Wedding rings are a beautiful symbol of a married couple’s love and commitment to each other, and they serve as a reminder of the promises made on that special day.
While metal wedding rings are traditionally the way people go, jewelry isn’t always everybody’s thing.
Wedding ring tattoos are an increasingly popular option for couples to show their commitment without buying expensive rings. They require just as much commitment as the vows themselves, they are impossible to lose, and are less expensive than the traditional option.
Knowing some of the pros and cons of wedding ring tattoos might interest you, but we have barely scratched the surface when it comes to all of the aspects of wedding ring tattoos.
Keep reading to really understand everything that comes with a wedding ring tattoo.
What Are Wedding Ring Tattoos?
Wedding ring tattoos kind of explain themselves, as the name is pretty clear, but we will go over some particulars that might not be common knowledge.
At their most basic definition, wedding ring tattoos are tattoos that a married, or soon to be married, couple gets in place of a traditional wedding ring.
They serve the same purpose that wedding rings do, but in a way that works better for different lifestyles and personalities.
Typically, people assume that a wedding ring tattoo is just a tattoo of a wedding band on the left ring finger.
While this can be and is the case for a lot of couples, the options do not stop there.
You can get any image or shape tattooed on your finger!
The tattoo can match your partners or not, it can be a band or just a symbol, and it is not confined to where you would normally wear the ring.
There are so many options for wedding ring tattoos, so let’s discuss the pros, cons, and specifics of getting a wedding ring tattoo.
Pros of Wedding Ring Tattoos
There are so many good things about wedding ring tattoos that would make anyone consider trading in their metal ring for something with a few more benefits.
Here are the pros of getting a wedding ring tattoo:
- Never lose: Unlike traditional, metal wedding rings, wedding ring tattoos can never get lost. This should seem pretty obvious, but it is a greater perk than people think. You will never accidentally leave your ring on the bathroom counter, in the locker room, or drop it down the disposal. You can say goodbye to fights about losing your ring because a tattoo will never come off!
- Unique to you: While there are options for different wedding rings, there are so many more for wedding ring tattoos. You can get a band if you prefer simpler designs, or you can get anything from a heart to a skull with a bow tie! Some popular options are the date of the wedding, your partner’s name, and the other person’s zodiac star sign.
- Much cheaper: We will talk about the cost of wedding ring tattoos later on, but the cost is too great of a pro to ignore. Wedding ring tattoos are a fraction of the price of a diamond ring or even a simple wedding band. Getting a tattoo over an expensive ring leaves you and your partner with some extra cash to spend on your honeymoon.
- Safe for active lifestyles: One of the biggest complaints of people with traditional wedding rings is that they often interfere with active lifestyles. Metal rings have been known to be crushed when lifting weights and catch on things and damage fingers when moving vigorously. Wedding ring tattoos take away those worries! They never get in the way of active lifestyles because they are underneath the skin, so you can be active without needing to take your wedding ring off.
These pros show that wedding ring tattoos are a good idea if you find that you and your partner have problems with metal wedding rings.
Cons of Wedding Ring Tattoos
While there are a lot of very significant pros to getting wedding ring tattoos, with everything good, there are bound to be some drawbacks.
Here are some cons to seriously consider before getting a wedding ring tattoo:
- Need to touch up: While wedding ring tattoos are permanent, they do fade over time, and you will need to get your tattoo touched up periodically. Unfortunately, due to consistent washing and rubbing against other objects, hand and finger tattoos fade faster than on most other parts of the body. All tattoos need touching up here and there, but wedding ring tattoos will need it more frequently.
- The pain: Because there is little muscle and fat on the fingers and they have a lot of nerve endings, finger tattoos often hurt much worse than other tattoos. If you want a wedding ring tattoo, you need to be prepared for how much it will hurt. Overall, the lifelong commitment will last longer than the pain, so if you really want a wedding ring tattoo, it will be worth it.
- Removal is difficult: If for any reason you and your partner have to part ways and get a divorce, a wedding ring tattoo is much more difficult to remove than a traditional wedding ring. You can get laser removal, but like getting the tattoo, it is going to hurt. A lot. Removal will also leave a scar and minimal ink residue on your finger, so just be careful when deciding to get a wedding ring tattoo.
- Can blur: Unfortunately, blurring is a risk you sign up for when getting a tattoo. While the artist will try their best to avoid any blurring, the ink does not always stay put under the skin and your wedding ring tattoo can end up looking a little less crisp than you would like. Just be aware that tattoos aren’t perfect, but they are permanent.
Some heart design ideas
Cost and Care of Wedding Ring Tattoos
The two most important factors of wedding ring tattoos to consider before committing are how much they are going to cost you, and how difficult the maintenance of them will be.
