In a time of ever-changing norms, many young people are reinventing traditions surrounding dating and marriage. Those who identify as polyamorous are eschewing monogamy altogether, and people who identify as pansexual don't believe that love and attraction can be limited to just one gender. Almost half of millennials say they are a fan of testing out a "marriage contract" (a two-year trial that can be dissolved without the hassle of paperwork) and another 33 percent said they'd be open to trying the "real estate" approach to marriage. An increasing amount of young people don't want to get married at all, viewing it as an outdated and patriarchal system.
Those that do want to get married, however, people are coming up with inventive new ways to pop the question, such as the avocado proposal.
Now, another growing trend has engaged couples opting for tattoos instead of rings. The trend, which already has over 5,000 posts on Instagram, consists of the bride and groom getting matching tattoos on their ring fingers.
Some of the tattoos feature an infinity symbol, to represent their everlasting love.
Others opt for something more personal and unique, like these King and Queen playing cards.
Or this pair of matching wolves, which, together, make an unbreakable pack.
Some tattoo the names of their beloved.
Another popular choice is roman numerals or numbers marking the day of the nuptials, which comes in handy (no pun intended) on anniversaries.
And still others opt to have wedding bands tattooed, almost so that they appear to be string tied around the fingers.
The first examples of wedding rings were found in ancient Egypt—usually in the form of braided hemp or reeds—where the circle was a symbol of eternity. Given the permanence of a tattoo, the new trend offers a modern take while retaining the same symbolic value (not to mention, tattoos aren't quite as easy to slip off). In America, wedding rings were initially only worn by women, in order to indicate their fidelity, and weren't adopted by men until the mid-twentieth century.
And if you're thinking of diving into this nascent trend, you may want to master the 20 Best Ways to Absolutely Nail Your Marriage Proposal.
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