, this usually doesn’t involve visible, large tattoos. While the groom tends to have long sleeves and can cover tattoos if they wish, wedding gowns usually leave skin on show. However, more brides are embracing their tattoos and showing them off, even picking dresses that show off their ink as opposed to hiding it.
Encouragement for cover up tattoos
In the lead up to the big day most brides will be focusing on all the smaller details, many of which will be forever immortalized in their wedding photos. A tattoo that is faded, blurred or no longer has significant meaning is the last thing a bride wants to remember. Cover ups are becoming increasingly common due to this, with a visit to the tattoo studio just as important as going to the hair salon and getting nails done. It seems weddings will prompt brides-to-be to fix existing ink that they’ve been meaning to do anyway, rather than pressuring them to get a tattoo specifically for the wedding.
Remembering that significant someone with a tattoo
Some brides will be missing some very important people at their weddings, such as family or loved ones that have passed. Getting a tattoo to represent them can be a very powerful way to feel connected with them and to have them there. This offers a lot of peace to some brides and often results in a beautiful piece of artwork that they want to intentionally show off, not hide.
Couples Tattoos
Couple tattoos aren’t a new thing but marking a marriage with tattoos is becoming increasingly popular. Couples may get tattoos just before the big day so that the tattoos can heal, or right after to mark their commitment. This gives brides more reason to show off their ink and is making it even more ‘normal’ for them to be seen with visible tattoos. Some couples will even hire a tattoo artist to attend their wedding reception to tattoo them and their guests as a unique way to remember the day.
Traditional wedding henna tattoos
A henna party is a traditional part of many Middle Eastern and North African weddings and is often held the day before the marriage. Henna tattoos, known as mehndi, are applied in intricate designs to the bride’s hands and feet where the color will contrast best as the skin is usually paler here. Some cultures believe that the darker the henna goes the more the groom will love them.
Within the mehndi the groom’s name or initials will be hidden to add significance to the tattoo. On the wedding day the bride will show off their mehndi, particularly on their hands, making henna tattoos a traditional and very acceptable form of tattoos worn by brides.
Whether you decide to go for a new tattoo, cover up old ink or fix an existing piece that’s seen better days, having tattoos on show as a bride is becoming the norm. Henna tattoos have been used in wedding ceremonies for years as part of a tradition that identifies the bride and expresses their love, which permanent tattoos are now being used for too.
