Wedding Blog
In our immediate group of downtown friends, I am pretty much the only one who does not have a tattoo. I might be an amputee and I might have a large scar on my arm from being stabbed by a tree (I still don’t know how I managed that one), but any of my body modifications have been incidental instead of purposeful*.
When I met Mr. Hummingbird, I discovered he had two tattoos - one on his bicep and one on the upper part of his leg. It was the first time I had ever dated someone with any kind of body art, so I was kind of surprised by them, but also thought they were really unusual and beautiful (he picked simple solid colour line designs that still look brand new even though he’s had them for a while now).
For years afterwards, as many people with tattoos do, he contemplated getting another one, but because money was tight and because he couldn’t decide what he wanted, he kept putting it off.
So, because I could tell that he really was interested in getting tattooed again, after we got engaged, I made him an offer - since you paid for the ring, I’ll pay for a tattoo.
It took him a while to pick something, but finally, eight months after our initial engagement, he has taken me up on my offer and gotten himself inked.
Therefore I present to you, Mr. Hummingbird’s engagement tattoo!
(He loves his science fiction steampunk stuff,
so he designed his tattoo to play to that aesthetic.)
He got it a couple of weeks ago now, so it’s at that weird peely-skin stage, but it still looks pretty cool, almost enticing me into getting one myself.
So how about it ladies - Did any of you exchange less than traditional engagement gifts with your significant other? Do any of you have tattoos? Tell me all about it!
* Around age 15, in a burst of rebellion, I got the bright idea that I would sneak out and get a tattoo without my parents knowing. However, my mom ended up finding out about this plan and offered to bring me to a reputable place to get one for my 16th birthday. After that, I wasn’t quite as interested.
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I don’t have any, but DH has a couple. I thought about getting him another for an engagement or wedding present, but wasn’t able to afford it. Maybe for our Anniversary.
I told my husband - depending on the size of my diamond - the bigger his flat screen tv will be. He’s very happy with his tv and I’m very happy with my diamond engagement ring 
I have 4 tattoos and my FI has 11, I think, and we are planning on get one on the last day of our honeymoon. Something significant to our marriage.
Miss Hummingbird, I love your idea of getting Mr. Hummingbird one for an egagment present!
mr beanchar has one that he designed that relates to a meaningful event in his childhood, but I am tattoo-less.
I am terribly needle-phobic and put off getting my ears pierced for two years after I got permission from my parents b/c I FREAKED out when I saw the HUGE SPEAR that they were going to stab my tiny lobe with. 
I have one, FI has none but we’ve talked about getting matching penguin tattoos, except I’d have a girl penguin and he’d have a boy one and they’d be doing stuff we do (like mine would be reading and his would be playing guitar).
Mr. Neutron has 5 - I never thought I would marry anyone with tattoos either, but I am! He is obsessed, OBSESSED with Transformers, so he has the Autobot symbol and Optimus Prime on one arm, and a Decepticon symbol and Megatron on the other arm. I wish I was kidding. The other one is a character from a fantasy novel. With his shirt on, you’d never know he was a closet geek.
Whoa, that’s so cool your mom was going to take you to get a tattoo when you were 16!!
Ooooh ick ick ick no tattoos for us, but then again we are Jewish so we were raised knowing that tattoos would never be an option (and we never had a desire to rebel — we both really dislike them). My “engagement gift” of sorts to my fiance wound up being his elliptical — about 6 months after we were engaged, we moved in together, and his original elliptical broke in the process. His new one was around $2500 but he didn’t have the money at the time, so I just paid for it and called it his return on the engagement ring (I got the extraordinarily cheap end of the deal!).
We are both pretty inked. FI has half sleeves and I have my entire mid to lower back done. I want a quarter sleeve after the wedding :-). FI is getting our handfasting cord integrated into his sleeve before the wedding. It’s going to rock.
Nice tattoo. Love the steampunk theme..
I have two tattoos, and would love to get more..my fiance doesn’t have any so far, but has seriously considered the idea of having a band tattooed on his ring finger after we’re married..either that, or we might just get tattoos together on our honeymoon.
I’ve got one and he’s got 0. I’m planning to get more (and he’s sticking with 0) but I’m also getting mine done up for the wedding - going over the outline and adding some small cherry blossoms. It will be on show in my dress so I want to make sure it looks good!
I have one and FI has none, as well. it’s funny because most people wouldn’t guess that I would have one (pretty straight-arrow kinda gal), or that my fiance would approve (incredibly straight-arrow kinda guy) - not that I need his approval, of course. But I had wanted this exact tattoo (maple leaf) in this exact place (lower back, right) for more than 10 years (I wanted it in high school, but was not nearly rebellious enough. In college, I was too afraid of pain, and then in grad school, when I had moved to the US, I felt like it was cheating to get a symbol of my Canadian-ness stamped on my butt while I was in the US! But a friend was getting one so I decided to do it - and, to my surprise, the FI was all for it. He said that I was so consistent about wanting it that he knew that it was something I truly wanted. I love it!
I have 3. FI has 0. I would love to get us something matching.
My FI is terrified of needles, but he keeps telling me he will get a tattoo once we are married. When we got engaged I had him design me a tattoo, it is both of our zodiac signs entangled into one. (two becomes one).
My fiancee is a US Marine so when he gets home from Iraq (he’s currently serving his first deployment) and we get married, he is getting a phoenix rising from the sun on his back/shoulder and I’m getting a butterfly on my back/shoulder. They will be facing each other. I hope that makes sense.
