Tattooed Bridesmaid - Are Visible Tattoos Wedding Appropriate?

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It's wedding season again; I blinked my eyes and now it's here. Over the past few wedding seasons, wedding forum questions related to visible tattoos on bridesmaids have increased significantly. Many of the forum questions were from either: a) the concerned bridesmaid, wondering if she should cover her own tattoos during the wedding or b) the bride desperately wanting her bridesmaids' tattoos concealed.

Whether you are in the shoes of A or B, you are not alone. According to a January 2008 Harris Interactive Poll, 32% of U.S. adults age 25-29 have at least one tattoo. With the average age of a first marriage in the U.S around 25-28 years of age, a visible tattoo may be affecting the dynamics of your upcoming wedding.

You are the bridesmaid

If you are the concerned bridesmaid, it's fantastic that you are open to concealing your tattoo for your friend's wedding day. Horror stories abound illustrating passive aggressive brides who never speak directly to the bridesmaid about covering visible tattoos, yet simply opt to air brush the tattoos out of the wedding photos. Imagine what the bridesmaid must think when she finds herself staring at unrecognizable photos of herself right after the wedding.

The best way to gauge the bride's opinion regarding your tattoo is to ask her. Open up the dialogue, ask what the bride's preference is and be open to what she says. Tattoos are every bit a part of you and the bride definitely understands what your ink represents. But, for this one day, turn the conversation to what your friendship represents and how you would do anything for the bride; the friend you are seeing off into marriage.

You are the bride

Quite possibly you are the the bride-to-be, distressing over your maid-of-honor's sleeve tattoo ruining your wedding photos. Relax, you can handle the no-tattoo chat with your friend; if you have a tactful plan:

1) Be fair. Think about your wedding party, are you going to ask all of the members to cover their tattoos too? Better yet, are you covering your own tattoos? If yes, carry on. If no, think about why you are asking your friend to cover her tattoo. Is there something within the tattoo that specifically offends you? Possibly a topless Betty Paige? If you are not going to ask the other members of the bridal party to cover up, then you need to tactfully convey your message to the bridesmaid in question.

2) Tell your bridesmaid that you know how important the tattoo is to her.

3) Come up with a plan. Will a shawl cover the tattoo for the wedding? Or will you purchase a tattoo cover up product such as Tattoo Camo (tattoocamo.com)? With either option, go online and take care of the purchase for your friend. We learned about Tattoo Camo through a study conducted by Joan Kneller, a woman embarking on her 2nd marriage with her ex husband's name still tattooed on her shoulder! You can read all about Joan's experience at tattoomakeup.org.

How to conceal tattoos with cover up

How do you cover up a tattoo with make-up? The make-up experts recommend that you purchase two shades of tattoo makeup, one lighter and one a tad darker than your skin tone. Start with the darker shade and briefly go over the bulk of the tattoo, then take the lighter shade and blend into the darker. Set with powder and you are good to go. Good luck and enjoy the wedding!

Ms. Eckard is a wedding planner in Dallas TX.

The Bride Isn't Shy Anymore!

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Remember the phrase "blushing bride"? It was thought for centuries that brides were supposed to be demure, shy, quiet and reserved. This attitude was reflected in so many choices for her wedding ideas - including the colors she chose for the bridesmaids' dresses, table linens, and everything else. Pastels were the norm, including soft pinks, pale blues, and mint greens. Everything, especially wedding colors, was subtle and seen as feminine.

Today's modern bride has redefined that word. She is probably someone that has worked, and worked hard. She juggles her own career ambitions while not giving up her desire for a home and family. A blushing bride she is not!

And this is being reflected in her choices for wedding colors, in wedding favors and other items. Over the past few years, colors have become stronger and deeper. Mint green has been traded for hunter or forest shades. Pale blue has given way to navy or royal. Everything has become bolder, deeper, stronger - just like the bride herself. It's not unusual to see the once taboo wedding colors choice of black or fire engine red to be worked into a wedding décor, and sometimes even those two colors together.

The choices for colors at a wedding are no greater indication of a bride's personality, and this trend of the strong and independent woman isn't going to go away anytime soon, and neither is the choice for stronger and bolder wedding colors.

However, this isn't to say that today's bride is so strong that she's become unapproachable, or that she is choosing strong colors just for the sake of how strong they are. One of the hottest trends in wedding colors today is shades of warm brown and tan. Even for wedding dresses, the bride herself may choose a sash or bow of russet or auburn shades.

The brown family of colors is closely associated with warm, nurturing foods- think of coffee, cocoa, and chocolate. Brown is often seen in nature, another element of nurturing and caring. Even in the application of feng shui, it's encouraged to use shades of brown in rooms where you want to feel relaxed and comforted, such as the living room or bedroom. By selecting wedding colors of these darker shades, the bride may be expressing her nurturing, caring, warm side.

The same could be said of the many shades of green that are fast becoming available. No longer does the bride only have the choice of mint or pale green, but now bridesmaids' dresses and table linens are being offered in stronger shades of celery, jade, and emerald. Hunter and forest greens are also popular, and also may be seen as strong but nurturing. These are two shades also abundantly available in nature, and the term "mother earth" was coined for a reason. When we think of nature or use shades found in nature, these are seen as warm and caring.

Jewel tones of any color are also very popular wedding colors, especially when planning a winter or holiday wedding. When choosing colors that are of a jewel tone, a bride can even mix up the shades for her table linens - emerald green and ruby red for a December wedding, for instance. Adding some sapphire blue and shades of gold can break up the colors and still keep the venue looking festive.

Of course, those brides who still prefer the softer wedding colors of the pastel family have a wealth of options for them. Softer colors never go out of style, and are still seen as being romantic and even passionate. Additionally, by choosing softer colors, the bride knows that they will not overwhelm the setting or theme of the wedding. If you have a large number of bridesmaids and a huge banquet hall, choosing colors such as red and black as your accent can be too powerful, and can even cause the bride herself to get lost in the pictures! The larger the venue and number of attendants, the softer the color shades should be. Of course, these wedding colors can be mixed and matched as well. A bride may opt for her attendants to be in soft pink while the maid of honor is in a darker shade of rose red or light purple. If opting for soft wedding colors, you don't want to make the mistake of having your venue or dresses look washed out or faded. A bride needs to make sure that there are some stronger accent colors to tie everything together.

In the end of course wedding colors are going to be a bride's choice and will no doubt reflect not just her personality but the prevailing trend at the time. Whatever her preferences for the wedding colors - shy and sweet pastels, bold and strong reds and blues, nurturing browns and greens - she has a wealth of options available to her today, and no longer needs to be shy about expressing her true personality in her wedding party!

Linda Ellison is a freelance writer who specializes in trends and lifestyles. Her previously published fiction works, including the Dana Ford Mystery Series, have been on bookshelves nationwide. Visit [http://www.favorsandwraps.com] to read more about the latest trends in wedding favors.