ET LØFTE EVENTS

SAYING "I DO" TO TATTOOS

© Melissa Nowakowski August 2009

Image courtesy of Allebach Photography

In the South Asian culture, ritual skin painting, called Mehndi, is traditionally done for marriage celebrations, symbolizing fertility and the love between husband and wife. It's beautiful, colourful and intricate.

Tattoos, on the other hand, have long been a sore spot with the wedding etiquette police. No matter how colourful or intricate, tattoos have always been deemed inappropriate on a Bride.

But this planner is excited to say that the times, they are a-changing!

Perhaps I'm partial to tattoos because I have a few of my own, but I've always viewed tattoos as beautiful pieces of artwork -- artwork that symbolizes a person's personality, their accomplishments, their life encounters or even just an image that conjures general well being or a fond memory. In my opinion, even that tattoo that you regretfully got during Spring Break is a symbol of who you are and the path that you've walked.

"My skin is my canvas. The artwork on it represents something that is very powerful and meaningful in my life. I look at my skin as something of a living diary because all my tattoos represent a time in my life. And I never wish to shut the door on the past, so I carry it all with me."
-- Dave Navarro

And while in the past Brides made a point to cover up their tattoos, today Brides are showing off their art with pride. Colourful, sexy and elaborate tattoos are giving the traditional Bride a whole new look for their wedding day -- edgy, artistic and savvy.

Photo courtesy of Andreas Photo

Photo by Tritan Savatier

And it's not just the "rock-and-roll" brides that are taking up the tattoo trend. Even the preppiest of Brides-to-be are looking for a unique touch for their matrimonial attire. Don't believe us? Check out I Do Tattoos -- a US company founded by Debbie Franchi that provides Brides with a temporary "Something Blue" design with which to adorn their bodies on the wedding day. Whimsical and elegant, these temporary tattoos are giving the needle-squirmish the same fashionable option with none of the permanency.

Photo courtesy of IDoTattoos.com

And just as Mendhi symbolizes the love between a husband and wife, couples from varying cultures are opting for matching tattoos to symbolize their own testament to their love (which is both romantic and risky) . From wedding band tattoos and etched wedding dates to heart encased names and poetic quotes, couples are embracing the ink a statement of their commitment (and getting matching tattoos takes commitment to a whole new level!)

Photo courtesy of modblog.bmezine.com.com

Photo courtesy of modblog.bmezine.com.com

This planner is happy to see that what was once viewed as abnormal and a huge wedding faux-pas can now be considered daring wedding fashion. After all in the immortal words of Sir Francis Bacon, "There is no perfect beauty that hath not strangeness in the proportion."