How to Flaunt Your Ink at Your Wedding
If you’re anything like us, you’re very attached to your inks (and not just in the most literal sense!). While there may be tens upon thousands of articles and suggestions out there on the internet detailing ways for brides (and grooms) to hide and cover their tattoos from public eye on their big day, we couldn’t possibly disagree more here at Tux & Tales Photography! We adore working with tattooed wedding parties. In actual fact, we think they rock so much that we even offer a little discount to our inked brothers and sisters.
Your inks are a part of you and your life, and your wedding day should never involve hiding either of those wonderful things! You will want to think of some really cool ways to incorporate your tattoos into the theme your wedding.
We specialise in making your tattoos really pop in your wedding day photographs because we genuinely understand them and are super-duper passionate about them. Our staff are tattooed, we have photographed lots of tattoo celebratory weddings, we have even been featured in ‘Refinery 29’ articles on tattooed brides as well as on Hitched. As a side note, check out the blog we sponsor, ‘Marry Me Ink’, to see just how cool showing off tattoos at weddings really can be.
This is the point of today’s blog, to show you the best ways not only to show your tattoos off on your wedding day, but to make tattoos at your wedding an inclusive, artistic highlight to celebrate your big day.
Tattoo Tips For Your Wedding
The Outfit
Choose clothing styles that will show off your artwork. It’s a little obvious perhaps, but your dress and suit have to be flattering and comfortable for a long day, too, don’t forget. So while revealing dresses might seem like the obvious answer, you might later regret your choice on the dancefloor. Ladies should experiment with tea-length, strapless, backless, plunging or sweetheart necklines, keyhole backs, sleeveless or half sleeved gowns. There are an endless amount of variations out there to make your dress perfect for you.
While there might not be such an infinite amount of choices for the groom, there’s no reason why a rolled up sleeve and braces suit should lack class or sleekness. It just adds an alternative edge to a smart look. There are always kilts too, if you have Scottish heritage. Get your clan tartan, a sporran and get down with a big ceilidh. Every lass loves a lad in a kilt.
Tattoo Tips For Your Wedding
Activities & Themes
Depending on what you already have planned for your themes and activities on the big day, you could potentially expand upon it to include a variety of ideas that include and feature tattoos and artwork.
Tattoo cakes with your ink designs on it, tattooed couple wedding cake toppers, themed stationery, temporary tattoo wedding gifts, stations and games where people can pepper each other with little designs and temporary glitters and gems.
Some brides have even had tattoo stations with specially made temporary tattoos made just for their wedding day. We at ‘Tux and Tales’ even have our own little temporary tattoo that we give all of our clients as a little gift. It’s made by ‘Awesome Merchandise’ based in Leeds and is always a big hit. Maybe you even want to think about Henna tattoos? Please do the appropriate research into this first, though. Henna should only be done by a proper artist with the correct materials, just like our real and permanent tattoos!
Tattoo Tips For Your Wedding
Tattoo Care
Apologies if we’re preaching to the choir here, but it’s so easy to forget little things like tattoo care in the manic run up to a wedding which can be intense at best.
Moisturise. Good, healthy and well moisturised skin will help your colours stand out and appear brighter. Products likes ‘Tattoo Goo’ which are specially made for your inks, or good old-fashioned cocoa butter will do just the trick. Moisturising a little more than normal a few days before the wedding won’t hurt you, and remember to keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water as moisture comes from within just as much as out.
If you’re having more ink done, you should ensure that all the ink work is fully completed at least three weeks before the wedding to avoid any of that gristly peeling, temporary fading and itching whilst it heals. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
Speaking of extra work, if you’ve chosen to get matching tattoos as a part of your commitment to each other, don’t limit yourself to just a wedding ring design (which is cute, don’t get us wrong). The possibilities are endless, though! Think of something that really shows your individual style as a couple. Some ideas could be…matching upper arm tattoos, side of hand tattoos that fit together, puzzle pieces, halves of love hearts, noughts and crosses, etc.
Tattoo Tips For Your Wedding
Cover Up
All of that being said however, if you really, truly want to cover up or remove a tattoo we’re not here to judge. Maybe you have ‘Billy’ tattooed on your arm, and now you’re marrying ‘Brad’, or maybe you’re not as into ‘Twilight’ as you thought you were.
Regardless of your reasons, it’s important to remember that not all tattoos can be removed, so make sure to start conversations with a tattoo removal clinic at least eighteen months before the wedding.
Covering up tattoos is much simpler, cheaper and less painful process. There are plenty of very helpful Youtube tutorials by makeup artists out there if you’re not hiring a professional makeup artist on the day. There are a lot of products out there that you can buy yourself that are specially designed to cover tattoos. One product we have seen used successfully is by Tattoo Secret. A professional makeup artist should be able to help you, but make sure to have that conversation first and ask them about their skills and past experience in scar and tattoo cover up jobs. Aside from all that, a particular outfit choice could just as well cover up anything you don’t want to show.
Tattoo Tips For Your Wedding
We Love Tattoos
We absolutely love a well inked bride and/or groom! If you are heavily inked and planning to strut your tattoo stuff on your wedding day – we would love to hear from you. We offer a special discount to those gorgeous couples who are not afraid to go bold on their wedding day. Please get in touch with us to chat more about how we can get you some awesome photographs.
Check out some of our favorite tattooed couples from the last few years for a little inspiration for your inky day!
- Tattoo Wedding Photography by Tux & Tales Photography – Cherry & Marco
- Tattoo Wedding Photography by Tux & Tales Photography- Laura & Gary
- Tattoo Wedding Photography by Tux & Tales Photography – Rachel & Neil
