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In a world that constantly demands you to be different from the rest, here comes the latest wedding trend: Couples getting similar tattoos. SOUNAK MUKHERJEE finds out
David Beckham has “Victoria” inked on his right hand. Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green have each other’s names tattooed on their bodies. Saif Ali Khan has Kareena’s name inked on his forearm. But, it never became a wedding trend. But now, a quick search on Instagram, and you will find thousands of photos indicating the most recent trend in the wedding scene. Instead of going for a traditional wedding ring, couples are now opting for wedding tattoos. Before we try to find out the psychology behind the latest innovation, let’s dig more to find out how the original custom started in the first place.
A rising trend
It was common for women to wear wedding bands. However, it is relatively new for men to wear wedding rings. In the 20th century, men began wearing wedding rings as they started going to wars. Soldiers kept it as a means of remembering their lady loves. And it became a regular practice. But with changing times, this part of wedding ritual underwent a change, with millenials adding their own twist to the conventional rings in the form of wedding tattoos. “Wedding tattoos are quite in now and they are not going out of trend too soon,” celebrity tattoo artist Sunny Bhanushali says. “As we see all the big fat beautiful Indian weddings taking place, people strive hard to do all that they can to make this day as memorable as possible. As there’s nothing as memorable as a tattoo, it has a special place. Wedding tattoos are like the ultimate gifts given to the spouse, he adds.”
An increasing number of couples are opening up to the idea of wedding tattoos. Balakumaran, a Safety Engineer, does not mind having a wedding tattoo either. “If couples decide to do something like this together on their wedding, they should be allowed to go for it,” Bala says.
Pooja Anoj, still a student, likes the idea of having a wedding tattoo and would persuade her better half to get one too, if he is reluctant to get inked. “If my partner is not interested in having a wedding tattoo, I’d try my best to get him convinced. But, I don’t want to have the tattoo only. I’d also have a wedding ring,” she says.
Not an individual choice
The latest trend of having wedding tattoos does not oblige you to have each other’s initials, or even to have it on your ring finger. You are free to choose the location and the kind of tattoos you would like to have together. That also means the couple needs to have an agreement about this. It’s slightly different from having a tattoo on your own.
“People often get their spouse’s name inked, the date of their wedding and more,” Bhanushali says. “It is beautiful to observe all these couples coming in with excitement and so much love and admiration in their hearts.”
Some people wish the trend was there when they got married. “It was not there when we got married six-seven years ago,” graphic designer Boney Cabral opines. “But, my wife is scared of needles. So, I’m not sure if we would have gone for it, even though my wife and I love the concept of having a tattoo.”
Deepika Goyal, who recently got married, seems excited about the idea of getting a wedding tattoo. “The idea of having wedding tattoos never crossed our minds. In fact, we did not have any idea about it when we got married. But, I love the idea, and I believe I would have gone for it if I knew about it. However, the main issue is that my husband is not interested in having tattoos. So, I’m not sure if he would have gone for it,” Deepika says.
Pooja is particularly excited about the partial tattoos that become complete when couples hold hands or something like that. “That’s much better than having individual tattoos,” Pooja says. “Then again, both have to agree.”
It’s permanent
Some people opt for tattoos, because they are permanent. But, getting them off is a task. For couples, it means a lifetime of commitment. And, it might be a problem for those whose marriage crumbles, believes graphic designer Boney Cabral.
“What if the couple gets divorced? That tattoo will then be a reminder of the bitter marriage. Some people say it gets better with time. But, that can’t be the case when you have a glaring tattoo reminding you of your disturbing past,” he says.
We all know about a famous love affair of a Bollywood couple. The girl got a tattoo on her neck which had the initials of her famous boyfriend. Incidentally, they broke up. Now, she has another famous boyfriend, but the ex’s initials are still on her neck – at least a part of it is.
Things can’t go wrong for people like Priyanka Chopra who has ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ inked around her wrist. But, if it’s about husbands and wives, things can get a bit tricky. “Couples should go for something more general instead of having their initials permanently marked on their skin,” Deepika believes. “Just in case….”
24-30 years is the most common age group for getting wedding tattoos, Bhanushali points out. So, it depends on the people whether they want to carry this forward.
Tattoo versus ring
Even though Bala backs the idea of having wedding tattoos, he does not think it’s going to replace wedding rings anytime soon. “Tattoos can’t give you the feeling that you get from rings,” Bala avers. “After all, every material has some power on its own that cannot be replaced by tattoos. Also, it’s been going on for a long time. It will be really difficult to change the practice.”
Deepika prefers wedding tattoos to rings for a totally different reason. “Finally, we have something that can clearly tell us that a guy is taken,” Deepika quips. “He cannot take it off and pretend to be a bachelor.”
Having a wedding tattoo is still extremely new and is limited to couples who dare to be different. There is a huge number of people in India, who don’t endorse tattoos anyway. It won’t be easy to bring your parents to your team on this. But then, everything has to start somewhere.