Trend Alert: Ring Finger Tattoos!

If you consider yourself to be a traditional bride, you may want to stop reading right now. There’s a cool new engagement trend emerging from the more alternative couples in the world, and it has nothing to do with engagement rings…

That’s right, ring finger tattoos are becoming ever more popular among body art fans, hipsters and just about anyone a little left of centre. Although we wouldn’t put ourselves in any of these categories, we have to admit; this trend is just a little bit awesome.

Why do it? Well for one thing, a small tattoo on your ring finger is a hell of a lot cheaper than a fancy diamond ring. There’s also zero risk of you losing it or of it getting stolen or damaged, and zero maintenance required (after the first couple of days of healing). It doesn’t hurt that much and would take under an hour for the job to be finished, unless you want a really intricate and detailed design. Plus, it’s a great way to proclaim your love, commitment and partnership together – and matching or complementing tattoos are kind of adorable, if you’re into that kind of thing.

What about the drawbacks? Well, obviously a tattoo is permanent. So if your marriage subsequently ends badly years down the line you’ll probably feel kind of stupid any time you look at your hand. You can get your tattoo lasered off, but it’s costly and there will be scars.  There’s also a chance you might regret your design choice after a while, so be sure to give it some careful consideration before you go under the needle. You may be able to get a new design tattooed over it, depending on what the original is.

BUT, if you’re a fan of tattoos and body art and want to express your love for your partner in an exciting and personal way, we say go for it!

Love the idea, but don’t know what tattoo to get? Here are just a few ideas…

• A heart – a cliche, but you could always spin it as ‘ironic’ if you wanted to
• A wedding band – because why not? It’s a chance to get creative with the design too!
• Your other half’s name – a logical option
• The word for ‘love’ in a language of your choice – we love ‘grá’, the Gaelic word
• The date of your wedding – a permanent reminder of the day
• A choice quote – such as, ‘forever and always’ or even ‘we got hitched’
• Your partner’s family crest or family motto – to symbolise you joining the family
• A meaningful symbol – an outline of your favourite place, for example
• A soundwave of your partner’s heartbeat – a cool idea if you’re both music lovers
• A celtic love knot or eternity knot – apt if you have irish roots
• The eternity symbol – simple and elegant