Caroline Baldwin
Caroline Baldwin, a corporate communications director located in Greenville, S.C., began her writing career in 1998. Her work has been published in newspapers and magazines across the United States and Canada including Rolling Stone, Boating Life, Waterski and Wakeboarding magazines. Baldwin specializes in writing about crafts, pets, sports, food and travel. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies from The College of Charleston.
View my portfolio
By Caroline Baldwin
If your love is eternal, then go ahead and ink it onto your ring finger with a wedding-band tattoo. More couples are opting to get wedding-band tattoos in addition to or in lieu of metal wedding bands. Take your time to decide what you want, where you want it and who is going to do it so you are as happy with your band as you are with your new spouse.
Deciding on a Design
Think about what makes you special as a couple; the design or designs should represent your identity and uniqueness. You may opt to do coordinating tattoos as opposed to matching tattoos. One couple on Inked Weddings, a site for alternative brides, chose a nautical wheel for the groom and an antique compass rose for the bride. Couples may wear inked bands instead of metal bands as a choice or because they work with their hands, such as in iron trades or as musicians, while others may wear them under their regular wedding bands. This may have influence over your design as you may not want the tattoo to show under the metal bands. Initials, wedding dates and names are ways to personalize your design. Infinity and love designs show the everlasting love of your marital commitment.
Design Placement
When selecting your design, take into consideration where you want the design to be on your finger. According to TheAlternativeBride.com, the skin on your fingers is thinner than other traditional tattoo sites. The underside of the finger by the palm does not hold ink for long periods of time. Best practice is to get a design on the top of the finger or one that wraps to the sides of the finger but does not go all the way around. Everything Wedding Rings says color fades faster on ones hands as they are exposed to more UV light, so you frequently see more designs with black ink; take this into consideration. Consider how far up your finger you would like the design to span. Some people like to use the entire space from the knuckle to the base of the finger. For example, a design that simulates an engagement ring with a stone would fill much of the space.
Try It Out
Once you have narrowed down design preferences, try them out. Simulate your band design with a henna tattoo. Find a henna tattoo kit or a henna artist in your area and create the design. Henna tattoos are temporary and give you a close representation of how your design will look on your hand. If you cannot do a henna tattoo, use a fine felt-tipped marker or carbon paper to transfer the design to your finger. It is less lifelike but still gives you an idea of what to expect. If you do not like your design, this gives you a chance to make changes to the design or proportions.
Find an Artist
Selecting the right artist is very important in the quest for the perfect wedding-band tattoo. The artist has to be able to draw a small, intricate design on a tender and delicate area of your body. Check that she has completed many -- not just a few -- bands in her career. Ask for photo examples of her work. Everything Wedding Rings states it is fine to look at the artists work, tell her youll have to think about it and come back in a couple of days so you dont feel pressured. For unique designs, you need to source an artist that draws her own designs. Discuss with her that you want a true custom design and it should not be used on anyone else. She should let you keep all copies of the design to ensure it does not get reused. As with all tattoos, discuss sterility procedures before moving forward.
- ',image: '',flash: ''},google_image_size : '336x280'});AdblockPlus.detect(function(usesABP) {if (usesABP) {googleAds.overrideAd('GoogleAdsense336x280', { google_ad_channel: 'wed_wedding_planning,text,suggested6,Art6' });} });
Travelling is my life
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon