By Rebecca Skilton
They might not be considered traditional, but in today’s day and age, they’ve certainly become a popular practicality.
While the act of branding oneself with a symbol of eternal love is an exceptional gesture, the tattooed wedding is, in many ways, a functional option for the modern couple.
Nar Nar Goon resident Brad Dixon opted to trade his traditional wedding ring for a tattoo roughly two years ago following difficulties he faced wearing the jewellery in his professional life.
“I did have a really nice silver ring with a diamond spec in the centre, but being a farmer and volunteer CFA member I decided to trade the ring in for a tattoo,” Brad said.
“The ring has two grooves that run around it and when I wore it they would fill up full of (muck).
“And while volunteering, my fingers would swell with the heat (from fires) and I found it uncomfortable.”
Brad’s tattoo, which features a silhouette of a crown and a cursive ‘A’, symbolizing his wife Ally, was a spontaneous decision brought about when he went to get another tattoo.
“When I came home, (Ally) found the tattoo awesome; she thought it was really cool. She really loved it,” Brad said.
“The ‘A’ is for her name and I got the crown because she’s my queen.”
Practicality also nudged Junction Village couple David and Danielle Kennedy towards their complementing tattooed wedding rings which the couple received as an anniversary gift.
But while the Kennedys initially traded traditional wedding rings at their ceremony in 2004, it was their careers that ultimately made the final choice.
“David is a diesel mechanic and it was too dangerous for him to be wearing a ring,” Danielle said.
“He had a close call where the ring got caught and it was enough for him to not wear it. I decided to become a beautician later in life and being a beautician you don’t wear jewellery.
“And then, of course, we were walking around without rings on … people used to mention I wasn’t wearing it; they were always commenting and they didn’t know that you were married so we decided to get them done.”
While the Kennedy’s tattooed rings feature matching king and queen crowns, Danielle admitted that the couple hac kept their traditional rings to pass on to their children.
