With this ink...
Couple mark wedding with tattoos all round
EXCLUSIVE
BY KATE GRAHAM
BRIDE Charlotte Lonsdale wasn’t the only one to get butterflies on her big day.
Her best mate Danielle got one on her arm, too, courtesy of tattooist Tony Shillito.
Charlotte and groom Daniel gave guests a lasting memory of their wedding day by hiring him.
And instead of a first dance, the bride and groom, both 26, were at the front of the queue to be inked. Teacher Charlotte had her wedding date tattooed in Roman numerals and the word “love” on the inside of her leg.
She even helped give civil engineer Daniel his tattoo – the logo of video game Skyrim, on his leg.
The Durham couple booked Tony for their 80 guests after the best man’s girlfriend, Abby Stidwell, 26, saw a US couple do it on TikTok. Charlotte already had six tattoos, including a butterfly and a mandala, while Daniel had a quote and a biomechanical image, so they loved the idea.
Charlotte said: “Tony from Forever Ink Tattoos immediately wanted to be involved.”
They paid him £400 to be at the four-star Beamish Hall country hotel in Co Durham from 1pm to 11pm. Guests paid £30 for an inking, mainly from stencils of designs chosen by the bride and groom. But Tony took a printer for any bespoke requests.
By 11pm, more than 20 guests were inked.
Charlotte said: “They included Danielle, our friend Kieran, who went for a picture of his dog Max, and my cousin Ben. A few parents had matching tattoos with their adult children. For most people it was their first tattoo, so it was amazing to know they’d gone for it on our big day.”
But while guests loved the quirk, Charlotte said: “When I posted about it on a bride’s forum, there was lots of negativity. People said you shouldn’t mix tattoos with alcohol.
“But, of course, we would be making sure that didn’t happen.”
They got permission from the council and the venue for Tony to work and guests having tattoos gave written consent.
Charlotte added: “I know hiring a tattoo artist sounds mad. But everyone will remember our wedding for ever. Now I have a husband and a tattoo – two permanent reminders of the best
day of my life.”
I have a husband and a tattoo – two permanent reminders of the best day of my life