I think it’s awesome that you got him something like a tattoo for his engagement gfit!
gift* hehe
A coworker of my husband got married just before we did, and the motif for the whole wedding was based on a woodblock a friend of the bride carved for them. It was on their invitations, their programs…
…and now it’s on his neck. Huge. But very cool, and totally unique.
Actually, here: it wouldn’t be on the internet if he didn’t want people to see it, right?
I have 2 right now, a large piece on my lower back and a little one on my hip. I will be getting another one on my upper back after the wedding. The Mr has 3 total. I love tatoos the Mr wants to add more to his and as long as he does not go overboard I am ok with it.
FH has a half-sleeve with a Pennsylvania theme, and a small nautical star on his left arm. I just got my first tattoo on my ribs (ouch!) in September. I picked the Glasgow salmon (http://www.seeglasgow.com/media-office/facts-and-figures/coat-of-arms) because I have just moved here, and I consider this city a huge part of my life. I’m planning a 3 tattoo piece to come from my right shoulder and connect on my ribs w/ the fish. I’ve lived in Pittsburgh, Belfast, and Glasgow, and those three places have pretty much defined who I’ve become, so I’m getting a tattoo in each place to represent that.
There’s only one wee problem with this…my mom doesn’t know. And the only time she’ll find out is likely to be my wedding day, as she helps me into my dress. I’m hoping I can keep it hush-hush…but in the end, it’s my body. I just don’t want to upset her.
FH and I have talked (a LOT!) about getting a wedding tattoo. We’re still doing rings and such, but our presents to each other are going to be matching tattoos of some sort.
No tattoos but I still have a piercing left in my bellybutton..
The morning after the wedding, I got the “morning gift” as traditions tell. But, I also gave my husband one - a pair of really fancy skiiing boots! (he gave me golf clubs when we started dating, and as we now are to spend our lives together, I thought he should go skiing more with me :))
My husband has one tattoo. It’s Martian looking green guy he got in high school - I don’t know why - and I don’t think he does either. It’s one of those tattoo’s you regret later in life. I mean he’s kinda cute - but just odd
I LOVE watching LA Ink - and have wanted a tattoo since I was 15 or so. My mom pretty much starts tearing up whenever I talked about it, her train of thought goes - tatttoo… needles… AIDS. I’m pretty sure she thinks if I get a tattoo I’m going to die. Even though this is a ridiculous train of thought - I’ve respected her wishes for that least 15 years!
I’ve suggested to hubby that we should get matching tattoos - him being the funny guy answers ‘Isn’t that a little permanent’! I always punch him and reply ‘This marriage is permanent buddy!’ I think he’s regretful of his first tattoo - so he’s not to excited about getting another one - maybe one day I’ll be able to convince him! Maybe once I come up with the idea/design!!
No tattoos. I once had multiple body parts pierced, but now I only wear one earring on each lobe.
I was going to spring for LASIK for my sweetie, until he had his consultation and was informed that he would still have to wear glasses after the procedure. Yup. His eyesight is that bad.
So, as a wedding gift I am going to suprise him with the uber-pricey titanium frames he has been coveting. He already received a fancy-pants briefcase as his engagement gift.
ick ick ick….no tattoo for us…personally though i admire the art and designs of tattoo ..im not waiting to have one on me or my wife….
for me, our engagement gifts are all hand made by me…i even rush it on the day before our engagement…quite a last min work cos there is so much to do for our wedding preparation =)
I have 2 tattoos, FI has none. No one would expect that I would have them, but I do and want another one! I’m pretty sure FI would never consider getting one, but mine certainly don’t bother him. I am going to cover one up (on my shoulder blade) for the wedding. We’ll be in a church, and something about it being on display in that context seems a little odd.
That’s an incredibly cool design and a great story!
My husband had 7 tattoos when I met him and he really wanted to get another one to celebrate our wedding. I’d always wanted one, but couldn’t decide what to get or where to put it.
We used a styllized Celtic knot from an embosser that we bought all over the place in our wedding. It became the design for our honeymoon tattoos - he got a larger one on his chest with the engraving I put on his ring surrounding it all in black and white. I got a smaller one on my left ankle in blue-green (our primary wedding color).
We love them! =)
Sheri - I’d love to see the pictures of your tattoos! They sound awesome!! If you don’t mind sharing… aj at altajilian dot com
Thanks!
Ooh, I’m totally stealing this idea! Neither of us have tattoos (though I have my navel pierced). He’s wanted one for a while, but I’ve kinda discouraged it because I’m not a big fan. This will make the perfect engagement gift because he definitely won’t expect it!
I think that’s fabulous! I have 4 tattoos & FH has none. He’s always wanted one, but hasn’t been able to find anything that he’d want on his body for the rest of his life, he says. And I’ve always been completely fascinated with them & their history & the various cultures associated with tattooing.
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Mrs. Hummingbird, Toronto
Age and Occupation: 25, Publishing Coordinator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Videogame Designer/Cartoonist
Engagement Date: May 4, 2007
Wedding Date: June 28, 2008
Blogging Since: September 18, 2007
Venue: A garden wedding followed by a tented reception on Mr. Hummingbird's father's property.
About Me: I’m a pop culture loving, vintage obsessed foodie living in Canada’s biggest city with my fantastic fiancé and our lovable fluffy cat Bettie. I’m stoked to marry my best friend and to throw what I hope will be
the most fun and colourful party of our lives.
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