Cost
Before purchasing anything, especially something as symbolic as a wedding ring tattoo, one of the most important things to consider is the price.
Like mentioned before, wedding ring tattoos are much cheaper than a diamond ring or traditional wedding band.
Knowing this, how much will you save by getting wedding ring tattoos instead of metal rings?
On average, Americans spend $7,000 to $10,000 on just the rings for their weddings; engagement rings being roughly $5,000 of the ring amount. In comparison, two wedding ring tattoos cost anywhere from $100 to $600 making the amount saved around $8,150 when using averages. That is a HUGE amount of money saved on rings alone!
Care
While it might seem like you should not have to think about the maintenance of a wedding ring tattoo like you do a metal wedding ring, it is an important part of any tattoo, including a wedding ring.
When you first get the tattoo, remember to be very gentle with it, as finger tattoos can often take more time to heal and often look kind of rough.
With proper care, a wedding ring tattoo can last for 2-4 years before needing touch-ups.
The healing process is probably the most important time to be extra careful with maintenance, as that is when it is most vulnerable to infection and getting messed up.
Make sure to get the tattoos well in advance of your wedding so you have them looking nice and not scabby.
Also make sure they are fully healed before going on your honeymoon as water, sand, and sun are not good for healing tattoos.
If you have to be out in the sun, never forget to put sunscreen over the tattoo.
With proper care, a wedding ring tattoo can last for 2-4 years before needing touch-ups, but they are going to fade eventually.
As explained before, the washing and rubbing of the thin skin on your fingers will wear away the tattoo, so you will need to get it touched up.
A touch-up only costs about $50 to $100 per tattoo, but it will hurt a lot and touch-ups can really add up over the years.
Guide and Tips
Before you commit to a wedding ring tattoo, do your research about the tattoo artist.
Not all tattoo artists are going to be able to fulfill your request or will want to.
Some feel more comfortable only using black ink, some are more capable of doing large artworks but can’t really do small, detailed pieces.
Talk to a lot of different artists to find the one that can get you your dream wedding ring tattoo for a price that is reasonable to you.
Some tattoo artists will give you a special deal if you promise to come back to them when you need touch-ups.
Ask your tattoo artist if they are willing to make a deal for you and your spouse to come back in a few years to get your wedding ring tattoos touched up for a much cheaper price than some other place would give you.
If you are uncertain about the design you might want, consider getting a henna tattoo of the design.
Hennas are temporary tattoos that last for a couple of weeks before fading away.
This way, you can see how you like the design over a longer period of time before committing to it fully.
To keep your wedding ring tattoo completely unique to you and your spouse, find a tattoo artist that will draw up custom designs for you to choose from.
This way you will have something that you had a part in coming up with and no one else is likely to have the same design.
You should also ask the artist to not use the design on anyone else and keep the original tattoo sketch to keep it one-of-a-kind.
Common Questions
While we have covered so many aspects of wedding ring tattoos, there are still a few miscellaneous aspects left to talk about.
Here are a few common questions about wedding ring tattoos:
Are Wedding Ring Tattoos Bad Luck?
This question might seem bizarre to some who don’t believe in superstition, but there is a legitimate reason why this is even a question.
While many people find that a tattoo is a perfectly good replacement for a traditional wedding ring, not everyone is on the same page with that.
The fading of the tattoo is an omen for how the relationship will go.
Because of the tendency of wedding ring tattoos to fade over time, some people believe that they are bad luck.
They believe that the fading of the tattoo is an omen for how the relationship will go.
In comparison to traditional wedding rings that take a very long time to tarnish, wedding ring tattoos fade quite quickly and some are worried that means that the love of the couple will fade as well.
While there is no evidence to back up this superstition, it makes sense that many people, especially those who prefer a more traditional symbol of commitment, might see the impermanence as a very bad sign for the relationship.
Are Wedding Ring Tattoos Tacky?
Whether a wedding ring tattoo is tacky or not is all based on opinion, so it is hard to say for certain.
But some arguments say they are tacky and some arguments say that they are a great replacement for metal wedding rings.
Here are the biggest points for either side:
The design matters a lot. If a wedding ring tattoo is not done very well or the design is too crazy, crude, or silly, wedding ring tattoos can look very tacky and cheap.
Some places of employment do not like any tattoos to be visible even if it is a symbol of marriage and commitment.
While some say only the wearer has to think it is not tacky, sometimes the world works the way the world works and that can be a reason someone does not get a job.
However, it is not very difficult to get a wedding ring tattoo that does not look tacky.
Simple, clean designs are usually seen as modern and acceptable.
There are still a lot of unique options for those who want a simple design, and they do not have to forfeit any respect that they might want from people who think differently.
