wedding-tatto

Everyone hopes that their love will last forever. They're so confident in that fact that they may go as far as to have their wedding rings tattooed on, instead of purchasing the traditional wedding rings (or in addition to purchasing them.) I can see the appeal of making the symbol of the love you share with your significant other permanent, but I can also see the draw backs to it. The main drawback being… what happens if, heaven forbid, your relationship ends? I'm not saying it will, but what if it does and now you have a permanent reminder of a failed relationship? It doesn't sound like an amazing idea to me. Some celebrities have gone the tattoo route for their rings and we know how well many of those relationships worked out. Let's talk about a few unfortunate wedding ring tattoos.

Faded Tattoos

Tattoos fade. It's a fact, but you don't want something meant to show your love to fade in awkward ways. One of the trickiest things about wedding ring tattoos is that they often go all the way around the ring finger and your finger won't fade evenly all the way around, leaving you with an awkward sort of half wedding ring. If you are willing to go back in for touch ups from time to time you should be fine, otherwise you're going to have a ring that fades off into oblivion.

A Spreading Tattoo

Because the skin is thinner on the finger, a wedding ring tattoo may do more than just fade, it can spread. The skin on the back of your fingers is tough and will change a lot as you age. What may once have been two lines (rings) might now be one because the lines spread and blurred together. Usually this only takes a couple years to happen.

A Wiggly Tattoo

That tricky finger skin causes more problems, too. Because of the skin on your finger the tattoo artist may have a hard time getting a tattoo to look exactly as you want it to look. It will likely stretch in unpleasant ways while being tattooed, risking some lines that are not as straight as they should be.

Need more information on wedding ring tattoos and why some tattoo artists try to talk patrons out of getting them? Check this out.

Need some specific examples? The following celebs have gotten ring tattoos as a lasting reminder of their relationships. Too bad they didn't last.

Kathy Griffin's Ring Tattoo

This ring in and of itself isn't too extreme. It's a bit boring, with a starburst looking "stone" tattooed on it as well. The relationship didn't last, and neither did the tattoo. She did everything she could think of to get that tattoo removed, including multiple visits to have it lasered off. Ouch!

Levi Johnson's Bristol Tattoo

What's more risky than tattooing a ring on your ring finger? Tattooing a name as the ring. Bristol Palin and Levi Johnson didn't work out but her name remains tattooed there, most likely forever.

Now, all this aside, I'm not saying you shouldn't get a wedding ring tattoo if that is what speaks to you and your significant other. These are just a few of the tattoos that haven't worked out so well. I think a well-executed tattoo (maybe a tattoo on your ring finger that doesn't circle all the way around it could be better than a complete ring) can be a great option for some couples. I also, however, think that traditional wedding bands are not going anywhere and I will continue to encourage people to do what speaks most to them.

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