Tattooed Bride Blues...

I was starting to post, "Don't invite your FMIL to go shopping with you!" and then I saw that Margaret had already said this. So, ditto to everything Margaret said.

There are no hard and fast rules for who can/should wear what. It IS (as you said) about what you like and what you feel looks good on you. While some long-sleeved dresses may not look good with your particular tattoos (due to the placement of the embellishments or whatever), there are absolutely some that will look great. Keep your own mind open and wait until you are trying them on to decide. Don't let the phantom voice of your FMIL (it won't be her real voice, because she won't be there in the dressing room with you) get in your head.

You could tell your FMIL that she can't come because of COVID regulations restricting number of guests lol. Though tbh, if I was worried about what my FMIL would say about my dress, I'd rather her tell me at the store than, god forbid, my wedding day Mine was not invited and has not seen the dress yet, though I'm sure the day of the wedding she will make a comment like "you look so beautiful... in that dress" thanks I guess???

You are surely not the first bride with tattooed arms who wore a sleeved wedding dress, and I think once you put it all together, you will feel bridal and beautiful and no one will even care if your tattoos are visible or not. You'll know when you find the right dress, and when you do, just roll with it

Whether or not your MIL is there with you, it's about what you truly love. Even if she does end up making a comment, don't let it sway you one way or another. Once you fall in love with a dress, all comments are dismissed. Stand your ground but opinions are definitely nice if you're unsure about something.

Hi Rachel!

I was super nervous about other people's opinions(my mom to be exact) and had anxiety about going to try on dresses. I ended up going with my sister and trying on dresses to ease my mind a bit. We went on a random Tuesday night when we were the only ones in the shop. My older sister is super supportive and gave me the advice/opinion I needed. I found the dress on the first visit. I then scheduled a big "try on" session with the entire group where I tried on about 4 or 5 dresses then put on "the dress". My sister led the oohs and aahs and no one knows about the first visit.

It's your wedding; make sure you get something that you love!

And I thought I knew what I wanted until I started trying on dresses. What I thought I'd love I hated and ended up going with something I probably never would have picked. Try all the different styles on!

You're the bride - you can wear whatever you want, full stop! There are no rules about what styles you can and can't wear, and thankfully you can easily reassure your FMIL that this is exactly why you try dresses on before purchasing one... so you can see what it looks like on you and decide for yourself! 😉

Also that's just a ridiculous statement by your FMIL. Sure, many tattooed brides choose to wear sleeveless, strapless, or low-back styles (just like tons of other brides) - but most of the time it's because they want to showcase their ink, not because it's the only style gown that looks good on them! It sounds like she's just not look in the right places for inspiration. ❤️

Photo by Alt Wedding Co (This entire UK real wedding is gorgeous!)

Photo by Lisa Jane Photography

Photo from the Zena May Collection

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Photo by Rebecca Hollis Photography

Photo from the Zena May Collection