I have a bridesmaids with arm sleeve tattoos. Should I ask her to cover them up?

dramaqueen040886 · September 2010

One of my bridesmaids has some crazy tattoos on her arms. One of them is a half naked pin up nurse. I don't really care either way but it would be nice if she covered them up. Should I ask her to cover them up with a shawl or something or is that being rude? And if I do ask her, how do I approach it without her getting offended or angry?

bablingbrooke · September 2010

If you don't care then why would you even consider asking? It's not like arm sleeve tattoos are rare or eyebrow-raising anymore. So don't ask her. There's no nice way to do it. And like you said, you don't care.

Robyn5298 · September 2010

Its up to you - you know your relationship with her best, so if it bothers you and you don't think she'd get upset over it I say go ahead and ask her. Although I have a feeling it would really irritate her though, so its probably best to just suck it up and ignore the half-naked nurse. Totally your call.

For what its worth I have a heavily tattooed bridesmaid as well and while I would love to ask her to wear a shawl for the ceremony, I know it would hurt her feelings. So I'm not going to ask her to. I'm planning to be on such a happiness cloud the day of the wedding I don't think I'll even notice the ink. Hopefully the same will be true for you!

jagore08 · September 2010

Don't ask her to cover up her tattoos. One of my girls is tatted up too and I don't even really notice it in the pictures. That may be because it's just a part of her. If you want to see how it all looks in pictures then look in my married bio.

jagore08 · September 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-party_bridesmaids-arm-sleeve-tattoos-should-ask-her-cover-up?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:37Discussion:13e2fda7-464b-4c08-940b-6a94f871e7fdPost:b7f5fb4f-dbdb-4426-ad3b-681100f686b0">I have a bridesmaids with arm sleeve tattoos. Should I ask her to cover them up?</a>:
[QUOTE]One of my bridesmaids has some crazy tattoos on her arms. One of them is a half naked pin up nurse. I don't really care either way but it would be nice if she covered them up. Should I ask her to cover them up with a shawl or something or is that being rude? And if I do ask her, how do I approach it without her getting offended or angry?
Posted by dramaqueen040886[/QUOTE]

trix1223 · September 2010

Unless you're getting married in a place that has restrictions that could apply here (think very conservative church), my question to you is: Did you choose your friend to stand with you because of her appearance, or because of her heart and soul?

gottahavashorti · September 2010

Not unless there are venue restrictions or it is an offensive tattoo. If she has sleeves and the nurse is part of that, I doubt it's too noticeable.

SSaltzman87 · September 2010

I see no reason to ask her to cover up her tattoos, unless you're getting married in a church that strongly frowns upon them. I don't think that's a discussion that needs to happen.

hisalwaysandforever · September 2010

No, as long as they are not offensive tattoos.

banana468 · September 2010

Please don't ask her to cover the tattoos. Unless as PP said that the ceremony location has restrictions just let her be herself.

LeahKathleen · September 2010

I have tattoos, and many friends who do as well. When a person gets a tattoo, they do so knowing that there will be situations in which having them exposed is not appropriate: work, etc. Your friend likely already has to cover them for work.

Yes you know your friend best. If she would be offended, it probably isn't worth it to persue. From my experience, though, I know that most people with tattoos would be understanding of the fact that your great Aunt Betty in the second row would be uncomfortable looking at a half-naked pin up girl. For that reason, I would suggest asking her (if you think she would be understanding) to cover the top half of her arms (if that's where it is) with a shawl for the ceremony only.

In photos, like PP said, you won't notice her tattoos. And no one will be looking too closely at the reception.

banana468 · September 2010

If she opts for a shawl though it needs to be a shawl for everyone - not just the friend with the tattoos. Weddings aren't work unless you're the officant.

mbcdefg · September 2010

Also, exactly how big IS this pinup girl, really? I really doubt anyone would notice it from the seats.

One of my BMs has a visible tattoo, and nobody made a peep about it. Also, for what it's worth, I got married in a Catholic church and the priest said that visible tattoos were fine.

aerinpegadrak · September 2010

Is the pinup half naked as in topless, or half naked as in mom yelling at you because you're in shorts and a top that shows your belly button? I think that's an important distinction.

I'm really not an advocate of asking people to cover tattoos, though I think it might be fine to suggest that she take a little concealer and give the nurse the Angelina-in-Beowulf treatment if there's nipple visible. If the tattoo is too small for that to be practical, it's probably too small to cause any issues.

I have a bridesmaids with arm sleeve tattoos. Should I ask her to cover them up?

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